Sustainable Futures Collaborative
The Sustainable Futures Collaborative (SFC) is an independent and non-profit research organisation that
• Analyses issues at the frontier of addressing climate change, managing the energy transition, and limiting environmental threats in India and globally;
• Informs policymakers, stakeholders and the public about key policy and governance levers, and their implications; and
• Accelerates the transition to an environmentally and socially sustainable future by enabling strategic action for systemic change.
Work Description
The role of a Fellow is to identify, develop and implement new areas of research and engagement.
This includes identifying areas of national strategic importance in the area of climate adaptation, developing a potentially impactful research and policy engagement strategy, putting in place the funding and team to execute the vision, and building networks with peer research organisations, governments and the media in the process.
This is a leadership position within SFC and will require a substantial amount of time devoted to organisation building, including to coordination meetings and managing key organisational functions.
SFC is a young and exciting organisation and these are crucial years in its development – this position is expected to play a role in that process.
The candidate will also have to bring a distinct research identity and vision to this role in order to expand the scope the Adaptation and Resilience area of work. This could include expertise in areas like water, agriculture, disaster management etc. SFC’s current work in this area focuses on resilience to heatwaves and building governance structures for adaptation. This work will likely continue to develop, and candidates are encouraged to engage with and co-develop this space.
The role demands a level of comfort putting out peer-reviewed work in top journals, writing policy briefs that speak to live issues, and writing public-facing pieces such as op-eds.
This position admits a range of methodological approaches but it must be rooted in the social sciences.
Work Culture
SFC operates through collaborative decision-making and has a flat hierarchy. Potentially successful candidates would therefore have to demonstrate the ability to work in such an environment. This includes playing an active role in furthering our team culture goals, encouraging the prospects of our talented younger colleagues, and being open to (and indeed encouraging) feedback from colleagues.
We have structured this organisation to ensure independent research and privilege rigorous research and high-quality outputs above other considerations. We also care deeply about equity, both in the workplace and in our research outputs. A successful candidate will likely have the same core emphases.
Key Responsibilities
• Develop new areas of work and continue to develop existing areas of work in the manner described above with a view to improving India’s resilience to climate impacts.
• Build relationships with partners in governments, the media and peer organisations in India and globally.
• Be able to manage a team and assist colleagues in their career development.
• Develop a pipeline of high impact and high quality academic and policy work in tandem.
• Engage in team-building and manage key organizational functions.
Qualifications and work experience
• Applicants must have a Ph.D. in a relevant social science discipline or applied sciences with demonstrable policy engagement and public impact. MA/MS candidates will only be considered if the candidate brings a history of impact or high-quality work in the policy space and have considerable policy experience.
• Two to four years of work experience with demonstrated interest in adaptation and resilience policy and/or research is desirable.
• At least two publications in globally recognised refereed journals (highly desirable).
• Other evidence of being able to write and think creatively.
• History of working in or encouraging a flat organisational structure is preferable.
• Evidence of working with or enjoying a highly interdisciplinary environments with over a dozen disciplines in the workspace.
• Ability to develop the intellectual identity of the organisation.
We are looking for exceptional candidates and will consider applications that meet that bar even if they do not meet some of these requirements. In such cases, we might offer an Associate Fellow or Senior Research Associate position.
Remuneration
• Salary commensurate to experience and designation, in line with development sector standards.
Application Instructions
Applications should include:
• A cover letter explaining your suitability for the position
• A brief research statement (not more than 2-pages) that describes your potential research emphasis.
o We would like this to be written in a closely-argued and evidenced manner that demonstrates independent thinking on a key public policy issue in adaptation and resilience.
o It should demonstrate an ability to use credible sources and cutting-edge research in developing arguments.
o It should demonstrate the ability to use methodological tools, and think systematically in general, in solving the problem laid out.
• A CV
• Two publications that demonstrate your ability to satisfy the requirements of this position
Applications will be reviewed on a rolling basis until the position is filled.
