The Senior Advisor is the primary responsible executive for the success of the Alliance to End Plastic Waste (AEPW) program in-country. This role is accountable for delivering the full scope of the country program in alignment with AEPW Strategy 2030, ensuring that projects are designed and executed as part of a system-change agenda rather than isolated interventions. The Senior Advisor manages all in-country stakeholders - including government entities, DFIs, industry partners, and implementing organizations - and oversees AEPW staff, consultants, and contractors to ensure programs are delivered safely, efficiently, compliantly, and with measurable impact.
The Senior Advisor is both a strategic representative of AEPW to external stakeholders and an operational manager ensuring contract compliance, impact reporting, and staff performance.
Key Responsibilities
1. Program Strategy & Alignment
- Develop, maintain, and execute a comprehensive country strategy aligned with AEPW's global Strategy 2030.
- Ensure that 8090% of projects drive system-level transformation (e.g., integrated waste infrastructure, EPR alignment, circular economy enablers) with the remaining 1020% focused on pilots for learning, impact generation, or stakeholder engagement.
- Identify opportunities for replication and scaling across the country and region.
- Anticipate regulatory, political, and market shifts that may affect the program; adapt strategy proactively.
2. Stakeholder Engagement & Representation
- Work very closely with AEPW Members, and facilitate all PAG, pre-PAG, and Member engagement relative to the Country Program Implementation.
- Serve as AEPW's senior representative in-country, maintaining strong relationships with a) Local and national government ministries, regulators, and municipalities; b) DFIs and co-funding partners active in waste and circular economy infrastructure; c) Industry stakeholders including brands, recyclers, and waste operators; and d) Civil society groups, NGOs, and academic institutions.
- Represent AEPW in policy dialogues, conferences, and industry roundtables, ensuring the organization is seen as a co-creator of solutions.
- Work with the Central PA team to ensure alignment of government relations.
- Act as primary escalation point for all stakeholder issues arising within the program.
3. Project Development & Execution Oversight
- Guide development of new projects to ensure alignment with program objectives and system-change principles.
- Review and approve project proposals prior to submission to the Portfolio Management Committee / Governing Council.
- Oversee in-country execution teams and implementing partners to ensure adherence to AEPW's global standards.
- Ensure strict compliance with AEPW's E2E Program Implementation process, safeguard requirements, and contractual obligations.
- Conduct regular site visits, milestone reviews, and partner performance evaluations.
- Collaborate with Circular Solutions Centre to ensure technical due diligence and innovation pilots are rigorously assessed.
4. Contract Compliance & Risk Management
- Ensure all projects adhere to the terms of their contracts, including milestones, disbursement conditions, reporting obligations, and safeguard actions.
- Work closely with Central Legal / Contracts to enforce compliance and resolve disputes.
- Maintain a country-level risk register and escalate risks (financial, operational, reputational, HSE) to the Central Risk team.
- Ensure world-class HSE standards are embedded in all project activities, in line with AEPW expectations and international best practices.
5. Financial Structuring & Oversight
- Collaborate with Impact Finance to co-structure deals with DFIs, private investors, and corporate co-funders.
- Monitor financial performance of all projects (grants, loans, blended finance) including repayment obligations.
- Ensure transparent and timely financial reporting for donors, DFIs, and AEPW central finance.
6. Impact Measurement & Reporting
- Ensure all projects deliver on AEPW's impact metrics: plastic waste collected, sorted, and valorized; access to waste management; jobs created; safety performance, etc..
- Work with Global Support to provide accurate and timely reporting for impact metrics, PMC / GC, donor, and member communications.
- Facilitate external audits, evaluations, and lessons-learned reviews.
7. People Leadership & Team Development
- Lead, mentor, and manage all AEPW employees and consultants in-country.
- Ensure teams operate safely, efficiently, and productively with clear accountability.
- Foster a culture of compliance, transparency, and impact delivery.
- Build local capacity by coaching and developing staff and ensuring knowledge transfer across teams.
- Ensure strong collaboration across functions (Execution, Circular Solutions Centre, Support, Finance, Legal, Public Affairs and Strategy / Planning).
Qualifications / Requirements:
- Advanced degree in business, engineering, public policy, or a related field.
- Minimum 20+ years experience in senior leadership roles within infrastructure, development, or circular economy sectors.
- Proven experience managing complex, multi-stakeholder programs with government, DFIs, corporates, and NGOs.
- Strong contract management, compliance, and risk oversight skills.
- Demonstrated financial acumen in structuring and monitoring large-scale projects.
- Experience working in international development, public-private partnerships, or donor-funded projects highly preferred.
- Excellent communication, negotiation, and diplomatic skills.
- High integrity, resilience under pressure, and ability to balance strategic leadership with hands-on operational management.
