Associate Scientist Solar Energy and Climate Resilience Research

The International Rice Research Institute is seeking an Associate Scientist for the Solar Energy and Climate Resilience Research project in Bangladesh. This role involves leading water resilience initiatives, conducting field research, and collaborating with stakeholders including local communities and government agencies. The position requires expertise in climate change adaptation and water management, and responsibilities include designing research methodologies, monitoring project activities, and facilitating stakeholder communication.
The SDC (Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation ) SoLAR Phase 2 is a multi-year, multi-country project titled Solar Irrigation for Agriculture Resilience (SoLAR) being implemented in four countries – Bangladesh, India, Ethiopia, and Kenya. The project aims to contribute to climate-resilient, gender, and socially inclusive agrarian livelihoods in these four countries by supporting their governments' efforts to promote solar irrigation. The project works closely with government partners to achieve its objective.

The Associate Scientist will play a key role as Country lead, Bangladesh, for the SDC SoLAR Phase 2 project implemented by IWMI, contributing to water resilience initiatives in Bangladesh. This position involves close collaboration with project stakeholders, including local communities, government agencies, policymakers, and technical partners, for conducting field research, facilitating partner engagement, and ensuring smooth execution of project activities on the ground.

Working in close coordination with the Regional Researcher, the Country Representative, Bangladesh, and the research team, this position will also support other ongoing project activities and build a project portfolio in Bangladesh. The incumbent needs to be familiar with the climate change and policy landscape related to water-energy-food in South Asia. Have advanced knowledge of conducting scoping reviews, qualitative and quantitative research on climate change adaptation, mitigation, water management, water security, and policies.

Working with the SoLAR project leadership as well as with other IWMI/CGIAR colleagues and national and international partners, the Associate Scientist will be part of a multi-national and multidisciplinary team that is contributing towards water security, building resilience, and mitigating environmental impacts in South Asia’s agri-food systems.

This position is contingent upon the receipt of donor funding.

Responsibilities:
• Design and implement field-based research methodologies to assess solar project activities feasibility, community needs, and socio-economic impacts.
• Provide research support to other on-going/new water management related projects in Bangladesh.
• Facilitate regular communication with stakeholders to ensure alignment and coordination including organization consultations, national forums, meetings etc.
• Oversee the implementation of project activities in target locations, ensuring adherence to timelines and quality standards.
• Monitor field operations to assess progress, identify challenges, and propose solutions.
• Support activities related to communications and knowledge mobilization for the project including documentation of best practices, lessons learned, and success stories for knowledge sharing.
• Assist in the tracking and monitoring of project proposals, budgets, and implementation plans.
• Provide technical and logistical support for project events, field visits, and capacity-building initiatives.
• Ensure compliance with organizational and donor policies, including environmental and social safeguards
• Build and maintain effective relationships with project partners, including local government bodies, NGOs, private sector entities, and technical experts.
• Represent the project in stakeholder meetings, workshops, and public forums.
• Coordinate with local communities and stakeholders to ensure inclusive participation and support for project interventions.
• Collect, analyze, and interpret quantitative and qualitative data from field studies to support policy decision making and preparation of journal manuscripts
• Prepare detailed research reports and presentations summarizing key findings.
• Downloading and analyzing data on agro-food systems (e.g., cropping pattern, crop production, land use, irrigation, poverty, nutrition, human development indicators) from secondary sources such as Census, National Surveys etc.
• Designing survey instruments and protocols; program survey data collection; training enumerators and coordinate with agencies.
• Maintain data repository in prescribed formats by the organization.
• Prepare periodic progress reports for internal and external stakeholders, highlighting achievements, challenges, and recommendations.
• Provide support in project documentation as required by the organizational and donor guidelines.
• Provide technical input to project teams to develop communications material.
• Perform any other duties as assigned by the supervisor from time to time

Qualifications:
• Master’s degree in Renewable Energy, Environmental Science, Engineering, Water Resources, Social Sciences, or a related field coupled with a minimum of 5 years’ experience or
• PhD degree in Renewable Energy, Environmental Science, Engineering, Water Resources, Social Sciences, or a related field with 3 years’ experience

Skills Required:

Mandatory:
• Work experience in research, project implementation, or a related role, preferably in Solar, renewable energy, water management, or rural development projects
• Proven track record in partner liaison and stakeholder engagement with government and private sector partners in Bangladesh
• Experience in field-based research and data collection, particularly working with research organizations in South Asia.
• Experience using statistical and/or qualitative software packages (e.g., STATA/R and/or Atlas Ti, NVivo)
• Strong understanding of solar energy systems, applications, and policies.
• Good understanding of water management-related aspects
• Excellent research, analytical, and report-writing skills
• Strong interpersonal skills for working with diverse stakeholders
• Ability to work independently and collaboratively in challenging field conditions
• Strong understanding of the development sector and key issues such as poverty alleviation, gender equity, and sustainability
• Willingness and ability to travel across South Asia and internationally, including to rural areas to for community and stakeholder interaction

Source: https://www.irri.org/talentlink/details.html?id=Q7LFK026203F3VBQB79QWQWAS&nPostingID=1989&nPostingTargetID=3601&mask=irriext&lg=EN