Senior Program Associate- Food Waste (Mumbai &Bengaluru)

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 Food, Land and Water

WRI India’s Food, Land and Water program aims to inform India’s transition towards sustainable and resilient food and land use systems focusing on developing interdisciplinary nature-based solutions like sustainable agriculture and landscape restoration to mitigate climate impacts, enhance jobs and livelihoods and improve nutritional security. To catalyse systems change with a focus on circular food systems in India, we also focus on developing equitable strategies to reduce food loss and food waste and mitigate climate impacts.

With broader systems change and food systems perspective, we work with diverse stakeholders like governments, businesses, civil society partners and farmer producer organizations to inform and develop land use strategies based on robust evidence and analysis to build the resilience of local communities to mitigate climate impacts, bridge capacity gaps, monitor progress, and inform a pathway to building a restoration economy for people, nature, and climate. For more details, refer to the webpage - Reduce | WRI INDIA (wri-india.org)

Job Highlight:

WRI India is seeking a Senior Program Associate based in Bengaluru to support the development and management of a city-level Food Waste Coalition focused on reducing food waste. The role will involve stakeholder mapping and engagement, coalition coordination, partnership development, implementation support, and knowledge generation.

The role will also involve identifying and engaging emerging technology and service providers working on food waste prevention, diversion, treatment, traceability, and circular resource recovery solutions across India. The selected candidate will help assess scalable and context-appropriate solutions for Bengaluru, facilitate knowledge exchange within the coalition, and support implementation partnerships that can strengthen the city’s food waste management ecosystem.

What will you do:

1. Stakeholder management and partnerships (50%):

• Map and engage stakeholders across city’s food and waste ecosystem, including government agencies, MSMEs, hospitality businesses, food service providers, bulk waste generators, waste processors, technology companies, recyclers, NGOs, waste picker organizations, and informal food vendors.
• Identify, engage, and track emerging technologies, business models, and operational approaches for food waste prevention, redistribution, treatment, and landfill diversion relevant to cities.
• Support evaluation, onboarding, and coordination of implementation partners and solution providers for pilots and city level interventions.
• Build and coordinate a city-level Food Waste Coalition to drive collaborative action on food waste reduction, diversion, and circular food systems.
• Convene meetings, workshops, roundtables, and stakeholder consultations to strengthen collaboration and knowledge sharing across the coalition.
• Manage relationships with municipal agencies, industry associations, businesses, and implementation partners to support project delivery and stakeholder alignment.
• Identify opportunities for partnerships, pilots, and collaborative initiatives that advance circular food systems and reduce food waste.

2. Research and communication (50%):

• Conduct research and analysis on food waste management, circular economy solutions, and urban waste systems to support evidence based recommendations and program strategy.
• Analyse and compile project learnings, emerging practices and case studies, and contribute to the development of knowledge products including reports, presentations, briefing notes, and communication materials.
• Develop implementation strategy, maintain project trackers, monitor timelines, and support reporting on project milestones and deliverables.
• Development and delivery of training sessions, guidance materials, and capacity building resources on food waste measurement, reporting, and diversion tracking for coalition members.
• External communications and stakeholder outreach through presentations, convenings, newsletters, and other dissemination activities.

What will you need:

• Master’s degree in environmental management, urban planning, waste management, sustainability, public policy, development studies, business administration, or related disciplines.
• 4–7 years of relevant work experience in urban sustainability, circular economy, waste management, food systems or related sectors.
• Strong understanding of urban waste management systems, food waste ecosystems, circular economy approaches, and landfill diversion strategies.
• Familiarity with food waste technologies, decentralized waste processing systems, waste treatment solutions, or circular economy innovations in India.
• Experience working with diverse stakeholders such as government agencies, MSMEs, food businesses, waste processors, technology providers, civil society organizations, or informal sector actors.
• Demonstrated stakeholder management and partnership-building experience, including the ability to convene and engage stakeholders across sectors.
• Understanding of city specific (Pune/Benagluru/Mumbai) waste management and food business ecosystem will be an advantage.
• Proficiency in relevant local languages will be an added advantage.
• Strong verbal and written communication skills.
• Strong skills in Microsoft PowerPoint and Excel, including data tracking, analysis, reporting, and presentation development.
•  Ability to work independently, manage competing priorities, and take initiative in a dynamic work environment.
• Self-motivated, organized, and comfortable working in evolving and fast-paced program environments.
• Ability to work collaboratively in interdisciplinary and cross-functional teams.

Potential Salary and Benefits: 14,00,000 to 17,50,000 Per Annum

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

Location: Mumbai/Bangalore, India

Duration: 2 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.