Contract Opportunity 

Reports To: Sustainability in Health Program Manager for Latin America 

Location: Remote; must be based in Latin America and the Caribbean

Duration: April 15, 2026 – December 31, 2026 (9 months)

Schedule:  Part-Time; Deliverables are anticipated to take up to 20 hours per week

Rate: Varies by candidate’s location/country of residence

Posting Date: March 20, 2026

Closing Date: April 5, 2026

HCWH is looking for a part-time Technical Consultant to support the implementation of our programs in Latin America and the Caribbean.

ORGANIZATIONAL OVERVIEW:

Health Care Without Harm (HCWH) is an international nongovernmental organization (NGO) that works to transform healthcare worldwide so that it reduces its environmental footprint, becomes a community anchor for sustainability and a leader in the global movement for environmental health and justice. With regional offices in the United States, Europe, and Southeast Asia, a regional team in Latin America, a Global secretariat, and a network of strategic partners across continents, HCWH fosters global and regional collaborations to address climate and health issues.

Our Global Green and Healthy Hospitals (GGHH), a program of Health Care Without Harm, is an international network of hospitals, healthcare facilities, health systems, and health organizations dedicated to reducing their environmental footprint and promoting public and environmental health. GGHH has over 1,350 institutional members in 16 countries from Latin America and the Caribbean, which represent the interests of over 27,650 hospitals and health centers in the region. The network serves as one of the key vehicles through which the organization and its partners engage directly with the health care sector on the ground around the world and support facilities in their transformation into low-carbon, resilient, and sustainable facilities.

SCOPE OF WORK:

HCWH is looking for a part-time Technical Consultant to support our programs in Latin America and the Caribbean.

The Technical Consultant will provide strategic and technical support to the Health Care Without Harm Latin America team (HCWH LAC) to strengthen the capacity of members of the Global Green and Healthy Hospitals (GGHH) network across the region to design, implement, monitor, and scale sustainability strategies.

The consultancy will support the implementation of HCWH’s regional strategic priorities, with a particular focus on plastics reduction, chemicals of concern, sustainable procurement, waste management, and climate resilience. Through this work, the consultant will help advance safer, lower-carbon, and more circular health care systems, while strengthening the health sector’s role in reducing exposure to hazardous chemicals and transforming health care supply chains.

KEY RESPONSIBILITIES:

• Plastics and chemicals reduction in health care:

1. Provide technical support for the identification, reduction, substitution, and, where appropriate, elimination of single-use, unnecessary, and problematic plastics in health care settings.
2. Integrate chemical safety considerations (e.g., PFAS, PVC, phthalates, and other chemicals of concern) into plastics and materials strategies.
3. Document and disseminate best practices for reducing plastics and promoting safer alternatives among GGHH members.

• Program implementation and member engagement:

1. Support the coordination and implementation of the Menos plástico, más salud and Menos huella, más salud programs in Latin America and the Caribbean.
2. Facilitate engagement with GGHH members through meetings, webinars, technical exchanges, and collaborative initiatives.
3. Contribute to identifying and showcasing leadership and innovation among health care institutions advancing sustainability goals.

• Sustainable procurement and safer supply chains:

1. Support GGHH members in implementing the Sustainable Procurement in Health Care Guide, the Sustainable Procurement Index for Health (SPiH), and other HCWH tools.
2. Promote procurement criteria that advance plastics reduction, safer materials, chemical transparency, and substitution of hazardous substances.
3. Engage suppliers to advance disclosure, transparency, and innovation toward safer and more sustainable products.

• Chemicals management and policy alignment:

1. Strengthen chemical management practices in health care facilities, including safer use, storage, substitution, and disposal.
2. Support alignment of institutional practices with relevant national, regional, and global chemicals frameworks (including WHO, UNEP, and related multilateral processes).
3. Identify and document institutional policies and guidelines demonstrating leadership in reducing chemical risks.

• Data, indicators, and evidence generation:

1. Compile and analyze data reported by GGHH members related to plastics, chemicals, waste, and procurement.
2. Support the development of regional indicators, benchmarking tools, and reporting mechanisms to track progress.
3. Contribute to generating evidence on environmental and health impacts, including the co-benefits of safer alternatives for climate and occupational health.

• Capacity building, knowledge management, and communications:

1. Identify training needs and support the development of capacity-building materials and learning resources.
2. Document case studies and best practices from GGHH members, including initiatives related to procurement, plastics reduction, textiles, gloves, and chemicals of concern.
3. Contribute to the development of technical briefs, visuals, and communication materials highlighting impacts and lessons learned.

