Climate-resilient healthExpression of interestHIF-EVD-SHMW
Sustainable Healthcare & Medical Waste Volunteer
Design a practical pilot that reduces avoidable healthcare waste without compromising infection prevention or patient safety.
Location
Australia / remote
Arrangement
Hybrid
Commitment
3–5 hours per week
Duration
Six-month pilot design
Level
Student / professional
Contribution track
Create evidence
01
Role mandate
Design a practical pilot that reduces avoidable healthcare waste without compromising infection prevention or patient safety.
Why this role exists now
Healthcare waste creates environmental harm, but poorly designed reduction efforts can shift risk or conflict with clinical standards.
02
Outcomes you would own
01
A current, approved workplan for the Climate-resilient health contribution.
02
Clear decisions, risks and dependencies recorded where the team can use them.
03
A traceable evidence product that answers a real program decision.
04
Assumptions, limitations and recommended next questions made explicit.
Core responsibilities
Map a defined waste stream and the clinical, procurement and regulatory constraints around it.
Review evidence and identify safe prevention, reuse or circular-economy options.
Engage clinicians, sustainability staff and affected operational teams.
Develop a measurable minimum viable pilot with stop criteria.
03
Your first 90 days
Days 1–30
Listen, learn and locate the work
Complete HIF induction, role boundaries and required checks.
Review the Climate-resilient health 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
Background in health, sustainability, engineering, procurement, policy or evaluation.
Systems thinking and respect for clinical safety requirements.
Ability to quantify trade-offs and avoid unsupported environmental claims.
Desirable, not required
Life-cycle assessment experience.
Healthcare procurement or infection-control knowledge.
05
How good work will be judged
Success measures
The output answers a defined decision and cites traceable sources.
Methods and limitations are clear enough for independent review.
No more data is collected than the decision genuinely requires.
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 Research & Program Development Lead.
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
A bounded pilot brief and stakeholder map.
Clinical and sustainability review before implementation.
Data and ethics review for any measurement involving staff or patients.
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 research.
Your realistic availability against the published commitment of 3–5 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.