Consultant - Heat Resilience

Consultant - Heat Resilience

About the job

About us

WRI India, an independent charity legally registered as the India Resources Trust, provides objective information and practical proposals to foster environmentally sound and socially equitable development. Through research, analysis, and recommendations, WRI India puts ideas into action to build transformative solutions to protect the earth, promote livelihoods, and enhance human well-being.

We are inspired by and associated with World Resources Institute (WRI), a global research organization. Currently, over 450 researchers are working with WRI India in our offices in Delhi, Mumbai, and Bengaluru.

Our mission and values:

Our mission is to move human society to live in ways that protect Earth’s environment and its capacity to provide for the needs and aspirations of current and future generations.

Our values are shared ideals that bind us together: Integrity, Innovation, Urgency, Independence and Respect.

Our culture:

We are committed to advancing gender and social equity for human well-being in our mission including equal opportunities in employment. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, ethnicity, religion, sex, national origin, age, caste, marital status, sexual orientation, gender identity and expression, disability, or protected Veteran status.

Job Highlight:

The position of the consultant is to advance the integration of the heat resilience agenda in Tamil Nadu. The work will include liaising and working closely with government agencies, professionals, private sector, civic groups, and other stakeholders to shape research, analysis, and interventions that address the growing impacts of extreme heat across sectors. You will work independently and engage with government and other stakeholders to collect base material and details to help towards building evidence, strengthen the framework for identifying key heat projects and establishing connections with donor agencies and multilateral banks that can potentially fund the pipeline of projects within the state.

We are seeking a consultant for supporting heat resilience in Tamil Nadu. You should be passionate about climate-resilient urban and rural development and self-driven towards influencing positive change in the real world by bridging theory and practice. You will work closely with the Government of Tamil Nadu—particularly the Tamil Nadu Green Climate Company (TNGCC), the Department of Environment and Climate Change, Tamil Nadu State Planning Commission, and allied departments, to operationalize the Heat Resilience Centre and strengthen institutional, policy, and financing mechanisms for heat mitigation. This will include gathering data, conducting research, liaising with partners, government agencies and experts, undertaking analysis and synthesising solutions towards project deliverables. You should have considerable domain knowledge and understanding of urban and rural development and climate change relationships to help the team identify impactful positive changes to be achieved in the local context. The candidate should be hands-on and adept at developing research design and methodology, in-depth knowledge, and hands-on experience in using climate-related risk assessment and resilience frameworks, tools, and data sets, conducting qualitative and quantitative analysis, and prepare clearly written reports. They should also be willing to learn in short spans, basics around financing frameworks and heat resilience concepts across varied geographies. The candidate should be energetic and agile, willing to respond quickly and travel within the city and state, outcome-oriented, a team player and able to engage with other team members, partners, and stakeholders. The person will have to report and have periodic check-ins with the relevant WRI India staff.

What you will do:

Research

• Data collection, policy review, and systems review for heat resilience planning, financing, and vulnerability assessment.
• Support documentation of best practices, case studies, and knowledge products related to heat risk mitigation.
• Synthesize and convert research material into simple narratives, notes, and presentations aligned with the government’s expectations

Program Design and Coordination

• Manage project deliverables as per the standards and expectations of WRI India.
• Support the establishment of the Heat Resilience Centre, including developing governance structures, operational modalities, and coordinating mechanisms between line departments and terms of reference for its committees.
• Provide sound technical assistance, build relationships across teams and coordinate project activities
• Prepare technical documents for projects including data collection, conduct surveys, compilation, analysis, write reports and develop presentations.
• Liaise with TNGCC and relevant government agencies to plan and organize consultations, launch events, and workshops.
• Help reactivate and expand the Heat Action Network (HAN) to serve as a platform for technical dialogue and coordination.

Communications and partnership

• Communicate closely with WRI India internal team members towards meeting objectives of the project and constant progress reporting.
• Coordinate, organize and schedule meetings or workshops regarding projects, make presentations and assist in conducting stakeholder consultations.
• Contribute to internal and external communications and media such as blogs, articles, brochures, and web content.

What you will need:

• Post-graduate in the related field of climate science, climate change, geography, urban planning, environment planning/engineering, sustainable development, environmental economics, etc.
• At least 7-10 years of sectoral experience in the field of climate resilience
• Demonstrated experience of working with sub-national governments in India on climate change
• Credible knowledge of climate policies, programs, and key stakeholders in Tamil Nadu and at the national level
• Knowledge of heat risk assessment frameworks, vulnerability mapping, or economic valuation methods preferred.
• Knowledge of project proposals, Project Appraisal documents of relevant multilateral banks such as the World Bank, Asian Development Bank, etc.
• Strong communication skills, ability to liaise with government and other stakeholders - to collect data, communicate findings, and seek feedback iteratively
• Proficiency in quantitative and/or qualitative data collection and analysis, including experience with tools/ frameworks for climate related risk assessment
• Demonstrated ability to work both independently as well as part of a team and to be able to balance expectations of the government, donors and other stakeholders
• Ability to present complex information in a clear and concise manner
• Ability to think creatively, work calmly and enthusiastically under pressure
• Tamil language skills preferred

Location:

Duration:

To Apply:

List of Documents to be attached and sent to Shaurya.Mall@wri.org

• Resume with cover letter
• Writing samples or reports

Only shortlisted applicants will be contacted for interview purpose.

Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) @WRI India

WRI India values and promotes diversity, equity and inclusion across all areas of our work and workforce. Integrating these values into our actions fosters a progressive and collaborative culture and can also enhance our impact. It is our responsibility to create a welcoming working environment for people of diverse cultures, backgrounds and experience to learn together. We are responsible for fostering a safe and inclusive workplace where questions, concerns and information about diversity, equity and inclusion are part of our ongoing dialogue and development.

Learn more about WRI India’s commitment to Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI).Click Here