For the Appointment of a Project Coordinator / Senior Technical Advisor – GEF-Funded Child Project: “Circular Solutions to Plastic Pollution in Nigeria”
| Project Title | Circular Solutions to Plastic Pollution in Nigeria |
| GEF Project ID | 11193 |
| Post title | Project Management Officer |
| Implementing Agency | United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) |
| Executing Agency | National Environmental Standards and Regulations Enforcement Agency (NESREA) |
| Funding Source | Global Environment Facility (GEF) |
| Project Duration | 5 years |
| Duty station | Abuja |
| Nature of Engagement | Full-time position |
| Indicative Total Work Period | 5 years |
| Date of Issue of RFP | 04/09/2025 |
| Closing Date for Submission | 17/09/2025 |
Background
The consumption of single-use plastic water sachets in Nigeria has become a major source of plastic pollution, with over 2.5 billion litres consumed annually. Today, there are over 32,000 sachet water producers nationwide. Once consumed, water sachets are often indiscriminately discarded, contributing significantly to plastic pollution in the country. This leads to clogged sewage systems, marine and freshwater leakage, harm to biodiversity, and increased risks of widespread diseases. These impacts pose severe hazards to the environment, biodiversity, and public health.
While government efforts to expand and improve pipe-borne water systems are ongoing, alternatives to plastic sachets are urgently needed given Nigerians’ high reliance on packaged water.
Against this backdrop, the Global Environment Facility (GEF) has provided critical funding support for this project to reduce plastic sachet consumption while safeguarding access to safe drinking water. The GEF-funded project will advance sustainable solutions through the following key components:
- Strengthening federal and sub-national policies and institutional capacities for ensuring accessible and safe drinking water.
- Fostering public-private partnerships (PPPs) to expand access to clean drinking water through circular economy solutions, eco-design, and Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) schemes.
- Piloting reuse models and community-owned initiatives to demonstrate the combined economic and environmental benefits of alternatives to sachet plastics.
- Enhancing public awareness and stakeholder engagement to drive behavioral change and promote sustainable water consumption practices.
- Ensuring effective communication and coordination throughout project implementation, particularly alignment with the Global Project under GEF.
This GEF investment contributes directly to the delivery of the UNEP Programme of Work on reducing land-based sources of pollution and achieving transformative impacts. The project is expected to generate measurable Global Environmental Benefits (GEBs), including:
- 350,078 metric tons of avoided residual plastic waste pollution (CI 9.8);
- 54.69 gTEQ POPs to air reduced (CI 10);
- 1,868,657 metric tons of CO₂ emission reduced (CI 6.7).
Through GEF’s support, Nigeria is taking a decisive step toward tackling plastic pollution, protecting biodiversity, and safeguarding public health while ensuring sustainable access to safe drinking water.
Organizational Context
The National Environmental Standards and Regulations Enforcement Agency (NESREA) has the responsibility for the protection and development of the environment, biodiversity conservation, and the sustainable development of Nigeria’s natural resources. The Agency also promotes environmental technology, including coordination and liaison with relevant stakeholders within and outside Nigeria on matters relating to the enforcement of environmental standards, regulations, rules, laws, policies, and guidelines.
The NESREA Act empowers the Agency to:
- Enforce all environmental laws, guidelines, policies, standards, and regulations in Nigeria; and
- Ensure compliance with provisions of international agreements, protocols, conventions, and treaties on the environment to which Nigeria is a signatory.
In this project, the Global Environment Facility (GEF) provides the funding, with the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) serving as the Implementing Agency, while NESREA acts as the Executing Agency responsible for delivering project activities on the ground in Nigeria.
Objectives of the Assignment
The Project Coordinator / Senior Technical Advisor will be responsible for the overall management, coordination, and implementation of the project, ensuring that objectives are met in line with the approved results framework, work plan, and budget.
Scope of Work and Key Responsibilities
The Project Coordinator / Senior Technical Advisor will be responsible for the overall management of the project, including development of annual and quarterly workplans, preparing quarterly narrative, the mobilization of all project inputs, supervision over project staff, consultants, and sub-contractors and execution and monitoring of project activities.
