Job Opportunity for Behavioral Change Specialist, PRANA at The Nature Conservancy in Ludhiana

WHO WE ARE

Since 1951, The Nature Conservancy has been doing work you can believe in protecting the lands and waters that all life depends on. Through grassroots action, TNC has grown to become one of the most effective and wide-reaching environmental organizations in the world working in more than 75 countries and territories. As a science-based organization, we create innovative, on-the-ground solutions to our world’s toughest challenges so that we can create a world in which people and nature thrive. 

We’re rooted in our Mission and guided by our Values, which includes a Commitment to Diversity and Respect for People, Communities, and Cultures. Whether it’s career development, flexible schedules, or a rewarding mission, there’s lots of reasons to love life #insideTNC. Want a better insight to TNC? Check out our TNC Talent playlist on YouTube on Glassdoor.  

Our goal is to cultivate an inclusive work environment so that all our colleagues around the globe feel a sense of belonging, and that their unique contributions to our mission are valued. We’ll only achieve our Mission by hiring and engaging a diverse workforce that reflects the communities in which we work. In addition to the requirements in our postings, we recognize that people come with talent and experiences outside of a job. Diversity of experience and skills combined with passion is a key to innovation and a culture of inclusion! Please apply – we’d love to hear from you.

Our Mission

Our mission is to conserve the lands and waters on which all life depends. Rather than viewing development – including economic growth – and conservation as contradictory goals, we work to demonstrate how nature has value for people and development and how nature can provide enormous economic benefit. We envision a future where people and nature can flourish together.

Our Vision

A world where the diversity of life thrives, and people act to conserve nature for its own sake and its ability to fulfil our needs and enrich our lives.

Our Global Team

We achieve this through the dedicated efforts of our 3,800 diverse staff, including more than 600 scientists. We are striving to develop a workforce as diverse as the places where we work.

YOUR POSITION WITH TNC

The Behavioral Change Specialist, PRANA will focus on designing, implementing and monitoring the use of community-based and behavior change strategies as part of the Promoting Regenerative And No-burn Agriculture (PRANA) to tackle climate change in Northwest India. The responsibility of the PRANA Behavior Change Specialist is to employ behavior change strategies that lead farmers to employ agricultural practices that avoid crop residues burning as part of the farming practices in Punjab.

This is a field-based position located in Ludhiana, Punjab and is a critical part of the PRANA Project Implementation Team. This is a local in-country hire located in Punjab, India. No immigration or visa assistance is provided with this position.

ESSENTIAL FUNCTIONS

The Behavioral Change Specialist for PRANA identifies priority behaviors, the determinants of change, and outlines top influencing factors for both no-burn and regenerative agriculture interventions within the PRANA project. They will actively lead in the formative research period where key behavior change messages and strategies will be outlined. They will be in continuous interaction with farmers, community groups, community-level associations, and other local stakeholders to ensure the approaches being implemented for behavior change towards no-burning practices are effective. Working closely with the PRANA Team, they will lead the design and implementation of comprehensive Social Behavior Change plans and campaigns, that include gender, equity and social inclusion aspects across all components. The plans and campaigns will address factors such knowledge, attitudes, social and cultural norms and conventions that affect the adoption of no-burn agriculture practices. Through social and behavior change activities, the expert will work with other TNC staff and the project partners to raise awareness, reduce misinformation, and address the barriers that prevent individuals, families, and communities from practicing no-burn agriculture.

RESPONSIBILITIES AND SCOPE

1. Planning, Implementation and Reporting

• In line with the PRANA’s scope of work, develop and implement research and detailed implementation plan for behaviorl change activities to influence No-burn and Crop Residue Management (CRM) related activities in Punjab.
• Implement and oversee activities related to behavior change/demand creation adoption of CRM Activities expanding key behaviors at farms, homes, schools, and service centres/societies facilities, prioritise the learning from the behavioral sciences and integrate with the PRANA activities.
• Use relevant approaches to monitor, measure, and report back to the PRANA team on the effectiveness of behavior change activities, using adaptive management to ensure the behavior change implementation plan remains relevant and effective.
• Use the relevant approaches to mobilize communities to eliminate residue burning and other approaches for sustained behaviour change.
• Organize Training of Trainers (ToTs) and provide regular technical guidance and support for Implementing Partners (IP) staff through mentoring, coaching, and on-demand technical assistance.
• Ensure that appropriate gender equity and inclusion methodologies and metrics are used and adopted with the goal to ensure that all people, regardless of gender, age and land holding benefit from, and are empowered by improved PRANA activities services and no burn practices.
• Work closely with communications staff so that messaging, content and other outreach materials as aligned with other PRANA communications.
• Ensure that respective monthly/quarterly/biannually/annually reports are meeting required quality and deadlines set by the PRANA Project Director.

2. Capacity Building

• Build the sociological and behavior change technical capacity of implementation and other partners staff, using proven approaches,

3. Knowledge Management, Learning and Innovation

• Periodically collect information on best practices more specifically at the district and region levels to gain institutional knowledge.
• Advise and support the PRANA Implementation Team in rolling out of evidence and Social Behavioral Change tools developed.
• Inform PRANA knowledge agenda.
• Support the development of case studies to be disseminated to larger audience/stakeholders.
• Capture lessons learned, stimulate internal and external knowledge exchange and suggest ways how to translate this into practice.

MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS

• Master’s Degree in social science, community development, community-based conservation, behavior psychology or related social-sciences field and 2 years of experience or equivalent combination of education and experience.
• Experience managing complex or multiple projects, including staffing, workloads and finances under deadlines.
• Supervisory experience, including motivating, leading, setting objectives and managing performance.
• Experience in partnership development with non-profit partners, community groups and/or government agencies
• Experience negotiating.
• Excellent facilitation and communication skills.
• Fluency (written and spoken) in English, Hindi (and Punjabi highly desired)

DESIRED QUALIFICATIONS

• Multi-cultural experience appreciated.
• Experience in designing successful social sehavior change strategies in the context of agriculture development project implementation.
• Experience in community-based behavior change and/or community-based conservation.
• Experience manipulating, analysing and interpreting statistical or environmental data.
• Experience designing and implementing socio-economic research.
• Experience participating in cross functional multi-disciplinary teams and communicating with a wide range of people.
• Experience managing smaller projects including financial aspects and coordinating the work of peers and partners.
• Experience in non-burn agriculture highly desired.

ADDITIONAL JOB INFORMATION

The successful candidate for this position will be hired as an employee with Nature Conservancy India Solutions Private Limited (NCIS).

Nature Conservancy India Solutions Private Limited (NCIS) is a private limited company incorporated under the Companies Act 2013 and It is a wholly owned Indian subsidiary of The Nature Conservancy. The company currently provides technical consultancy, monitoring & evaluation support and other related services in the domain of conservation and environment to its various clients. The company under Indian laws can also provide fee-based service to clients (development organisations, Corporates and Govt. Agencies) within and outside of India. The company has all the required registrations under the relevant laws to provide such fee-based services in India.