Senior Programme Associate, Just Transition (Socio Economic Research and Execution)

Senior Programme Associate, Just Transition (Socio Economic Research and Execution)

Location: Noida
Position: Full-time
Experience: Minimum 7 years in the relevant area

1. Position Overview

iFOREST is seeking a Senior Programme Associate (SPA) with strong socio-economic research capabilities and excellent writing skills to contribute to the organizations work on just transition, economic diversification, and regional economic development.

The ideal candidate is someone who:

• Thinks analytically,
• Demonstrates strong conceptual understanding of economic and development issues of fossil fuel-dependent regions.
• Writes with clarity and precision,
• Produces high-quality research outputs under tight timelines, and

2. Key Responsibilities

Research and Analysis

• Conduct and supervise high-quality survey-based socio-economic research in coal districts, with a specific focus on economic structures, prospective energy transition risks, opportunities, etc.
• Evaluate survey results and develop analytical outputs.
• Undertake secondary research for socio-economic aspects related to the energy transition, including collecting and analyzing government and industry datasets, and other scholarly sources.
• Convert complex quantitative and qualitative findings into coherent narratives and policy-relevant insights.
• Contribute to the development of analytical methodologies, conceptual frameworks, and evidence-building processes.
• Produce clear, concise, well-argued research outputs—reports, policy briefs, and presentations.

Coordination and Engagement

• Coordinate with government departments, industry actors, experts, and research partners on data procurement, information gathering, and strengthening of research outputs.
• Do one-on-one meetings with senior government officials, industry leaders, and other such related stakeholders for the uptake and implementation of policies and plans.
• Support planning and organisation of stakeholder consultations, workshops, roundtables, and dissemination events.
• Any other coordination and engagement as required for project execution and achievement of programme goals.

3. Required Qualifications and Skills

Academic Qualifications

• Master’s degree in economics (development economics, applied economics), applied social sciences, or relevant science disciplines with strong quantitative or socio-economic research training.

Professional Experience

• Minimum 7 years of relevant research experience in reputed institutions, research organisations, think tanks, academia, or development agencies.
• Demonstrated experience in analysing large socio-economic datasets (national surveys, administrative datasets, or project-level datasets).
• Proven track record of producing high-quality, well-written research outputs (reports, briefs, analyses, assessments).
• Experience in primary research (surveys, KIIs, FGDs).
• Prior work on economic diversification, regional development, coal mining-region transitions, or just transition is an added advantage.

Core Skills (Must-Have)

• High-quality research skills: survey and analysis, conceptualisation, data synthesis, analytical reasoning.
• Exceptional writing ability: clear, precise, structured, and analytically strong.
• Ability to work with, interpret, and derive insights from complex socio-economic datasets.
• Familiarity with qualitative and quantitative analysis tools (Excel, R, Stata, SPSS, or similar).
• Willingness to travel.
• Strong organisational skills and ability to manage multiple deadlines.
• Ability to work in a fast-paced, collaborative environment.

4. What We Offer

• Opportunity to contribute to impactful work on just transition, economic diversification, and regional economic planning.
• Exposure to policy processes, government engagement, industry engagement, and cross-sectoral research.
• Dynamic and supportive team culture that emphasises analytical rigour and high-quality writing.
• Competitive compensation based on experience and organisational norms.

How to Apply

Please submit the following to —— with the subject line:
“Application: SPA – Just Transition”
• CV
• Cover letter (max 1 page)