State Climate Fellow, India (Assam)

Deadline 28th January 2021

Summary

Climate Group, in partnership with Swaniti Initiative, proposes to create a cohort of “climate fellows” in selected Indian states as a part of the ‘State Climate Fellows’ initiative. These fellows will be pivotal in championing the climate strategies in these states and support in aligning the state climate goals with the national ambition. The Fellows will have prior experience of working in the climate space and will be engaged for period of 12 months at relevant state departments in respective states, to ensure that the appropriate levers for climate are being pushed.

The key contact for the State Climate Fellows will be Senior Project Officer – Government Engagement, India. This is a full-time position, with an expected starting date of mid-February 2022, based in nodal departments in the respective states.

About Climate Group

The Climate Group drives climate action. Fast. Our goal is a world of net zero carbon emissions by 2050, with greater prosperity for all.

We focus on systems with the highest emissions and where our networks have the greatest opportunity to drive change. We do this by building large and influential networks and holding organisations accountable, turning their commitments into action.

We share what we achieve together to show more organisations what they could do. We are an international non-profit organisation, founded in 2004, with offices in London, Amsterdam, New Delhi and New York. We are proud to be part of the We Mean Business coalition.

About Swaniti

Swaniti Initiative is a social enterprise that strengthens local governance by improving delivery of public services by leveraging research, data and knowledge base of public service delivery to create the most impact. Swaniti helps overcome human capital gaps, knowledge limitations and lack of data insights by placing localized teams who are catalytic to the development process. At present, Swaniti Initiative works in Uttar Pradesh, Andhra Pradesh, Jharkhand, Chhattisgarh, Maharashtra, Himachal Pradesh, West Bengal and Delhi. Swaniti has helped mobilize over 25 million dollars of unutilized government funding toward core programs and has directly impacted the lives of 750,000+ people.

The key deliverables will include:

Project Delivery  

• Conduct assessments of the region through primary and secondary studies, and high-level stakeholder consultations in order to develop an undertaking of the state and identify opportunities and challenges.
• Facilitate climate change efforts at state level: Work through the Nodal or relevant department to facilitate integration of climate change into planning processes, identify departments where there is strong demand to address issues of climate change and provide requisite support through knowledge exchange, research support or technical connect.
• Facilitate inter-departmental coordination and streamline initiative: This would include connecting departments with key climate initiatives including but not limited to clean energy transition across heavy emitting sector, state adaptation plans, sustainable transportation, climate smart agriculture, etc.
• Assist the state department towards developing Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs), Request for Proposals (RFPs) for identified interventions.
• Provide regulars updates to the Senior Project Officer – Government Engagement, India about the progress on the various ongoing workstreams.
• Ensure timely delivery of the tasks under the assigned workstreams in co-ordination with the state department and Climate Group/Swaniti Initiative

Communications and events

• Enable knowledge exchange through case studies, convening platforms and interacting with experts, civil society, academic institutions and think tanks. These will be periodic knowledge consortiums that will be pre-decided with partners.
• ​Inform senior policy leaders about opportunities in the climate space through monthly briefs and policy papers that will jointly be created with the Climate Group. Policy briefs will include topics like low carbon development roadmaps and pathways, clean energy transition, just transition, climate resilience, institutional mechanism and governance, state climate leadership, etc.
• Proactively explore themes and issues from Indian states and curate regular stories/ blogs and case studies from the region
• Represent the organization as a representative, when required, to external stakeholders in meetings and other events in the region.

About You

Essential:

• Relevant Graduate degree related to Climate Change, Economics, Environmental Management, Public policy, International development or others from a reputed university
• Significant 3-4 years’ experience working on climate policy or related fields that will enable them to leverage previous insights that they can bring to the government
• Knowledge of state climate action and policies in India and state governance structure, understanding of international climate policies and negotiations
• Proven record of project coordination and working with governments on climate policy
• Demonstrated passion to work on issues of climate, allowing them to accomplish the goals of the initiative
• Strong written and verbal communication skills, with competencies around articulating ideas succinctly on issues of climate.
• Strong interpersonal skills, with ability to communicate effectively with a wide variety of stakeholders, including high-level partners
• Ability to be self-motivated, be solutions-oriented and work independently
• Ability to listen actively, be diplomatic, and share knowledge and information well
• Ability to multi-task and to manage conflicting priorities
• Ability and willingness to travel (whenever it is safe to do abiding Covid-19 guidelines)

Desirable

• Preference will be given to those who have worked with governments on climate policy.
• Have worked previously in the state for which you have applied and well versed with local language.
• Understanding of capacity building needs of Indian states in climate change mitigation and resilience including renewable energy policy, energy efficiency policy and programs, climate finance, and adaptation
• Knowledge on clean energy, clean transportation, energy efficiency, MRV, adaptation, finance policy and markets.
• Ability to understand India’s international negotiation position on climate with respect to UNFCCC processes and its relevance to Indian states

Location

This position is based in Guwahati, with occasional travel expected to project locations across the state.

Terms & Conditions

This is a 12 months consultancy role where we offer remuneration of INR 65000 – 75,000 per month. The expected engagement start date of this role is 14th February 2022.

How to apply

Use the ‘Apply’ button to apply for this vacancy. Should you require further information, please contact Saurav Chowdhury (Senior Project Officer – Government Engagement, India) on SChowdhury@climategroup.org

Applications for this position should come in the form of a CV and cover letter. The expected closing date for submitting your application is 28th January 2021.

The requisite eligibility criteria, or work visa to work in the India is a requirement for this position and no relocation and/or sponsorship costs will be borne by Climate Group.