Sustainable healthcareExpression of interestHIF-EVD-MWC
Medical Waste & Circularity Lead
Identify practical ways to reduce healthcare waste without shifting infection, safety or labour risks elsewhere.
Location
Global
Arrangement
Remote
Commitment
4–5 hours per week
Duration
Six-month discovery portfolio
Level
Professional / research leadership
Contribution track
Create evidence
01
Role mandate
Identify practical ways to reduce healthcare waste without shifting infection, safety or labour risks elsewhere.
Why this role exists now
Medical waste is a global concern, but solutions must distinguish avoidable material use from clinically necessary infection-control practice.
02
Outcomes you would own
01
A decision-ready systems map and evidence review.
02
A prioritised set of intervention points and unintended risks.
03
A testable circularity concept with governance requirements.
04
An honest impact-measurement and SROI framework.
Core responsibilities
Select a bounded waste stream and map its clinical and environmental system.
Review reduction, reuse, reprocessing and procurement evidence.
Engage clinicians, waste workers, suppliers and sustainability leads.
Assess safety, regulation, cost, carbon and equity trade-offs.
Recommend a Living Lab test or a reason not to proceed.
03
Your first 90 days
Days 1–30
Listen, learn and locate the work
Complete HIF induction, role boundaries and required checks.
Review the Sustainable healthcare brief, evidence, partners and unresolved decisions.
Agree a 90-day workplan, communication rhythm and escalation map.
Days 31–60
Build the first useful thing
Complete the first evidence synthesis, method or analysis.
Invite review early from the people who will use or be affected by the work.
Record changes, risks and decisions instead of hiding uncertainty.
Days 61–90
Deliver, learn and hand over
Complete the agreed first milestone or document why it should change.
Review progress against success measures with your supervisor.
Publish a next-quarter plan and keep files ready for another volunteer.
04
What you need
Essential criteria
Healthcare sustainability, waste, infection prevention, procurement or systems research experience.
Ability to analyse environmental and clinical trade-offs together.
Strong stakeholder and evidence-synthesis capability.
Desirable, not required
Life-cycle assessment or circular-economy experience.
Hospital operations or medical-device knowledge.
05
How good work will be judged
Success measures
The proposal reduces total harm rather than moving it elsewhere.
Clinical safety and worker experience shape the design.
Impact assumptions are measurable and transparent.
Decision rights & escalation
Set day-to-day priorities within the approved role brief and agreed hours.
Recommend changes to scope, timing or method and document the rationale.
Pause your own activity and escalate when safety, consent, quality or capacity is unclear.
Escalate budget commitments, external promises, partner agreements and material changes to Director of Research & Program Development.
Clinical, safeguarding, privacy and public-claim decisions remain with the named qualified approver.
Role boundaries
This is an unpaid volunteer role. It does not create an employment relationship or expectation of future paid work.
Do not represent HIF publicly, sign agreements or commit money unless authority is explicitly documented.
Use only approved systems for personal, partner or program information.
The agreed weekly commitment is a ceiling to manage, not a minimum to exceed silently.
This role does not provide clinical advice, diagnosis, treatment or unsupervised patient contact.
No travel is assumed. Any future travel would require a separate brief, risk review and written approval.
06
Support, learning and wellbeing
Clinical, research, finance and Living Lab review.
Partner access only through approved engagement.
No waste-handling activity without site-specific safety approval.
Scope and safety
Volunteers must not work outside their competence. Clinical, safeguarding and community-facing work requires role-specific supervision and escalation pathways.
Checks before you begin
Identity and right-to-volunteer confirmation.
One or two role-relevant references for leadership or higher-trust appointments.
Confidentiality, conflict-of-interest, privacy and code-of-conduct declarations.
07
How selection works
Evidence to include
A short statement explaining why this role and HIF’s health-equity mission fit your experience.
One specific example showing how you handled work relevant to sustainability.
Your realistic availability against the published commitment of 4–5 hours per week.
Any required qualifications, registrations, portfolio links or work samples.
Conflicts, access needs or support adjustments you want the selection panel to consider.
Selection stages
Eligibility and completeness review
Assessment against the published essential criteria
Structured interview or practical conversation, if required
Relevant reference, credential and safeguarding checks
Outcome, induction and role-specific onboarding
Final selection decisions are made by people. AI is not used to automatically reject applicants.