Title: national circular economy expert
requisition id: 7126
grade: isa-noc
country: mexico
duty station: mexico city
category: national consultant
type of job posting: internal and external
employment type: nonstaff-regular
contract duration: 3 months
application deadline: 16-mar-2026, 11:59 pm (vienna, austria time)
vacancy announcement
temporary appointment of project personnel
only nationals or permanent residents of the country of the duty station are considered eligible.
female candidates are encouraged to apply.
unido welcomes applications from qualified persons with disabilities. Reasonable accommodation will be provided to applicants and employees with disabilities to support full participation in the recruitment process and in the performance of their duties.
organizational context
the united nations industrial development organization (unido) is the specialized agency of the united nations that promotes industrial development for poverty reduction, inclusive globalization and environmental sustainability. The mission unido, as described in the lima declaration adopted at the fifteenth session of the unido general conference in 2013 as well as the abu dhabi declaration adopted at the eighteenth session of unido general conference in 2019, is to promote and accelerate inclusive and sustainable industrial development (isid) in member states. The relevance of isid as an integrated approach to all three pillars of sustainable development is recognized by the 2030 agenda for sustainable development and the related sustainable development goals (sdgs), which will frame united nations and country efforts towards sustainable development. Unido’s mandate is fully recognized in sdg-9, which calls to “build resilient infrastructure, promote inclusive and sustainable industrialization and foster innovation”. The relevance of isid, however, applies to a greater or lesser extent to all sdgs.
the medium-term programme framework (mtpf) is unido’s core strategic document. As the organization moves from the 2022–2025 cycle to the 2026–2029 mtpf, it sets a renewed vision to support member states shape their industries for development. The new priorities include renewable and clean energy, sustainable access and climate action, ending hunger through innovation and local value addition, and fair and sustainable global and regional supply chains. Cross-cutting priorities focus on industrial and economic policy advice, skills development, fostering digitalization and artificial intelligence, gender equality and the empowerment of women, supporting youth, promoting cleaner production and circular economy, and leveraging private sector investment and development finance.
each of these programmatic fields of activity contains a number of individual programmes, which are implemented in a holistic manner to achieve effective outcomes and impacts through unido’s four enabling functions: (i) technical cooperation; (ii) analytical and research functions and policy advisory services; (iii) normative functions and standards and quality-related activities; and (iv) convening and partnerships for knowledge transfer, networking and industrial cooperation. Such core functions are carried out in divisions/offices in its headquarters, sub-regional offices and country offices.
the directorate of technical cooperation and sustainable industrial development (tcs), headed by a managing director, ensures the organization's application of strategies and interventions for sustainable industrial development related to environment, energy, micro, small and medium-enterprises (msmes), and digitalization. The directorate also oversees the organization's normative contribution to achieving the sustainable development goals through industrial policy advice and capacity development. Through coordination in-house and with member states and industry stakeholders, it ensures that the services provided in these areas contribute to effective and appropriate technical, business and policy solutions and are focused on results, scaling up and positioning unido as a leading platform for industrial development in developing countries and global fora.
the directorate is responsible for the division of industrial policy advice and capacity development (tcs/ipc), and technical divisions of circular economy and green industry (tcs/ceg), energy and climate action (tcs/eca), climate innovation and montreal protocol (tcs/cmp); msme competitiveness, quality and job creation (tcs/sme); and digital transformation and artificial intelligence (tcs/dai). Leveraging the diverse skill sets of unido personnel and the services provided by the two tc directorates, tcs collaborates closely with iet to develop and implement programmes and projects, aiming at enhancing synergy and complementarity and maximizing unido corporate performance and impacts on the ground. The directorate also ensures close coordination and collaboration among the divisions as well as with relevant entities in all directorates across the organization.
this position is located under the circular resource efficiency unit (tcs/ceg/cre), which is responsible for supporting capacity development to promote the adoption of circular and resource-efficient consumption and production patterns across value chains. It fosters circular economy solutions including policies, programmes, practices, and business models that enhance industry profitability while generating social and environmental benefits. Furthermore, it facilitates design for circularity emphasizing reduced or alternative materials inputs, greater durability, reusability, reparability, and ultimately recyclability. The unit promotes nature-based solutions and ecosystem-based approaches that support the coexistence of industries and nature.
project context
the national circular economy expert will be responsible for information gathering and coordinative activities of the mexico component of the project “climate and biodiversity action through circular economy solutions (cb-aces)” (project id: 240030), funded by the international climate initiative (iki) of the german government.
the project’s overall objective is to reduce negative impacts on climate and biodiversity by transforming selected sectors and value chains in the partner countries brazil, mexico and south africa towards a socially just circular economy.
the project will focus on four outputs. Under output 1, the project will develop and promote a draft integrated policy framework with policy makers, private sector and civil society. Drawing on international best practices (e.g., standards, labels), this framework aims to embed ce approaches coherently into existing national/regional/international regulations, including on climate change mitigation and biodiversity protection. Output 2 aims at building capacities and fostering knowledge exchange for a broad array of ce-relevant actors on the macro, meso and micro level, enabling them to sustain and expand socially just ce approaches beyond the project. Within output 3, the project will provide technical assistance by designing technical pilots and business cases for circularity, offering technical knowledge as well as knowledge for monitoring and reporting. With output 4, the project will focus on helping channel finance towards ce approaches. It will identify suitable financial institutions (fis), both on the international and national level, support selected fis in implementing appropriate ce funds and financial instruments and coach their staff to identify ce opportunities.
functional responsibilities
under the direct supervision of the project manager (pm) and close cooperation with the project team in the hq and field location, the expert will be responsible for the performance of the following main duties:
main duties
concrete/measurable
outputs to be achieved
location
planning /coordination/advice
review project documents and existing strategy and implementation approach in mexico.
review of cb-aces project concept and preparatory phase proposal and provision of written feedback/ recommendations.
assessment of mexico's ce implementation landscape: existing initiatives (querétaro circular economy system, state-level programs), implementation gaps, replication opportunities.
mexico city/ remote
provide technical advice on project implementation strategy.
strategic advice notes on sequencing and prioritization of ce interventions in mexico, including quick-wins and longer-term transformational activities.
familiarize with the country's local partners.
mapping of implementation-ready stakeholders: sector champions, early adopter firms, willing financial institutions, committed government agencies.
identification of concrete entry points for project intervention based on ongoing initiatives and bilateral ce dialogue priorities.
programme/project implementation
develop actionable ce intervention strategy.
detailed ce intervention recommendations for 2-3 priority sectors, including:
specific circular strategies applicable (9r framework): which r-strategies are most viable? Technology and process interventions needed. Estimated ghg reduction and biodiversity impact potential. Implementation timeline and sequencing.
mexico city/ sites of ce interventions
identify and analyze ce business models.
catalogue of 10-15 proven ce business models applicable to mexico context.
develop capacity building plan.
capacity needs assessment at 3 levels:
macro level (government) meso level (intermediaries) micro level (firms)
capacity building plan for implementation phase including:
target audience segmentation by stakeholder group and capacity level. Learning objectives and competencies to be developed for each group. Recommended training formats. Sequencing and timeline of capacity building activities aligned with project outputs. Integration with pilot activities (learning-by-doing approach). Gender-responsive design ensuring equal access and participation.
develop concepts for concrete pilots.
identification of 15-25 potential pilot firms (smes and larger firms) by sector with preliminary assessment of their readiness and potential ce approaches.