Job Opportunity for Associate – Solid Waste Management (SWM) and Environmental Services at IIHS in Bengaluru

About the IIHS Practice Programme

This position will be part of the Practice programme at IIHS. The Practice Programme is responsible for providing cutting-edge and integrated solutions to India’s urban development challenges by bringing together faculty and experts across diverse domains of knowledge and practice; exposing learners to real-life problems; and integrating practice into academics and research. The Programme work spans a range of domains including climate change, urban risk & resilience, water & sanitation, energy, planning, housing, land governance & management, and regional economic development.

As a part of the Practice Programme, the solid waste and environmental services team offers advisory services to Urban Local Bodies (ULBs), Development organisations and Multilateral organisations for effectively managing their solid waste management initiatives. The team offers assessment studies, preparation of planning documents, and policy level strategic advisory services.

Job Description  

IIHS is looking to hire an associate to support the solid waste and environment verticals. The incumbent will be expected to support the practice in providing advisory services for improving the efficiency of solid waste management services in Urban Local Bodies. Additionally, s/he will also support the reporting and monitoring requirements of the Practice programme as and when required. The Practice programme spans across the country and the associate will be expected to travel accordingly.

This is a contractual position for an initial term of 11 months, renewable on mutual consent.

Activities and Tasks

Responsibilities would include, but not be limited to, the following:

• Collecting primary and secondary data required for providing consulting services in the solid waste management domain;
• Drafting advisory documents including detailed project reports, site assessment reports;
• Coordination with clients on project deliveries;
• Making presentations to the client and their approving authorities at state level;
• Helping clients in obtaining approval for advisory documents prepared by the practice team of IIHS;
• Participating and supporting IIHS’s training, research and consulting activities in the environmental services (waste water management, sanitation, solid waste management, septage and drainage) and public health domains;
• Organising and handling site visits, identifying and exploring new opportunities;
• Continually improving and developing skillsets, making efforts to keep abreast of new developments, latest technologies, regulations and policies in the domain areas;
• Carrying general management tasks as and when required, including engaging in research, field work, mentoring and supervision of interns;
• Providing support to other IIHS activities including academics, research, training, practice, operations and others;
• Participating in all activities of Institution-Building at IIHS; carrying out tasks as assigned by IIHS; and traveling on IIHS work within or outside the country as and when needed.

Structure and Reporting

The associate will be an External Consultant coordinating with the Manager- Director’s Office at IIHS and will be required to collaborate effectively with a diverse group of internal teams and external individuals/ organisations, and students.

Person Specification

Applicants are required to possess Post-Graduate education or training in Environmental Engineering/ Environmental Science/ Urban Planning or a related discipline. Additionally, s/he is expected to possess at least 3 years of relevant experience of having worked in Solid Waste, Waste Water, Sanitation or Public Health projects. The candidate should be familiar with the empirical and scholarly work around these themes and the policy level and programmatic approaches to these themes at the Central and State levels. S/he should also have experience of working in multi-disciplinary teams, good people management skills, and significant competency in project management.

Software & Skills:

Candidates are required to possess proficient IT skills, including in the use of data analysis and presentation software. Candidates with laboratory skills in water and environmental quality analysis would be at an advantage. Experience and exposure to projects in these thematic areas would be an added advantage.

On-the-ground data collection skills and report-writing abilities are a must for this role. Fluency in English and Kannada is essential; knowledge of additional Indian languages will be an added advantage. Prior experience in teaching and/or conducting training is desirable.

Applicants must be willing to travel as per programme requirements.

This is a contractual position for an initial term of 11 months, renewable on mutual consent. This offer is on an exclusive basis, which implies that other professional assignments (whether compensated or not) that bear a potential conflict of interest with IIHS cannot be undertaken.

The search will remain open until the position is filled.

Location

This position is based in Bengaluru and may entail frequent travel to other locations in India.

Review and Assessment

The role and performance of the incumbent shall be subject to normal review and assessment systems at IIHS.

Diversity Policy

IIHS is an equal opportunity employer that encourages women, people with disabilities and those from economically and socially excluded communities with the requisite skills and qualifications to apply for positions.