• Awards, case studies, and visibility of best practices:

1. Support the Menos huella, más salud annual awards process by identifying and technically reviewing best practices aligned with sustainability priorities.
2. Develop case studies and stories highlighting health care teams and institutions advancing these initiatives.
3. Collect supporting materials (including images and visuals) to strengthen documentation and dissemination of results.

CONTRACT PERIOD:

The consultancy will run from April to December 2026, with activities implemented on an ongoing basis in accordance with an agreed-upon work plan. The deliverables outlined above are expected to require a 20-hour-per-week time commitment. Availability to participate in coordination calls between 9:30 am - 4 pm (Argentina) is required.

Deliverables and submission timelines may be updated upon written (email) agreement by both parties.

QUALIFICATIONS

• Technical or professional background in health, environmental sciences, sustainability, engineering, chemistry, environmental management, or related fields, with a clear interest in the health care sector.
• Previous experience or knowledge in environmental management in health care facilities, including waste, materials, procurement, and chemicals management. General understanding of healthcare systems and hospital operations, including basic clinical and operational processes (materials, waste, procurement, support services).
• Basic to intermediate knowledge of plastics, particularly:
  • single-use, unnecessary, or problematic plastics,
  • plastic typologies and materials commonly used in health care settings,
  • general criteria for plastic reduction, substitution, and improved practices.
• Introductory knowledge of chemicals of concern for human health and the environment in health care (e.g., PVC, phthalates, PFAS, flame retardants, disinfectants, solvents), including general awareness of safer substitution principles.
• Basic knowledge of health care procurement and procurement processes, including:
  • an understanding of procurement workflows,
  • technical product evaluation,
  • initial integration of environmental, chemical safety, or sustainability criteria into purchasing decisions.
• General knowledge of circular economy approaches and waste management, particularly as applied to health care settings (prevention, segregation, reduction, recovery, and final disposal).

Desired (not mandatory):

• Previous experience (academic, professional, or internship-based) in plastic reduction, environmental management, or sustainability initiatives, preferably in healthcare settings.
• Experience or familiarity with sustainable procurement and supply chain work, including the application of environmental and chemical safety criteria in product evaluation and supplier engagement.
• Knowledge or initial experience with circular economic strategies, life cycle thinking, waste management systems, occupational health, and climate action, applied to healthcare institutions.
• Familiarity with international frameworks, guidelines, and tools related to health, chemicals, and sustainability (e.g., WHO, UNEP, SAICM, HCWH, GGHH).

Skills:

• Languages: Fluency in Spanish (oral and written) and technical English proficiency for reading, writing, and communication with international teams.
• Excellent writing and organizational skills are required.
• Ability to support the implementation of work plans, pilot projects, or demonstrations, including technical assistance activities, data collection, progress tracking, and documentation of results.
• Ability to define, collect, organize, and analyze environmental data and indicators, especially related to plastics, materials, waste, and procurement, and systematize information into technical reports.
• Ability to support the design and facilitation of training activities, including workshops, webinars, or other capacity-building processes for clinical, procurement, environmental, and administrative teams (e.g., agenda development, materials preparation, coordination, and follow-up).
• Experience supporting pilot implementation, project monitoring, benchmarking, and scaling up of good practices.
• Ability to document good practices and case studies and contribute to the development of technical and communication materials (fact sheets, briefs, presentations, reports).
• Expert knowledge of Microsoft Office, Excel, and Google Drive. Experience with data processing and analysis is a plus.
• Ability to think proactively, take initiative, and see tasks through to completion with appropriate follow-up.
• Self-disciplined, action-oriented style that can prioritize tasks to meet deadlines. Strong work ethic.
• Autonomy and time management skills, with the ability to work in a consultancy modality in a fully virtual environment and deliver agreed outputs on time.

TO APPLY OR INQUIRE

Health Care Without Harm and Practice Greenhealth are committed to cultivating and sustaining culturally and ethnically diverse organizations and to the principles that promote inclusive practices. We believe systems can only be transformed when a diversity of voices, perspectives, and lived experiences are a part of the movement for change. We are dedicated to building a diverse staff with expertise and interest in addressing systemic racism within our organization and to serve the mission of the organizations in respectful ways. Health Care Without Harm/Practice Greenhealth is an Equal Opportunity Employer.

To apply, please submit your application via this link. Questions can be addressed to jobs@hcwh.org. Only competitive candidates will be invited to participate further in the recruitment process. Closing date to apply is April 5, 2026. Applications will be reviewed on a rolling basis.