Lead - Policy

Atree; Gangtok; Hybrid; INR 4,200,000 - 6,000,000; Full time

Job summary

ATREE invites a Lead - Policy to shape policy reviews and recommendations across the Indian Himalayan Region, leading a team under the Himalaya Initiative. You will liaise with government departments, IHR states, and ATREE’s regional teams to deliver policy outcomes that support biodiversity conservation and climate resilience.

The role requires a PhD and strong experience in policy development, with a track record of engaging diverse stakeholders, including women and marginalized groups.

Qualifications

• PhD in social sciences, environmental/natural sciences, public policy, law, economics, or related interdisciplinary field.
• Background in law, public policy, or economics preferred for specialized drafting.

Responsibilities

• Develop and lead the roadmap and strategy for the policy component of the AMP-Himalaya project, including annual workplans and donor reporting.
• Lead the review of existing policies related to biodiversity, forests, rangelands, agroforestry, restoration, and climate resilience.
• Develop state-level policy action plans across the three landscapes (Sikkim, Ladakh, Arunachal Pradesh).
• Conduct FGDs, expert interviews, and multi-stakeholder workshops with FPIC and inclusive protocols.
• Lead the policy recommendations and briefing papers for stakeholders and compile an IHR policy report and toolkit.
• Create Legal-Institutional Framework and Modules for OECM/CCA in Arunachal Pradesh with external counsel.
• Drive policy engagement campaigns and capacity-building with government officials and communities.
• Coordinate with ATREE Academy and knowledge commons to align policy work with research and knowledge generation.
• Provide technical guidance to Policy Analysts and Consultants; coordinate with MEL and communications teams.
• Represent ATREE in national/international forums to deliver measurable policy impact.

Skills

Policy Development

Policy Analysis

Stakeholder Engagement

FPIC

Leadership

Education

PhD in related field

Job description

Job Summary

Lead - Policy

ATREE is seeking an experienced professional to lead reviews, analyses, studies, consultations, and recommendations on mountain-specific policies related to biodiversity conservation, landscape restoration, and bio-resource use in the project landscapes and States. The policy vision will be guided by global, regional, national, and state mountain policies from IHR.

You will be a key member of a versatile team led by the Director - The Himalaya Initiative. You will represent ATREE with external stakeholders, including government departments in the project states, IHR states, and at the national level, and will collaborate closely with regional teams in the IHR and at ATREE headquarters in Bengaluru.

In the Himalaya, ATREE s strategy is to work towards a future where resilient mountain and downstream societies sustainably enjoy the natural endowment of the Indian Himalayan Region (IHR) while protecting and preserving its rich biodiversity. ATREE has developed a 10-year strategy called The Himalaya Initiative (THI), focused on the IHR amid increasing biodiversity loss, environmental degradation, and climate change.

Project AMP-Himalaya is funded by the Rural India Supporting Trust (RIST), co-financed by Conservation International and Global Conservation, within the THI strategy, for a 5-year project period. The project aims to conserve biodiversity, restore landscapes, and foster human well-being in the Indian Himalayan Region. Three key areas prioritized to achieve the goal in the IHR are: 1) Assessment, Monitoring, and Conservation of Biodiversity; 2) Restoration of Multi-functional Landscapes; and 3) Nature-based Rural Livelihoods and Climate Change Resilience. Integral to these priorities are: creating digital knowledge commons to accelerate participatory management and local stewardship; strengthening human resources through training programs for local youth leaders and expanded environmental education opportunities; and creating conditions to develop and implement multi-level, mountain-specific policies that prioritize biodiversity conservation and natural resource management at scale.

The project is being implemented in 3 distinct landscapes located in 3 states and 1 union territory of IHR, namely: the Khangchendzonga Landscape covering the Darjeeling hills of North Bengal and Sikkim state; the Trans-Himalayan Landscape representing a high dependence on rangelands with agro-pastoral and pastoral systems in Ladakh; and Arunachal Pradesh with the largest, greenest, ethnically diverse and most biodiversity-rich landscapes.