Duties and Responsibilities:
- Oversee and participate in the policy component activities, particularly representing the project in meetings;
- Provide guidance on the public-private collaboration, ensuring wide collaboration with stakeholders;
- Supervise the business support programme and monitor the implementation of pilot projects;
- Provide strategic input to the development of the communication campaign and represent the project in the multi-stakeholder roundtable, as well as leading the Roadmap for circular systems in the water sector;
- Plan the activities of the project and monitor progress against the approved workplan;
- Execute activities by managing personnel, goods and services, training and low-value grants, including drafting terms of reference and work specifications, and overseeing all contractors’ work;
- Monitor events as determined in the project monitoring plan, and update the plan as required;
- Provide support for completion of assessments required by UNEP, spot checks and audits;
- Monitor financial resources and accounting to ensure the accuracy and reliability of financial reports;
- Monitor progress, watch for plan deviations and make course corrections when needed within project board-agreed tolerances to achieve results;
- Ensure that changes are controlled and problems addressed;
- Perform regular progress reporting to the project board as agreed with the board, including measures to address challenges and opportunities;
- Prepare and submit progress and financial reports to UNEP on a quarterly basis;
- Manage and monitor the project risks – including social and environmental risks – initially identified; assess new risks and its response measures; and submit new risks to the Project Board for consideration and decision on possible actions if required; update the status of these risks by maintaining the project risks log;
- Capture lessons learned during project implementation;
- Prepare revisions to the multi-year workplan, as needed, as well as annual and quarterly plans if required;
- Prepare the inception report no later than one month after the inception workshop;
- Ensure that the indicators included in the project results framework are monitored annually in advance of the GEF PIR submission deadline so that progress can be reported in the GEF PIR;
- Prepare the GEF PIR;
- Assess major and minor amendments to the project within the parameters set by UNEP-GEF;
- Monitor implementation plans including the gender action plan, stakeholder engagement plan, and any environmental and social management plans;
- Monitor and track progress against the GEF Core indicators;
- Support the Mid-term review and Terminal Evaluation process.
- Prepare documents for the yearly PSC meetings (agendas, workplans, budget revisions etc.) and other key coordination meetings
- Contribute to the Integrated Program and Global project, responding to requests, contributions to documents, attendance of in-person and virtual meetings
- Ensure coordination with all key ministries, private sector and other key partners and stakeholders of the project
Reporting and Supervision
The Project Coordinator / Senior Technical Advisor will:
- Report to the Director General/CEO of NESREA
- Work closely with UNEP as the Implementing Agency.
- Serve as Secretary to the Project Steering Committee.
Required Qualifications
- Qualifications
- A University Degree, in Social Science, Business Administration or a related field
- At least 3 years (for master’s degree) or 5 years (for bachelor’s degree) of professional experience in providing technical advice, strategic coordination, and communication with government, development partners, and CSOs to address relevant issues and to ensure the greater impact of a development project;
- Solid experiences in project management (design, implementation, coordination, monitoring and evaluation of development projects) and in establishing inter-relationships among international organizations and national governments;
- Knowledge of environmental and waste management related issues, and awareness and familiarity of key actors and stakeholders across the political, economic, and development spheres, alongside knowledge of government, civil society, and other non-state actors;
- Familiarity with procedure of UN and various donor agencies would be an asset.
- Fluent in English
Application Procedure
Interested candidates are invited to submit the following:
- A cover letter demonstrating relevant experience.
- A detailed CV highlighting qualifications and project management experience.
- Scanned copies of credentials and evidence of past experience (e.g., engagement/appointment letters, reference letters, or similar documentation).
- A technical proposal (2–3 pages) outlining understanding of the assignment and approach to achieving project objectives.
Applications should clearly state “Project Coordinator / Senior Technical Advisor – Circular Solutions to Plastic Pollution in Nigeria” in the subject line and be submitted to:
The Director General/CEO
NESREA Headquarters, Abuja
Email: procurement@nesrea.gov.ng; dg@nesrea.gov.ng; krisbeka@gmail.com; elichucks@gmail.com
Closing Date for Submission: Wednesday, 17/09/2025
Only shortlisted candidates will be contacted.
Signed
Director General/CEO
NESREA
