Senior Program Associate - Responsible Restoration Value Chains
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. Know more: https://wri-india.org/ .
Program Overview
The Food, Land, and Water (FLW) Program at WRI India works to support India’s transition to sustainable and resilient food and land-use systems. The program promotes nature-based solutions such as landscape restoration and sustainable agriculture to address climate change, strengthen rural livelihoods, and improve food and nutrition security.
A key focus of the program is helping build a restoration economy - where ecological restoration also creates jobs, income opportunities, and sustainable value chains for rural communities.
Job Highlight
WRI India is seeking a Senior Program Associate – Responsible Restoration Value Chains to support the development of bamboo-based restoration value chains in central India, particularly in Maharashtra and surrounding regions.
This role focuses on implementation, coordination, and applied research. The selected candidate will help develop practical solutions that link landscape restoration with livelihoods and market opportunities, while also supporting systems to monitor and track restoration outcomes (MRV).
The role will involve working with government agencies, community institutions, businesses, and civil society organizations to strengthen the ecosystem needed to scale restoration activities.
The Position Will Contribute To:
Restoration Value Chain Development (55%) - Support the development and strengthening of bamboo-based value chains linked to landscape restoration.
Responsibilities Include:
Responsibilities Include:
Responsibilities Include:
Education: Master’s degree or a higher degree in Public Policy, Economics, Environmental Studies, Development Studies, Environmental Governance, Natural Resource Management or related fields:
Desired Experience: 4–7 years of relevant professional experience in areas such as:
Skills And Competencies
Strong candidates will demonstrate:
Potential Salary and benefits: 14,00,000-18,00,000 INR.
Salary is commensurate with experience and skills. WRI India offers a generous, comprehensive benefits package.
Duration: One year subject to extension based on performance and project requirements.
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
People-centric To The Core:
We keep our people at the center of everything we do - from a welcoming work environment to benefits and a culture that encourages staff to stay healthy, happy, engaged, and growing.
Some Of The Non-monetary Benefits That Our Staff Get:
Health benefits: We cover health insurance for you and your loved ones for up to INR 8 lakhs
Term Insurance: Our term insurance policy covers life coverage of 50 lakhs per staff member
Employee Assistance program: Promoting mental well-being and supporting staff in achieving a satisfying work-life balance
Health & Nutrition: Personalized diet recommendation from a certified dietitian based on the physical health condition and lifestyle
Flexible work schedule: Alternative work arrangements for all who are eligible by nature of their job
Learning culture: Workshops and trainings to empower staff, encourage new learning opportunities
Rest and Recharge weeks: We encourage staff to take time off to rest, rejuvenate, upskill, and pursue their interests.
Our leave policy: Avail personal time off at 36 per year, along with public holidays, maternity, paternity, and adoption leaves.
Click here to know more about our benefits Careers | WRI INDIA (wri-india.org)
Equal employment @WRI India
We believe in equal employment, it is our policy to recruit and provide opportunities for advancement in all job classifications without regard to caste, religion, sex, age, marital status, sexual orientation, parental status, or disability.
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. Know more: https://wri-india.org/ .
Program Overview
The Food, Land, and Water (FLW) Program at WRI India works to support India’s transition to sustainable and resilient food and land-use systems. The program promotes nature-based solutions such as landscape restoration and sustainable agriculture to address climate change, strengthen rural livelihoods, and improve food and nutrition security.
A key focus of the program is helping build a restoration economy - where ecological restoration also creates jobs, income opportunities, and sustainable value chains for rural communities.
Job Highlight
WRI India is seeking a Senior Program Associate – Responsible Restoration Value Chains to support the development of bamboo-based restoration value chains in central India, particularly in Maharashtra and surrounding regions.
This role focuses on implementation, coordination, and applied research. The selected candidate will help develop practical solutions that link landscape restoration with livelihoods and market opportunities, while also supporting systems to monitor and track restoration outcomes (MRV).
The role will involve working with government agencies, community institutions, businesses, and civil society organizations to strengthen the ecosystem needed to scale restoration activities.