Responsibilities

• Develop and lead the roadmap and strategy, in collaboration with the THI Director, for the policy component of the AMP-Himalaya project, including annual workplans, timely donor and project reporting, and tracking policy outcomes and success indicators.
• Lead and drive the process of reviewing existing policies related to biodiversity, forests, rangelands, agroforestry, restoration, bioresource use, nature-based livelihoods, and climate resilience, including stakeholder mapping to identify gaps, overlaps, and mountain-specific policy approaches across the three project landscapes.
• Develop and advocate state-level policy action plans across all three landscapes, restoration and agro-ecology (Sikkim), OECM and CCA (Arunachal Pradesh), and rangeland and pastoral governance (Trans-Himalaya, Ladakh), ensuring balanced policy engagement across landscapes.
• Lead in conducting FGDs, expert interviews, and multi-stakeholder workshops, following FPIC and inclusive community-engagement protocols and ensuring equitable participation of women and marginalized groups; use findings to flag policies/practices harmful to climate and ecosystem resilience and document successful mountain-specific case studies.
• Develop and lead a roadmap for presentation of policy recommendations and briefing papers for key stakeholders for validation, and compile a comprehensive IHR policy report and toolkit for dissemination to stakeholders.
• Create and lead the development of Legal-Institutional Framework and Modules for OECM/CCA in Arunachal Pradesh, partnering with external legal counsel engaged by ATREE for specialized legal drafting where required.
• Develop and lead policy engagement and advocacy campaigns to raise awareness and strengthen capacity, including training government officials, policymakers, community leaders, and other relevant stakeholders.
• Collaborate with ATREE s Academy for Conservation Science and Sustainability Studies and the project s digital knowledge commons to align policy work with ongoing research, fellowships and knowledge generation.
• Contribute to the learning and reporting plan; provide technical guidance to Policy Analysts and Consultants; coordinate with landscape, thematic, research, MEL and communications teams.
• Represent ATREE in national and international forums and apply a proactive, strategic approach within and outside ATREE to deliver measurable policy impact.

Qualifications

• PhD in a related field, i.e., social sciences, environmental/natural sciences/natural resources management, public policy, law, economics, or a related interdisciplinary field.
• A background in law, public policy, or economics is preferred in addition to the environmental/natural sciences; where specialized legal drafting is required (e.g., the Legal-Institutional Framework for OECMs/CCA), this will be carried out in partnership with external legal counsel engaged by ATREE.

Experience Required

• 5-6 years of professional experience in policy development and analysis, with substantial experience in mountain policy frameworks and a strong focus on the Himalaya.
• Strong networking skills and demonstrated ability to build and maintain relationships with stakeholders.
• Strong understanding of policy processes in government systems.
• Demonstrated understanding of, and commitment to, Free, Prior and Informed Consent (FPIC) and ethical community engagement protocols when working with indigenous and local communities in the IHR.
• Sensitivity to gender and social inclusion considerations, with the ability to help ensure equitable participation of women and marginalized groups in FGDs, consultations and workshops.
• Excellent written and verbal English skills; knowledge of Hindi and/or a Himalayan regional language is an advantage; where not proficient, willingness to work through local translators/facilitators is required.
• Excellent communication skills, with demonstrated ability to coordinate teams, motivate colleagues and engage effectively with diverse stakeholders.
• Proficient in analytical skills, report writing, and documentation.
• Willingness to travel extensively across project locations in the Himalaya.
• Experience working with nonprofits in the Conservation / Environment / Sustainability / Biodiversity space highly desirable.
• Self-motivated and able to work independently while collaborating across teams and geographies to deliver on a set of goals.
• Strong organizational, interpersonal and leadership skills with the ability to motivate and lead small teams.

Desirable Skills

• Working knowledge of international and regional mountain and biodiversity frameworks, including the CBD Global Biodiversity Framework, ICIMOD/Hindu Kush Himalaya frameworks, and UNFCCC/NDC processes.
• Experience in grant management, resource mobilization, proposal writing, and donor engagement.
• Experience using digital knowledge and communication tools, including data visualization and dashboards, to translate technical findings into accessible briefs and toolkits.

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