ABOUT THE POSITIONS:
GAIA is hiring two Regional Wastepicker and Climate Organizers to work closely with wastepicker groups and GAIA members in their respective regions (Latin America and India). Their primary work is to support these constituent groups with information and strategic support, especially as regards climate change and the implementation of zero waste projects (composting, recycling, biogas digestion, etc.). The regional organizers will also be responsible for facilitating feedback from these groups to the GAIA team as a whole. Translation is a large part of the work, as a lot of technical and policy information must be translated and then made intelligible to lay people. A willingness to learn from grassroots recyclers, and support the sharing of experiences between countries, is also critical, as we aim to support knowledge exchange on all levels. These positions require considerable international travel.
LOCATION:
As a global network, GAIA has some flexibility about the location of its staff. We prefer the Latin America organizer to be based in GAIA’s Buenos Aires office, and the India organizer to be based either in Pune or Chennai. However, we are willing to consider other locations in India and Latin America for the right candidate.
RESPONSIBILITIES:
1) Support advocacy efforts by wastepicker groups and GAIA members in the region with information, strategic interventions, and technical support, particularly but not exclusively around climate and waste policy and implementation.
2) Provide or arrange technical support for project initiatives such as new composting or biogas projects, Zero Waste plan development, data collection for primary research, etc.
3) Engage in capacity-building through workshops, presentations, site visits, etc. This will enable groups to better participate in national and international policy processes.
4) Translate documents, emails, etc. to facilitate the smooth flow of information.
5) Conduct site visits to constituent groups to build stronger relations and deeper understanding of local issues.
6) Do public speaking and carry out regional media work (create and maintain press lists, make press calls, give interviews, etc.)
7) Maintain regular contact with wastepicker groups and GAIA members in the region to ensure that their priorities, concerns, and needs are properly communicated and taken into consideration in the network’s resource development, planning, global campaign priorities, etc.
8) In collaboration with the Information Coordinator, develop new campaign resources to address emerging needs, opportunities or threats as needed. Also, contribute material to the GAIA wiki and knowledge database for this project.
9) In collaboration with the Information Coordinator, build GAIA’s resource base in languages other than English.
QUALIFICATIONS:
1) Good writing skills, especially the ability to transform complex technical texts into easy-to-understand and easy-to-read documents for an international audience.
2) Excellent listening and public speaking skills. Facilitation, writing and public speaking are major elements of the position.
3) Experience and ability to manage complex organizational and political relationships.
4) Affinity and experience working with mass-based movements, labor and grassroots organizations. We have a preference for candidates with knowledge of waste or climate issues.
5) Good team player with demonstrated capacity for managing independent work, and coordinating with GAIA’s multicultural team over email.
6) Proven ability to maintain work relationships and work collaboratively over long distances (via email, skype, etc.)
7) Willing to do international travel and own project administrative work.
8) Dedication to social and environmental justice.
9) Latin America: English and Spanish fluency necessary; Portuguese ability highly desirable.
India: English and Hindi fluency necessary; fluency in another South Asian language desirable.
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