Junior Program Associate - Urban Development

India Resources Trust; Chennai District; On-site; INR 750,000 - 900,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Health insurance for you and family up

Term Insurance: 50 lakhs

Employee Assistance program

Flexible work schedule

Learning culture

Rest and Recharge weeks

Leave policy: 36 days/yr

Job summary

WRI India in Chennai is seeking a candidate to support sustainable urban development, rural–urban transition, regional planning, and climate-resilient projects in Tamil Nadu.

You will engage with state departments, local governments, academia, and civil society, assist with data collection, GIS analysis, and preparation of project reports and knowledge products. This is a one-year role under the Cities team.

Qualifications

• Master’s degree in Urban Planning, Environmental Planning, Environmental Science, Geography, Regional Planning, or related discipline.
• 0 to 2 years of relevant professional experience in urban development, regional planning, environmental management, or sustainable development.
• Experience in stakeholder engagement and coordination with government agencies, local governments, academic institutions, and civil society.
• Working knowledge of urban and regional planning processes, governance systems, and development programmes in Tamil Nadu.
• Basic GIS and spatial analysis skills; familiarity with ArcGIS or QGIS.
• Experience in data collection, compilation, and analysis.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills in Tamil and English.
• Strong report-writing and documentation skills; ability to prepare study reports and presentations.
• Excellent facilitation, organizational, interpersonal, and coordination skills.

Responsibilities

• Support stakeholder consultations, workshops, meetings, and capacity-building activities.
• Assist in data collection, field visits, surveys, and project documentation.
• Support basic spatial and GIS-based analysis for planning decisions.
• Prepare project reports, policy briefs, case studies, and communication materials.
• Monitor project progress and help identify implementation challenges and corrective actions.
• Travel to pilot study areas as needed.

Skills

Stakeholder engagement

Coordination

GIS

Spatial analysis

Data collection

Report writing

Tamil and English communication

Presentations

Education

Master’s degree in Urban Planning, Environmental Planning, Environmental Science, Geography, Regional Planning, or related discipline

Tools

ArcGIS

QGIS

Job description

About us WRI India, an independent knowledge organisation registered as 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. Know more: wri-india.org

Program Overview for Sustainable Cities and Transport

WRI India's urban development work aims to transform the way cities are planned and designed to ensure that urban development benefits people, nature and climate. We focus on integrated solutions to long-standing urban challenges, leveraging evidence-based data, applied research and our network of partners and experts. We collaborate at all levels with the government, city administrations, urban stakeholders and partners to help cities become resilient, low-carbon and liveable while balancing their socio-economic goals. Our work seeks to shape a future where cities work better for everyone.

Job Highlight:

You will be based in Chennai and will support WRI India's work on sustainable urban development, rural–urban transition, regional planning, and multi-hazard geography, and climate-resilient development in Tamil Nadu. The position will involve assisting the team in coordination and interactions with various state government departments, local governments, academic institutions, subject experts and other stakeholders to support the initiatives undertaken in Tamil Nadu. The selected candidate will support the team in stakeholder engagement, data collection and analysis, preparation of project reports and communication materials, and delivery of research and technical assistance activities. The candidate will work under the supervision of WRI India’s Cities team and in close collaboration with government partners.

What you will do

• Support stakeholder consultations, workshops, meetings, training programs, and capacity-building activities and represent WRI India in meetings and stakeholder engagements along with the team, as required.
• Support in primary and secondary data collection, field visits, surveys and documentation of project findings and assist in managing project database and datasets.
• Support in basic spatial and GIS-based analysis to support planning and decision-making processes.
• Assist in preparing project reports, policy briefs and concept notes, case studies, presentations, meeting records, and communication materials and knowledge products for government and project partners.
• Support monitoring of project progress, identify implementation challenges, and assist in developing corrective actions where required.
• Travel to pilot study areas as needed.

What you will need

• Master’s degree in Urban Planning, Environmental Planning, Environmental Science, Geography, Regional Planning, or related discipline.
• 0 to 2 years of relevant professional experience in urban development, regional planning, environmental management, sustainable development, or related fields.
• Demonstrated experience in stakeholder engagement and coordination with government agencies, local governments, academic institutions, and civil society organizations.
• Working knowledge of urban and regional planning processes, governance systems, and development programmes in Tamil Nadu
• Basic GIS and spatial analysis skills, including experience with GIS software such as ArcGIS or QGIS are recommended.
• Experience in primary and secondary data collection, compilation, and analysis.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills in Tamil and English.
• Strong report-writing and documentation skills, including preparation of study reports, technical notes, presentations, and meeting documentation.
• Excellent facilitation, organizational, interpersonal, and coordination skills.

Potential Salary and Benefits: INR 7,50,000 to INR 9,00,000 Per Annum“Salary shall be commensurate with experience, skills, and internal parity. WRI India offers a generous and comprehensive benefits package.”

Location: Chennai Duration: 1 Year (Extendable based on performance and project requirements) Start date: As soon as possible

Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) @WRI India

WRI India values and promotes diversity, equity and inclusion across all areas of our work and workforce. Integrating these values into our actions fosters a progressive and collaborative culture and can also enhance our impact. It is our responsibility to create a welcoming working environment for people of diverse cultures, backgrounds and experience to learn together. We are responsible for fostering a safe and inclusive workplace where questions, concerns and information about diversity, equity and inclusion are part of our ongoing dialogue and development. Learn more about WRI India’s commitment to Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI).

People-centric to the core:

We keep our people at the center of everything we do - from a welcoming work environment to benefits and a culture that encourages staff to stay healthy, happy, engaged, and growing.

Some of the non-monetary benefits that our staff get:

• Health benefits: We cover health insurance for you and your loved ones for up to INR 8 lakhs
• Term Insurance: Our term insurance policy covers life coverage of 50 lakhs per staff member
• Employee Assistance program: Promoting mental well-being and supporting staff in achieving a satisfying work-life balance
• Health & Nutrition: Personalized diet recommendation from a certified dietitian based on the physical health condition and lifestyle
• Flexible work schedule: Alternative work arrangements for all who are eligible by nature of their job
• Learning culture: Workshops and trainings to empower staff, encourage new learning opportunities
• Rest and Recharge weeks: We encourage staff to take time off to rest, rejuvenate, upskill, and pursue their interests.
• Our leave policy: Avail personal time off at 36 per year, along with public holidays, maternity, paternity, and adoption leaves.

Equal employment @WRI India

We believe in equal employment, it is our policy to recruit and provide opportunities for advancement in all job classifications without regard to caste, religion, sex, age, marital status, sexual orientation, parental status, or disability.

WRI India, an independent knowledge organization registered as 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. Know more: wri-india.org