Senior Program Associate – Project and Finance Management, Energy Program

Job Description

About us

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. 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 250 researchers are working with WRI India in our offices in Delhi, Mumbai, and Bengaluru.

Our mission and values:

Our 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.

Our values are shared ideals that bind us together: Integrity, Innovation, Urgency, Independence and Respect.

Our culture:

We are committed to advancing gender and social equity for human well-being in our mission including equal opportunities in employment. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, ethnicity, religion, sex, national origin, age, caste, marital status, sexual orientation, gender identity and expression, disability, or protected Veteran status.

About the WRI India Energy Program

WRI India seeks to inform and catalyse India’s equitable transition to low-carbon energy pathways by driving the shift to renewable sources, improving the efficiency of energy solutions, ensuring reliable and affordable energy access, and reducing the negative externalities of energy transition pathways on energy minerals. We also bring a keen impetus to the central role of finance, equity, governance, and circularity in ensuring an inclusive, fair, and equitable energy transition in India. We undertake research, ground-level implementation, stakeholder engagement partnerships, and effective communication across four key pillars of work: Clean Energy Demand, Clean Energy Supply, Energy Minerals and Circularity, and Energy for Equitable Development. Our mission is to foster environmentally sound and socially equitable development, supporting India’s climate and developmental goals.

Position Overview

This role serves as a key anchor for program delivery and strategic execution across WRI India’s Energy Program. The Senior Program Associate will support project lifecycle planning, enable robust financial oversight, and build systems for transparency, accountability, and high-quality execution. This role requires both a detail-oriented mindset and a systems-level understanding of how programs scale effectively. Exceptional planning and organizational skills, attention to detail, financial acumen, and the ability to coordinate and manage multiple workstreams are essential pre-requisites for this role. This role will work closely with program leads, the operations team, and the Executive Director to ensure projects are delivered on time, within scope, and in alignment with WRI’s strategic and financial goals.

Key Responsibilities

Program Delivery and Coordination (50%)

• Streamline and coordinate project planning, execution, and delivery across the Energy program team. This would include supporting end-to-end project lifecycle management including work plan development, implementation tracking, project level tracking, and timeline management across the work undertaken by the Energy program.
• Enable project teams to track progress using tools like Asana and support capacity building where needed.
• Design and maintain dashboards and performance trackers that improve visibility of timelines, deliverables, budgets, and interdependencies.
• Coordinate internal reviews, quarterly check-ins, and synthesis for strategy sessions and reporting cycles.

Financial Oversight and Risk Management (30%)

• Co-develop and maintain project budgets in alignment with donor commitments and institutional guidelines.
• Monitor financial burn rates, flag deviations, and support corrective planning with project leads and the finance team.
• Contribute to risk registers or mitigation tracking where financial slippage or scope drift may occur.

Systems Strengthening and Process Innovation (20%)

• Support documentation systems to ensure institutional memory, audit readiness, and reporting accuracy.
• Support integration across platforms like Asana, Workday, shared drives, and dashboards to consolidate updates, and share dashboards with leadership.
• Support in identifying and piloting innovations in project delivery processes, templates, and internal communication tools.

Qualifications and Requirements

Education and Experience

• Bachelor’s degree (Master’s preferred) in business, economics, public policy, development, or related field.
• 5–7 years of relevant experience in project management, financial tracking, and program operations, preferably in a non-profit or research-oriented organization.
• Proven ability to translate complex project requirements into actionable workstreams and budgets.
• Experience in energy, climate, or sustainability sectors.

Core Competencies:

• Proficiency in Asana (or other project management platforms) and using financial/budget management platforms, and Microsoft Office Suite (Word, PowerPoint, Excel) is mandatory. Familiarity with Workday is a plus.
• Strong organizational skills and attention to detail; able to manage multiple moving parts and deadlines.
• Proven ability to translate complex project requirements into actionable workstreams and budgets.
• Experience working on donor-funded projects is highly desirable.
• Ability to set and manage multiple priorities with support and supervision, manage time efficiently.
• Demonstrated adaptability and ability to work across multiple teams in various geographical locations, cultural contexts, and time zones.
• Strong communication skills; able to synthesize and convey information clearly to internal and external audiences.
• Demonstrated ability to work both independently as well as part of a team along with juggling multiple assignments at one time.
• Demonstrated commitment to equity, collaboration, and transparency in team processes.

Location: Bengaluru, Mumbai, Delhi.

Term: Full-time, 2-year contract (extendable based on performance and project requirements)

Potential Salary and Benefits: 14,00,000 to 18,00,000 INR CTC Per Annum

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

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.