The Position Will Contribute To:
- Development of bamboo-based livelihood and restoration value chains
- Monitoring, reporting, and verification (MRV) systems for restoration
- Research and analysis to inform policy, financing, and implementation
- Partnerships that enable scaling of restoration programs
Restoration Value Chain Development (55%) - Support the development and strengthening of bamboo-based value chains linked to landscape restoration.
Responsibilities Include:
- Mapping key actors across the bamboo value chain, including producers, processors, traders, and buyers
- Identifying gaps in production, processing, market access, logistics, and finance
- Supporting the design and implementation of pilot initiatives that improve bamboo-based livelihoods
- Working with farmer producer organizations (FPOs), community groups, and local enterprises
- Engaging with private sector partners to strengthen market linkages
- Identifying opportunities to increase value addition and income for local communities
- Supporting development of scalable models for restoration-linked value chains
- undefined
Responsibilities Include:
- Coordinating research and project deliverables
- Supporting engagement with government agencies, private sector partners, NGOs, and community organizations
- Organizing or contributing to workshops, consultations, and meetings
- Representing WRI India in selected events and discussions
- Supporting internal reporting and documentation
- undefined
Responsibilities Include:
- Supporting data collection and management related to restoration activities
- Helping develop indicators and monitoring frameworks
- Supporting analysis of restoration outcomes such as:
- area restored
- ecological outcomes
- livelihood impacts
- Contributing to data systems, dashboards, and monitoring tools
- Ensuring data quality and supporting reporting requirements
Education: Master’s degree or a higher degree in Public Policy, Economics, Environmental Studies, Development Studies, Environmental Governance, Natural Resource Management or related fields:
Desired Experience: 4–7 years of relevant professional experience in areas such as:
- landscape restoration
- environmental policy or land use policy
- rural livelihoods and value chains
- climate or natural resource programs
- environmental or restoration finance
- applied research and program implementation
- Restoration-linked business models
Skills And Competencies
Strong candidates will demonstrate:
- Experience with policy and program analysis
- Ability to conduct qualitative and quantitative research
- Familiarity with monitoring, evaluation, or impact measurement
- Reliable analytical and writing skills
- Ability to translate complex information into clear and practical insights
- Strong coordination and stakeholder engagement skills
- Experience of engaging with with cross-sector stakeholders (government, finance, enterprises, community institutions, research organizations)
- Ability to work independently (as this is a location-based role instead of an office based role) and manage multiple tasks
- Proficiency in Excel and PowerPoint
- Some experience using research databases and analytical tools
- Fluency in English. Marathi is a must. Hindi is an added advantage.
- Creating reports, supplementing reports etc.
Potential Salary and benefits: 14,00,000-18,00,000 INR.
Salary is commensurate with experience and skills. WRI India offers a generous, comprehensive benefits package.
Duration: One year subject to extension based on performance and project requirements.
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
People-centric To The Core:
We keep our people at the center of everything we do - from a welcoming work environment to benefits and a culture that encourages staff to stay healthy, happy, engaged, and growing.
Some Of The Non-monetary Benefits That Our Staff Get:
Health benefits: We cover health insurance for you and your loved ones for up to INR 8 lakhs
Term Insurance: Our term insurance policy covers life coverage of 50 lakhs per staff member
Employee Assistance program: Promoting mental well-being and supporting staff in achieving a satisfying work-life balance
Health & Nutrition: Personalized diet recommendation from a certified dietitian based on the physical health condition and lifestyle
Flexible work schedule: Alternative work arrangements for all who are eligible by nature of their job
Learning culture: Workshops and trainings to empower staff, encourage new learning opportunities
Rest and Recharge weeks: We encourage staff to take time off to rest, rejuvenate, upskill, and pursue their interests.
Our leave policy: Avail personal time off at 36 per year, along with public holidays, maternity, paternity, and adoption leaves.
Click here to know more about our benefits Careers | WRI INDIA (wri-india.org)
Equal employment @WRI India
We believe in equal employment, it is our policy to recruit and provide opportunities for advancement in all job classifications without regard to caste, religion, sex, age, marital status, sexual orientation, parental status, or disability.