Programme Lead – Heating & Cooling

The International Forum for Environment, Sustainability & Technology (iFOREST) is looking for an experienced and dynamic professional to join its Climate Resilience program and lead research and policy engagement. A successful applicant must have a proven aptitude for analytical research and multi-stakeholder engagement, comprehensive knowledge of India’s heating and cooling policy and regulatory landscape, and excellent communication skills. The candidate must clearly understand and appreciate the role played by think tanks in shaping public policy and supporting their implementation.

The Climate Resilience team is primarily focused on assessing the impact of rising temperatures, heat waves, and extreme weather events on cities. The ideal candidate should have prior exposure in the cooling and refrigerant segment for cities, including cooling infrastructure and cooling solutions. Experience with climate action plans, geospatial tools and climate risk assessments will be an added advantage.

Location: Noida, India

Required Experience: 10 years +

Education: Master’s Degree (Required)

Reporting to: Programme Director, Urban Transition

About iFOREST

iFOREST is an independent not-for-profit research and innovation organisation that was established in 2019 to identify, promote and scale up solutions for pressing environment-development challenges. Our work is rooted in regional priorities to accelerate environmental actions at the sub-national level and improve national policies and plans to support them. Our mission is to address the unique needs of regions by leveraging our resources and expertise to scale up national action and make a global impact. We use our regional knowledge to inform national policy and plans and strengthen international collaboration.

To achieve our goals, we conduct independent, evidence-based research, develop new knowledge and innovative solutions, convene stakeholders to increase awareness and build consensus, and partner with think tanks, civil society, government agencies, philanthropies and industry to scale up solutions.

What do we seek from the ideal candidate?

iFOREST is looking for a suitable candidate to lead research and engagement on climate-resilient cities with a focus on developing and designing heating and cooling action plans. This would entail designing, guiding and conducting impactful research and multi-stakeholder engagement, with the support of a dedicated team, to enable cities and states to develop and implement an actionable plan for adapting and mitigating the impact of high temperatures.

The candidate should have an excellent understanding of cooling/heating landscape at the city-level, solid research experience and strong quantitative and qualitative skills. As a programme lead the candidate will be expected to conceptualise research activities, independently lead and manage research team, and conduct stakeholder engagement for knowledge exchange.

Basic qualification

Master in Urban planning, disaster management, social science, environmental science, technology, or related field from a reputed institution.

Work experience

A minimum of 8 years of relevant work experience in state cooling action planning, climate change adaptation, building climate resilience, and climate impacts on cities. A track record of publications in journals will be an added advantage.

Key responsibilities

Strategy and Institutional Growth:

• Contribute to shaping the overall strategy for the programme, aligned with institutional priorities, sector-specific issues and ongoing work of other key institutions.
• Develop new concept notes, proposals, theory of change and budgets for projects/interventions that further institutional objectives.
• Contribute to the institution’s growth by supporting policy decisions that help shape a strong and resilient institution.
• Contribute to decisions for that ensure efficiency in organisational structure, culture and philosophy.

Research and Engagement:

• Lead the research initiatives under the climate resilience program.
• Design comprehensive plans for executing research assignments. This would include developing the overall research strategy and methodology, as well as the specific scope of work, including activities and tasks required to be undertaken to achieve desired goals.
• Conduct and guide in-depth primary and secondary research, depending on the requirement, including quantitative and qualitative assessments.
• Conceptualise, write and review research documents, including analytical reports, policy papers, factsheets, etc.
• Remain updated with latest tools and techniques for executing qualitative and quantitative research.
• Design and manage a comprehensive outreach strategy for the programme as well as for projects therein.
• Enable the generation of policy-research partnerships with government, industry and other stakeholders.
• Author and review articles and other forms of communication materials suitable for the public, government stakeholders, and donors.
• Build and leverage relationships to design and conduct roundtables, convenings, and report release meetings with government, industry, civil society, media, etc.

Project and People Management:

• Expand the climate resilience team by supporting the hiring and recruitment process.
• Assign the research plan/scope of work to the research team, and monitor its execution during the project cycle. This would include timely interventions in the form of review, guidance and course correction.
• Mentor researchers and communications professionals to achieve programme objectives.
• Engage in timely reviews of performance to track the progress and professional growth of team members.
• Identify training requirements and support capacity development of team members.

Required competencies

In line with the listed responsibilities, the Programme Lead is expected to have the following competencies:

• Comprehensive understanding of heating and cooling aspects of cities.
• Informed about ongoing discussions and technical know-how on artificial and natural refrigerants for cooling
• Proficiency in research and writing – Authored at least one subject-related research publications in the last five years.
• Demonstrated ability to conduct qualitative and quantitative methods of research.
• Experience in managing research teams, including building research methodologies and organising structured data collection.
• Capacity to lead presentations and convene discussions to put forward institutional perspectives and research findings.
• Demonstrated ability to build connections and engage with a diverse group of people on research and policy issues on multiple platforms.
• Clear understanding and appreciation of the role of think tanks in shaping policies and programmes.
• Ability to manage time and priorities, and ensure the completion of research in keeping with tight policy windows.
• Motivated to build the programme’s profile, drawing on institutional priorities and emerging issues in the sector.
• Willingness to travel as per requirement.

Why Choose iFOREST?

•  Purpose-driven work: Contributing from sub-nation to national and global goals.
• Professional development: In areas and sectors that are contemporary and pressing.
• Compensation: We offer a salary that is not only competitive but recognizes and rewards your commitment and talent.
• Inclusive Culture: Benefit from a supportive and diverse work environment.

Application deadline & instructions

 Immediate opening. Position open until filled.

We prefer the candidate to submit an online application at https://iforest.global/careers/ or apply through LinkedIn. In case of any difficulty, you may also send your application to contact@iforest.global.

Only shortlisted candidates will be contacted.