Overview
The Senior Infrastructure Sustainability Associate (Retainer) will provide technical and analytical support for infrastructure projects within UNOPS Panama office's portfolio, focusing initially on sustainable, resilient, and efficient pavements and road infrastructure.
Key Responsibilities
- Conduct market research and diagnostics with private suppliers and key actors to assess availability of technologies, innovative materials, and sustainable practices for infrastructure projects, with an initial focus on pavements.
- Support the collection and systematization of current regulatory frameworks, regulations, and technical specifications in Panama, with an initial emphasis on road infrastructure and pavements, to identify potential limitations or institutional gaps for adopting sustainable technologies and circular economy.
- Provide substantive support in evaluating the technical and internal capacities of institutional counterparts (initially the Ministry of Public Works), analyzing the availability of resources, own infrastructure, and the location or management of recyclable or circular materials.
- Support working groups, workshops, and technical validation sessions with key institutions and sector actors.
- If required, accompany technical field visits to sites of interest (such as plants, laboratories, or ongoing works) to assess the real capacities of the local industry.
- Develop economic analyses and preliminary cost estimates, savings, and financial efficiencies derived from adopting sustainable infrastructure solutions and technologies compared to traditional methods, with an initial focus on pavements.
- Identify, quantify, and visualize the environmental impacts and sustainability benefits of different technical alternatives, calculating key sustainability indicators (KPIs).
- Consolidate findings from market diagnostics, institutional evaluations, and impact analyses into final reports, strategic reports, and executive presentations for senior counterpart authorities to facilitate informed decision-making.
- Collaborate closely with the engineering and project management team in drafting, reviewing, and integrating sustainability and circular economy criteria, requirements, and specific specifications within Terms of Reference (TOR) and bidding documents.
- Collect, centralize, and process technical data, laboratory results, and field metrics from project execution to feed into final impact reports and compare them with project baselines.
- Support the communication process with market suppliers and technical teams of government counterparts in Panama to ensure fluid communication and access to information.
- Support the monitoring, quality control, and risk mitigation of activities under their responsibility.
- Support the organization and delivery of training and learning sessions on topics related to sustainability in infrastructure projects.
- Document lessons learned in a structured and accessible manner regarding sustainability measures, impact quantifications, and efficiencies, as well as other products and findings generated during the work execution.
Required Experience
- 3-7 years of experience (depending on degree level) in sustainability analysis, environmental impact quantification, or road infrastructure project analysis.
- Experience in calculating CO2 reduction metrics and financial efficiencies for infrastructure projects.
- Technical knowledge and practical experience in sustainable asphalt alternatives are highly valued.
- Knowledge of Panamanian national technical regulations for road construction, Ministry of Public Works (MOP) standards, and public procurement frameworks is desirable.
- Experience in market analysis, evaluation of capacities, and quantification of environmental and financial impacts.
Qualifications
- Required: High school diploma.
- Desirable: Bachelor's degree (or equivalent) in Environmental Engineering, Civil Engineering, Economics, Sustainability, or related fields.
- Master's degree in any of the above or related fields.
