Research & Project Coordinator – Veditum India Foundation

Apply by 31st July 22

Veditum India Foundation is a not-for-profit research and media organization, working at the intersection of environmental, social, and cultural challenges. Our current work is centered on life in and around Indian rivers.

About the project The project is building a new platform which will host an archive of all sand mining related activity in India, identifying spatial and temporal trends. The platform will also work as a capacity building tool for actors who wish to pursue action towards conservation of ecosystems and against injustice.

The Role We are looking for an individual with at least 2 years of work experience in the environmental sector in India to join Veditum. You will be working on a new environmental accountability project, focussing on river sand mining activity across India. Individuals with past experience of work on rivers and / or environmental monitoring will be preferred.

Engagement Type This is a full time role, only for Indian nationals based in India, starting as soon as the hiring process is complete (tentative start: September 2022). This is a remote / WFH position, and office hours are 10am to 6pm IST from Monday to Friday. There will be occasional commitments towards workshops & networking events on weekends (with prior notice).

Your Role You will be taking up multiple activities, with the primary role of a researcher & facilitator, working in sync with the project lead, project partners as well as platform users.

If river systems are a new domain, you will be required to undergo studies about river systems. We will facilitate this learning process if you display exceptional potential in other required skills. See below for more details on the various aspects of the role.

1 contact@veditum.org JD for ‘Research + Networking’ (July 2022) Veditum India Foundation Research & Coordination Research for this project spans multiple domains. You are not expected to do all the research work themself, but you should know how to work through challenges of obtaining information and assist others on the platform to reach this information.

Examples:

● Official information through MoEFCC, MoM (Mines), State Ministry, Local Departments, and other government websites.

● Official information through communications with government offices (central, state, district levels) related to sand mining activity.

● Official information through RTIs

● Official information through a network of community members and correspondents

● Court proceedings

● News information (to be able to coordinate multilingual work)

● Official reports through govt agencies and multilateral agencies (e.g UN, WB, etc)

Networking

You are expected to work on expanding Veditum’s networks (with respect to this platform) in the space of environmental conservation in India, bringing new members to the platform. This is an ongoing activity at Veditum, which will pick up pace with respect to this new project.

Workshops

In the first year, we will be organising online workshops for users of our platform. The selected individual is expected to help coordinate and conduct such workshops. Over time, the individual will be expected to independently lead workshops, including in person workshops planned for year 2 onwards of the project.

Reports

The individual is expected to work on summary and progress reports for the project, assisting the project lead and working with a designer for the reports.

 Key skills we are looking for

I .A familiarity with environmental governance and politics in India

II. Good communication skills and an ability to write simple reports (in English)

III. Ability to synthesize information from official reports + news reports + ground reports

IV. Good coordination skills with large groups of people (including multilingual groups) – eg.: having managed webinars on zoom, physical events, workshops or hackathons.

2 contact@veditum.org JD for ‘Research + Networking’ (July 2022) Veditum India Foundation

V. Willingness & ability to learn & use new web based services

VI. Patience, when faced with large amounts of data & working on an evolving project

Remuneration The pay for this role is ₹30,000 per month (cost to company). Please note that there will be a 2 month probationary period. Approved expenses (including travel) will be taken care of by the organisation.

Hiring Process Interested applicants should:

1.Write to contact@veditum.org with subject line “Interested in Env Monitoring project – Veditum (2022)”. Send your applications by 31st July, and include the following in your email: Your CV | Samples of relevant past work | A brief note on why this project interests you (feel free to send your note in written or video format) | Mention if you’re from a disadvantaged background.

2. After an initial screening, shortlisted applicants will be given a task.

3. Those who perform well on the task will be interviewed.

4. The final candidate will be selected based on the task and interview.

Please note: – This position is open for Indian nationals only. – We are an equal opportunity employer. Candidates from all backgrounds are encouraged to apply, and those from disadvantaged backgrounds will be preferred. – In case of any further questions, please contact us at contact@veditum.org with the same subject line as mentioned above. – The hired candidate should have their own computer (updated on 16th July, 9pm IST)