Soil Scientist

ResponsibleUs; India; On-site; INR 900,000 - 1,400,000; Full time

Job summary

ResponsibleUs is seeking a Soil Scientist in India to translate soil science into scalable solutions for farmers. The role focuses on improving soil health, carbon enhancement, and regenerative practices while generating reliable field-level data for project reporting.

You will assess soil health, design sampling protocols, support AWD in rice systems, and provide practical recommendations based on local conditions. Travel to project sites will be required.

Qualifications

• MSc/PhD in Soil Science, Agronomy, Agricultural Sciences, or related field.
• 3–5 years of field experience in soil science, agronomy, regenerative agriculture, or related fieldwork.
• Strong understanding of soil health, soil fertility, soil organic carbon, nutrient management, and agricultural practices.
• Experience with soil sampling, laboratory analysis, and interpretation of soil test results.
• Willingness to travel to project locations.
• Ability to translate scientific knowledge into simple, practical recommendations for farmers.

Responsibilities

• Assess soil health through soil sampling, testing, interpretation, and field assessments.
• Develop and support implementation of regenerative agriculture and agronomic practices.
• Provide practical agronomic and soil-health advisory to farmers and field teams.
• Support strategies to improve soil organic carbon, soil structure, fertility, water retention, and nutrient-use efficiency.
• Design and implement soil sampling protocols and ensure quality, consistency, and traceability of field data.
• Support AWD implementation in rice systems, including farmer training and irrigation scheduling.
• Collaborate with Data, MRV, Carbon, and Operations teams to ensure data accuracy.

Skills

Soil science

Agronomy

Regenerative agriculture

Field work

Data interpretation

Analytical skills

Travel readiness

Education

MSc/PhD in Soil Science or related

Tools

GIS

Remote sensing

Job description

We are looking for a Soil Scientist who can translate soil science into practical, scalable solutions for farmers. The role will focus on improving soil health, supporting soil carbon enhancement, designing and monitoring regenerative agriculture practices, and generating reliable field-level data.

Key Responsibilities

• Assess soil health throughsoil sampling, testing, interpretation, and field assessments.
• Develop and support implementation ofregenerative agriculture and agronomic practices, including reduced tillage, crop diversification, cover cropping, residue management, organic amendments, balanced nutrient use, and improved crop management.
• Provide practicalagronomic and soil-health advisoryto farmers and field teams based on local soil, crop, and climatic conditions.
• Support strategies to improvesoil organic carbon, soil structure, fertility, water retention, nutrient-use efficiency, and overall soil health.
• Design and implementsoil sampling protocolsand ensure quality, consistency, and traceability of field data.
• SupportAWD implementationin rice systems, including farmer training, irrigation scheduling, field monitoring, water management, and documentation.
• Supportagroforestry and ARR projects, including species selection, plantation planning, nursery management, planting, maintenance, and survival monitoring.
• Analyse soil test results and developcrop- and location-specific nutrient and soil management recommendations.
• Work closely with field teams to ensure agronomic and scientific recommendations arepractically implemented at farm level.
• Monitor the impact of regenerative and agronomic practices onsoil health, crop productivity, water management, and carbon outcomes.
• Conductfield trials, demonstrations, and farmer trainingto promote adoption of improved agricultural practices.
• Support the development ofsoil carbon baselines, monitoring frameworks, sampling plans, and MRV processes.
• Document field observations, crop performance, experiments, farmer feedback, learnings, and recommendations to continuously improve project implementation.
• Collaborate withData, MRV, Carbon, and Operations teamsto ensure field-level soil and agronomic data is accurate, reliable, and usable for project reporting and carbon quantification.
• Contribute to the development ofstandard operating procedures, field protocols, training material, and best-practice guidelinesfor regenerative agriculture implementation.
• Develop Video Modules and Guides for the farmer's education

What We’re Looking For

• M.Sc./PhD in Soil Science, Agronomy, Agricultural Sciences, or a related field.
• 3-5 years of experience in soil science, agronomy, regenerative agriculture, agricultural research, or related field work.
• Strong understanding of soil health, soil fertility, soil organic carbon, nutrient management, and agricultural practices.
• Experience with soil sampling, laboratory analysis, and interpretation of soil test results.
• Good understanding of regenerative agriculture and climate-smart farming practices.
• Comfortable working directly with farmers and field teams.
• Strong analytical, documentation, and problem-solving skills.
• Willingness to travel extensively to project locations.
• Ability to convert scientific knowledge into simple, practical recommendations for farmers.

Good to Have

• Experience working on carbon projects, soil carbon, MRV, or climate-smart agriculture.
• Experience with smallholder farmer programs.
• Exposure to soil carbon modelling, GHG accounting, or carbon standards.
• Research/publication or field trial experience.
• Familiarity with GIS, remote sensing, or agricultural data systems