Consultant - Data Scientist (Circular Economy)
E-waste (WEEE) management, circular economy, digital product passports, resource efficiency, data science
SCYCLE is UNITAR Programme as part of the Division for Planet with its offices at the Un Campus in Bonn (Germany). SCYCLE works to enable societies to reduce the environmental load from production, use and the disposal of ubiquitous goods and especially electrical and electronic equipment to sustainable levels by means of independent and both comprehensive and practical research and training providing more thorough fact bases for policy development and decision making. Therefore, SCYCLE activities are focused on the development of sustainable production, consumption and disposal patterns for electrical and electronic equipment, as well as other ubiquitous goods. SCYCLE leads the global e-waste discussion, is a member of the UN E-waste Coalition, and advances sustainable e-waste management strategies based on life-cycle thinking. https://www.scycle.info
The Consultant will assist in the Circular Economy Resource Information SystEm CE-RISE project. CE-RISE aims to provide an integrated framework and an ensuing resource information system to enable successful implementation of circular strategies. CE-RISE will develop a framework to systematically assess the extent to which products and components can be, e.g., reused, repaired, refurbished, remanufactured, recovered and recycled. It will also explore the required information on production material composition for downstream actors to reused, repaired, refurbished, remanufactured, recovered and recycled practices.
The consultant will contribute to the scientific research, dissemination, and writing of deliverables in the CE-RISE project and other relevant work on sustainable development and circular economy carried out by the SCYCLE programme. This will be done in close cooperation with the UNITAR project team and other research and industrial partners in the consortium, ensuring that standards and requirements are met.
Specific tasks of the Consultant will include:
- Contribute to the stakeholder engagement and training: in particular to assist with the analysis and mapping of the digital product passports and analysing the stakeholder needs, and through that contribute to the standardization and harmonization of reused, repaired, refurbished, remanufactured, recovered and recycled and SEEE criteria.
- Contribute to the development of the conceptual and methodological framework
- Contribute to the socio-environmental-economic assessment of products and circular strategies by assisting in data acquisition, harmonization and data quality assessments.
- Contribute to the piloting of the CE-RISE information system by providing the theoretical groundwork for the case studies.
- Contribute to the stakeholder mapping, networking and clustering and communication and dissemination.
- Effective communication with partners and colleagues;
- Timely and quality preparation of all deliverables;
- High degree of professionalism.
- Excellent project management skills;
- Knowledge of life cycle analysis, digital product passports, and circular economy;
- Result-oriented, proactive, self-motivated and “hands-on” with the ability to prioritize work and multitask;
- Demonstrable oral and writing skills in English [high proficiency], with an ability to convey complex ideas in a creative, clear, direct and lively style;
- Able to work both independently and collaboratively;
- Interpersonal and communication skills to interact effectively with people of different national and cultural backgrounds;
- General computer proficiency (Microsoft Word, Excel, Outlook, PowerPoint).
- Proficiency in data analysis and performing computations of large datasets.
The incumbent will report to the Senior Scientific Specialist (Statistics) of SCYCLE.
Education:
- Advanced university degree or PhD in environmental engineering, environmental science, industrial ecology, product design or another relevant field.
Work Experience:
- At least three (3) years of progressively experience in the circular economy area;
- At least three (3) years of progressively experience in working on international and/or national research projects (e.g. National Projects or European projects) or projects of equivalent complexity;
- Experience in stakeholder engagement, preparation of publications, presentations and communications with external stakeholders.
c. Languages:
- Oral and written fluency in English [high proficiency]
Consultants are responsible for determining their tax liabilities and for the payment of any taxes and/or duties, in accordance with local laws. UNITAR does not reimburse Consultants for any taxes, duty, or other contribution payable by the Consultant on payments made under the consultancy contract.
The Institute does not provide or arrange life or health insurance coverage for Consultant, and Consultant are not eligible to participate in the life and health insurance schemes provided by the UN for its staff members.
This is a locally recruited post and no relocation allowances apply. The successful candidate will be employed under a local contract and will not hold international civil servant status nor is he/she a “staff member” as defined in the United Nations Staff Rules and Regulations.
The United Nations shall place no restrictions on the eligibility of men and women to participate in any capacity and under conditions of equality in its principal and subsidiary organs. (Charter of the United Nations - Chapter 3, article 8).
Candidates are invited to submit their application as soon as possible and before the deadline stated in the vacancy announcement.
Only short-listed candidates will be contacted.