Pillar Lead, Energy Minerals and Circularity, Energy Program

Job Description

Who we are and what we do?

WRI India, an independent charity legally registered as the India Resources Trust, provides objective information and practical proposals to foster environmentally sound and socially equitable development. WRI India’s mission is to move human society to live in ways that protect Earth’s environment and its capacity to provide for the needs and aspirations of current and future generations. 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.

We are inspired by and associated with World Resources Institute (WRI), a global research organization. Currently over 400 researchers are working with WRI India in our offices at Delhi, Mumbai and Bengaluru.

Position Overview:

WRI India’s Energy Program has a four-pronged strategy to support India’s transition to clean energy - Clean Energy Supply, Decarbonized Energy Consumption, Energy for Equitable Development and Energy Minerals & Circularity (EMC). You will be asked to lead this fourth pillar that wants to promote a range of responsible strategies to meet the demand for minerals, materials and technologies needed in a clean energy transition in India. To achieve the scale of India’s climate targets and developmental priorities, energy transition efforts will lean on critical minerals like lithium, copper, nickel, cobalt and rare earth elements, which are essential to building clean technologies like wind turbines, solar panels, batteries, and grids. These minerals need to be sourced responsibly, and at their end of life, they need to be managed responsibly, through reuse and recycling. As the EMC pillar lead for WRI India’s Energy Program, you will explore what the current state of play is on these issues in India and identify what can be done to ensure India adopts responsible energy transition pathways.

How your day will unfold:

WRI India is looking for a candidate to:

• Lead, conduct, guide and develop research on the priorities of the EMC pillar in relation to (a) responsible energy minerals supply; (b) trade and energy transition; (c) resource efficiency and circularity in the energy transition; and (d) other environmental and socio-economic considerations associated with the energy transition.
• Identify and engage with partners in national and state agencies and ministries, academia, private sector, peer research organizations and broader civil society to share research and views on EMC related issues.
• Stay abreast of energy transition issues especially about critical minerals, resource efficiency, circularity, trade, tariff and non-tariff barriers, regulatory and policy trends, industry and finance landscape and sectoral developments.
• Participation in partner dialogues, liaise with research partners, policymakers, business and other actors active in India’s energy transition, and represent WRI India on EMC related issues.
• Identify the development of new research areas, with relevant project plans and raise resources for impactful projects on India’s energy transition about the EMC priorities.
• Mentor and support the EMC team, including coordination with other pillars and teams.
• Ensuring submission of deliverables and regular updates to donors and partners.
• Support coordination and sharing of training and capacity building activities.
• Support the organizing of internal and external meetings, workshops, conferences, and other activities and with project-relevant articles and other communication documents.

Qualifications and Requirements we seek:

• Master’s degree with a specialization in engineering / energy / science / law / management / economics or related field
• Minimum 15 years of relevant full-time work experience in the energy sector with experience with critical minerals, circularity, trade policy, resource efficiency and energy transition issues.
• Strong understanding of materials management and circularity is necessary.
• Demonstrated track record of excellence in analysis, project management and delivering results
• Excellent qualitative and quantitative research and writing skills
• Strong communications and interpersonal skills and the ability to work with teams of individuals and colleagues
• Demonstrated ability to work both independently and as part of a team or teams.
• Experience writing policy briefs/publications and delivering presentations.

Salary and Benefits: INR 35,00,000 - 46,50,000

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

Duration: 2 years as term hire (extendable based on performance and project requirements)

Location: Mumbai, Delhi, Bangalore

Start date: As soon as possible.

List of Documents to be attached:

• Cover Letter
• Resume

Only shortlisted applicants will be contacted for interview purpose.

Applications will be received until this position is filled.