Program Lead - Restoration Practice

Embarq India; New Delhi; On-site; INR 1,800,000 - 2,400,000; Full time

Job summary

WRI India is seeking a Program Lead - Restoration Practice to co-lead restoration initiatives across India, strengthening public finance convergence, informing policy, and scaling landscape restoration models. The role requires deep scientific expertise, policy acumen, and ability to translate evidence into action.

The Lead will coordinate multidisciplinary teams, engage government partners at state and district levels, and contribute to responsive planning, budgeting, and risk management.

Qualifications

• Masters degree in Environmental Sciences, Forestry, Ecology, Natural Resource Management, Landscape Restoration, Geography, Public Policy, or related field (PhD preferred).
• Minimum 10 years of progressively responsible experience in ecological restoration, natural resource management, climate resilience, or related sectors.

Responsibilities

• Lead the technical design and quality assurance of restoration programmes across the portfolio.
• Co-lead engagement with government institutions at state and district levels to advance landscape restoration.
• Co-lead planning, delivery and adaptive management of local restoration projects and donor reporting.
• Identify opportunities to expand restoration portfolio and contribute to proposals and donor engagement.

Skills

Ecological restoration

Policy engagement

Stakeholder management

Geospatial analysis

Team leadership

Education

Masters in Environmental Sciences

PhD preferred

Tools

GIS platforms

Job description

Job Summary

WRI India is seeking an exceptional Program Lead - Restoration Practice to co-lead restoration projects that strengthen public finance convergence, inform policy, and demonstrate scalable landscape restoration models across India. As part of the Program Leadership team, this role is for a practitioner with deep scientific expertise, strong policy and institutional understanding, and the ability to translate evidence into action. In addition to planning and implementation of projects, the Lead will identify high-impact opportunities to embed restoration within government systems and public investments, positioning it as a key solution for climate adaptation, resilience, biodiversity conservation, and rural livelihoods. The role requires strategic and critical thinking, applied research, policy engagement, and the ability to co-lead multidisciplinary teams while building trusted relationships and representing WRI India with credibility and thought leadership at national and occasionally international levels.

What will you do

1. Technical Leadership and Evidence-Based Restoration (35%)

• Lead the technical design and quality assurance of restoration programmes across the portfolio.
• Bring deep technical expertise in ecological restoration, translating scientific evidence and implementation experience into practical, scalable restoration approaches.
• Lead the team to strengthen the evidence base for restoration by synthesising research, documenting implementation lessons and developing technical guidance, tools and knowledge products.
• Ensure restoration approaches reflect current science, emerging global practices and lessons from implementation in India and internationally.
• Provide technical oversight for restoration planning, monitoring frameworks, geospatial analyses and decision-support tools.
• Support project teams to design technically robust, context-specific restoration interventions that are scalable and impactful.

2. Strategic Government Engagement (30%)

• Co-lead WRI India's engagement with government institutions at state and district levels to advance landscape restoration and sustainable land-use initiatives.
• Identify strategic opportunities where WRI India's technical expertise can inform government policies, programmes and investments to accelerate restoration at scale.
• Provide technical and strategic inputs to inform the design and implementation of restoration policies, guidelines and public investment programmes through knowledge products.
• Support the convergence of public finance mechanisms across forestry, watershed development, climate adaptation, rural livelihoods and natural resource management programmes.
• Build and maintain trusted relationships with government agencies, development partners, technical institutions and civil society organisations.
• Facilitate platforms to dialogue, strengthen coordination and address institutional and operational barriers.
• Represent WRI India in technical consultations, workshops, conferences and other external forums.

3. Programme Management and Team Leadership (20%)

• Co-lead the planning, delivery and adaptive management of local restoration projects, ensuring high-quality implementation and achievement of programme objectives.
• Co-lead policy, research and implementation teams by fostering collaboration, technical excellence, accountability and continuous learning.
• Develop robust project planning, budgets, risk management, monitoring and donor reporting.
• Support the professional development of junior team members.
• Oversee the management of consultants, implementation partners and technical experts to ensure effective programme delivery.

4. Portfolio Growth and Program Development (15%)

• Identify emerging opportunities to expand WRI India's restoration portfolio and strengthen its impact along with Program Leadership.
• Support the development of proposals, concept notes and project designs for new restoration initiatives.
• Contribute to portfolio strategy, annual planning and resource mobilisation efforts.
• Support donor engagement and partnership development.
• Contribute to the development of technical publications, knowledge products and communications that strengthen WRI India's restoration portfolio.

What will you need

• Masters degree in Environmental Sciences, Forestry, Ecology, Natural Resource Management, Landscape Restoration, Geography, Public Policy, or a related field (PhD preferred).
• Minimum 10 years of progressively responsible experience in ecological restoration, natural resource management, climate resilience, or related sectors, including the delivery of complex, multi-stakeholder, donor-funded programmes.
• Deep technical expertise in ecological restoration, landscape management, and climate resilience, with the ability to translate scientific evidence into practical, scalable solutions.
• Strong understanding of restoration science, monitoring frameworks, geospatial analysis, GIS platforms, and restoration decision-support tools; experience developing technical guidance, knowledge products, or evidence-based policy recommendations is an advantage.
• Ability to identify emerging global trends and adapt innovative restoration approaches to the Indian context.
• Extensive experience working with national and state government institutions, with a strong understanding of India’s policy, institutional, and public finance landscape for restoration.
• Demonstrated ability to identify strategic opportunities, navigate complex institutional environments, and provide evidence-based technical inputs that inform government programmes, policies, and investments.
• Excellent stakeholder engagement, communication, and facilitation skills, with the credibility to engage senior government officials, development partners, technical institutions, and diverse stakeholders.
• Proven experience leading multidisciplinary teams, mentoring technical staff, and fostering a collaborative, high-performing, and learning-oriented work environment.
• Strong programme and partnership management skills, including planning, budgeting, risk management, monitoring, reporting, and ensuring high-quality programme delivery.
• Strategic, analytical, and entrepreneurial, with sound judgement, a proactive approach to identifying opportunities, and a solutions-oriented mindset.
• Passion for advancing restoration as a key solution for climate resilience, biodiversity conservation, and sustainable development, with a strong commitment to WRI India’s mission and values.

Location: New Delhi

Duration: 1 year (Extendable based on performance and project requirements)

Start As soon as possible

Documents to be attached

• Cover Letter
• Resume