Junior Program Associate- Urban Development

About us
WRI India, an independent knowledge organisation registered as 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: wri-india.org

Program Overview for Sustainable Cities and Transport

WRI India's urban development work aims to transform the way cities are planned and designed to ensure that urban development benefits people, nature and climate. We focus on integrated solutions to long-standing urban challenges, leveraging evidence-based data, applied research and our network of partners and experts. We collaborate at all levels with the government, city administrations, urban stakeholders and partners to help cities become resilient, low-carbon and liveable while balancing their socio-economic goals. Our work seeks to shape a future where cities work better for everyone. 

Job Highlight:

WRI India is seeking a Junior Program Associate to support the Mangrove Coalition, housed within its environment and climate resilience work. WRI India brings deep expertise across its practice areas, spanning climate adaptation, nature-based solutions, urban and regional planning, water resilience, and governance. As a trusted knowledge partner, WRI India works closely with governments, communities, and research institutions to translate science into policy and on-ground action.

The Mangrove Coalition is a multi-stakeholder platform that works to strengthen the protection and sustainable management of mangrove ecosystems across selected pilot cities, with a growing focus on urban mangroves. Its work spans policy and governance research, community engagement, citizen science and knowledge generation, exploring coastal landscapes, institutional overlaps, urban development pressures and the livelihoods of mangrove-dependent communities.

You will play a dual role integrating research rigor with ground-level engagement. The position offers an opportunity to contribute to impactful work at the interface of ecology, climate resilience and social equity building skills across program design, stakeholder facilitation, policy analysis and communications.

What will you do:

Research & Policy Analysis

• Support qualitative and quantitative research on urban coastal governance, coastal regulation, forest and revenue law, urban planning frameworks and climate policy- producing synthesis notes, literature reviews and technical briefs.

• Support to analyze policy and legal frameworks at national, state and city levels relevant to mangrove conservation, restoration and climate adaptation, identifying gaps and opportunities for advocacy.

• Develop and maintain structured databases of case studies, institutional actors, legislative instruments and programmatic interventions relevant to urban coastal ecosystems.

• Support preparation of research outputs including policy briefs, working papers, presentations and articles for both technical and lay audiences.

Community Engagement & Field Work

• Support on-ground community engagement across sites, including regular field visits and sustained interaction with fishing communities, coastal residents and local user groups.

• Support community consultations, focus group discussions and participatory mapping exercises documenting local ecological knowledge, ecosystem mapping, customary practices and lived experiences related to mangroves, coastal ecosystems and livelihoods.

• Translate community-sourced insights into structured documentation as field notes, case studies and program materials that can feed into research and advocacy outputs.

Stakeholder Coordination & Program Support

• Support planning, logistics and facilitation of convenings, stakeholder workshops, interagency meetings and outreach events under the Mangrove Coalition.

• Support visits to city agencies, state departments, research institutions and partner organizations such as scheduling and attending meetings, following up on action points and preparing meeting notes and briefs.

• Assist program leads in tracking workplan milestones, preparing internal progress updates.

What will you need:

·      Post graduation in Architecture, Planning, Geography, Urban/ Environmental/ Development Studies, Public Policy, or allied fields.

·      Backgrounds in environmental and/or social studies are highly recommended.

·      Minimum 1-2 years of work experience in relevant fields, with research or project implementation and management experience.

·      Strong research, writing, communication and interpersonal skills.

·      Proficiency in MS Office (Word, Excel, PowerPoint) is a requirement. Good working knowledge of other creative and analytics software (Abode, GIS, Python, R etc) is recommended.   

·      Demonstrated ability to work both independently as well as part of a team

·      Comfort working in dynamic, field-intensive environments with an ability to remain adaptable and solutions-oriented under pressure.

·      Fluency in Tamil (spoken and written) is essential for effective community engagement and documentation in Chennai.

Potential Salary and Benefits: INR 700,000 to 900,000 Per Annum

Salary shall be commensurate with experience and skills. WRI offers a generous and comprehensive benefits package.

Location: Chennai

Duration: 1 years (Extendable based on performance and project requirements)

Start date: As soon as possible

List of Documents to be attached:

• Cover Letter
• Resume

Only shortlisted applicants will be contacted for interview purpose.

How to Apply

Qualified applicants should apply online at www.wri.org/careers. All applications must be submitted online through this career portal in order to be formally considered. Only select applicants will be contacted for interview. There will be a writing test conducted with final candidates. Please do not contact program staff directly for this position.

Kindly note that WRI India’s recruitment process does not involve any payment at any stage. Applicants will never be asked to share bank account or financial information as part of the application. All official communication and offer letters are issued only through authorised WRI India email IDs.

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.