Research Associate / Sr Research Associate (Heat Forecast)

Precision Agriculture For Development; New Delhi; On-site; INR 1,200,000 - 1,800,000; Full time

Job summary

Precision Development (PxD) is looking for a Research Associate / Senior Research Associate to join our weather initiative in India. The successful candidate will lead formative research on how AI-based heat forecasts can help agriculture and livestock farmers prepare for and respond to heat.

Working closely with PxD and affiliated researchers, they will help define a concrete heat-advisory use case and pilot it with farmers and government partners - testing new ideas and measuring their impact.

Qualifications

• A Bachelor’s or Master’s degree in economics, agricultural economics, public policy, development studies, statistics, environmental/climate science, or related field.
• Experience conducting field research in LMIC settings, including qualitative methods (interviews, FGDs) and quantitative surveys.
• Strong understanding of economics and econometrics, and familiarity with randomized evaluations.
• Excellent knowledge of Stata, R, Python, or similar software for data analysis.
• Demonstrated experience using SurveyCTO/ODK or a similar program for survey design.
• Understanding of research ethics for human subjects in the social sciences.
• Interest in climate adaptation, weather and climate services, or digital agriculture; familiarity with weather/forecast data or heat-stress impacts on crops or livestock is a strong plus.
• Ability to translate research insights into practical product or service design, working with technical and non-technical stakeholders.
• Excellent organizational skills, detail-oriented, and ability to work both independently and collaboratively.
• Fluency in English with strong oral and written communication skills; knowledge of Hindi or another Indian language is a plus.

Responsibilities

• Design and conduct formative research (qualitative interviews, focus group discussions, rapid surveys) with crop and livestock farmers to understand how extreme heat affects their livelihoods, decisions, and coping strategies
• Map farmers current sources of weather information, the timing and lead time they need, and the actions they could take in response to a heat forecast.
• Engage with government agencies, meteorological departments, extension systems, and livestock/veterinary services to understand existing heat early-warning systems and gaps
• Review literature and existing evidence on heat-stress impacts and heat early-warning interventions in agriculture and livestock
• Synthesize findings into clear research briefs and presentations for internal teams and partners.
• Translate formative research insights into a well-defined use case for AI-based heat forecasts, specifying target users, decisions supported, forecast variables, lead times, and thresholds
• Work with data science and forecasting partners to assess the skill and suitability of AI-based heat forecast products for the target geographies
• Co-design heat advisory content and delivery channels with farmers, agronomists, and livestock experts
• Design and program survey instruments (SurveyCTO/ODK)
• Oversee data collection quality, including field visits, back-checks, and high-frequency checks
• Analyze pilot data on farmer engagement, comprehension, trust, behavior change, and early outcomes
• Clean, merge, and analyze weather, forecast, survey, and administrative data (Stata, R, or Python)
• Assess the relationship between heat exposure and agricultural and livestock outcomes using existing data where available
• Monitor forecast performance against observed weather data and flag issues to technical partners
• Contribute to dashboards and data pipelines supporting PxDs weather initiative, as needed

Skills

Qualitative research

Quantitative surveys

Econometrics

Data analysis

Field research LMIC

Communication

Travel readiness

Team collaboration

Education

Bachelor's/Master's in economics or related

Tools

Stata

R

Python

SurveyCTO/ODK

Job description

Job Details

Title: Research Associate / Senior Research Associate (Heat Forecast)

Location: Delhi, India

Applicants must have existing authorization to work in India; PxD is unable to sponsor visas for this role.

Salary will be competitive and commensurate with the candidates skills, experience, and the local labor market in India.

Position: Full-time

Job Summary

Precision Development (PxD) is looking for a Research Associate / Senior Research Associate to join our weather initiative in India. The successful candidate will lead formative research on how AI-based heat forecasts can help agriculture and livestock farmers prepare for and respond to heat. Working closely with PxD and affiliated researchers, they will help define a concrete heat-advisory use case and pilot it with farmers and government partners - testing new ideas and measuring their impact.

The role calls for someone who is curious about how farmers make decisions under climate risk, comfortable moving between fieldwork and data, and who understands how digital technology is adopted and scaled within government.

If you’re passionate about turning advances in AI weather forecasting into practical, evidence-based services for farmers, and committed to driving positive change in the agricultural sector, we encourage you to apply.

We’re hiring for this role at either the Research Associate or Senior Research Associate level. The specific level will be determined based on the candidates years of experience, demonstrated seniority, and scope of past responsibilities.

Responsibilities

These will evolve as the role develops; key initial areas are outlined below.

Formative Research

• Design and conduct formative research (qualitative interviews, focus group discussions, rapid surveys) with crop and livestock farmers to understand how extreme heat affects their livelihoods, decisions, and coping strategies
• Map farmers current sources of weather information, the timing and lead time they need, and the actions they could take in response to a heat forecast.
• Engage with government agencies, meteorological departments, extension systems, and livestock/veterinary services to understand existing heat early-warning systems and gaps
• Review literature and existing evidence on heat-stress impacts and heat early-warning interventions in agriculture and livestock
• Synthesize findings into clear research briefs and presentations for internal teams and partners.

Use Case Definition & Design

• Translate formative research insights into a well-defined use case for AI-based heat forecasts, specifying target users, decisions supported, forecast variables, lead times, and thresholds
• Work with data science and forecasting partners to assess the skill and suitability of AI-based heat forecast products for the target geographies
• Co-design heat advisory content and delivery channels with farmers, agronomists, and livestock experts

Data & Analysis

• Design and program survey instruments (SurveyCTO/ODK)
• Oversee data collection quality, including field visits, back-checks, and high-frequency checks
• Analyze pilot data on farmer engagement, comprehension, trust, behavior change, and early outcomes
• Clean, merge, and analyze weather, forecast, survey, and administrative data (Stata, R, or Python)
• Assess the relationship between heat exposure and agricultural and livestock outcomes using existing data where available
• Monitor forecast performance against observed weather data and flag issues to technical partners
• Contribute to dashboards and data pipelines supporting PxDs weather initiative, as needed

What You’ll Bring

• A Bachelors or Masters degree in economics, agricultural economics, public policy, development studies, statistics, environmental/climate science, or a closely related field
• Demonstrated experience conducting field research in LMIC settings, including qualitative methods (interviews, FGDs) and quantitative surveys
• Strong understanding of economics and econometrics, and familiarity with randomized evaluations
• Excellent knowledge of Stata, R, Python, or similar software for data analysis
• Demonstrated experience using SurveyCTO/ODK or a similar program for survey design
• Understanding of research ethics for human subjects in the social sciences
• Interest in climate adaptation, weather and climate services, or digital agriculture; familiarity with weather/forecast data or heat-stress impacts on crops or livestock is a strong plus
• Ability to translate research insights into practical product or service design, working with technical and non-technical stakeholders
• Excellent organizational skills, detail-oriented, and ability to work both independently and collaboratively
• Fluency in English with strong oral and written communication skills; knowledge of Hindi or another Indian language is a plus
• Ability to work under time pressure and solve problems creatively
• Willingness to travel frequently to project sites and conduct fieldwork, including during summer months

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