Senior Program Research Specialist – Finance

WRI India is seeking a Senior Program Research Specialist – Finance to enhance sustainable food and land systems in India. The role involves developing innovative financing solutions for food loss reduction, building a restoration economy, and advancing blended finance mechanisms. Collaboration with various teams and external partners is essential to drive impactful financial strategies that support local communities and sustainable practices. The position is based in New Delhi, India.
About Us
WRI India, an independent knowledge organisation registered as India Resources Trust, provides objective information and practical proposals to foster environmentally sound and socially equitable development. Through research, analysis, and recommendations, WRI India puts ideas into action to build transformative solutions to protect the earth, promote livelihoods, and enhance human well-being. Know more: wri-india.org


Program Overview For Food, Land And Water WRI India’s Food, Land and Water program supports India’s shift toward more sustainable and climate-resilient food and land systems. The program focuses on practical, nature-based approaches such as restoring landscapes and promoting sustainable farming practices that can reduce climate risks, create jobs and livelihoods, and improve nutrition security.


To support long-term change, the program also works on reducing food loss and food waste through fair and inclusive strategies that strengthen circular food systems and lower environmental impacts.


Taking a systems-wide approach, we work with governments, businesses, civil society organizations, and farmer producer organizations to develop land-use strategies grounded in evidence and data. Our work helps strengthen the resilience of local communities, address capacity gaps, track progress, and support a restoration economy that benefits people, nature, and the climate.


For more details, refer to the webpage - Food, Land & Water | WRI India


Job Highlight Finance is critical to accelerating progress on global goals for people, nature, and climate by mobilizing diverse funding sources, aligning efforts, and enabling systems to work more effectively together. Achieving impact in areas such as landscape restoration, sustainable agriculture, and food loss and waste reduction requires innovative and inclusive financing approaches that support local communities, smallholder farmers, and small businesses while strengthening value chains and accelerating systems change.


There is an urgent need to unlock greater public, private, philanthropic, and commercial capital to innovate and scale technologies, local infrastructure, community-based enterprises, business models, and programs that drive food system transformation. At the same time, financing instruments must be fit for purpose, grounded in practical realities, and designed to strengthen investment readiness so the sector can effectively absorb and deploy capital. For example, current public, private, and philanthropic investment in reducing food loss and waste does not match the scale of the challenge or the ambition of SDG 12.3.


Strengthening risk-mitigation mechanisms, including blended finance and insurance solutions, will be essential to mobilize greater private investment.


You will work closely with teams across WRI India’s Food, Land and Water (FLW) program, international offices, and external partners to advance work at the intersection of finance, policy, and markets. You will contribute to developing innovative financing solutions for reducing food loss and waste, building India’s restoration economy, advancing blended finance and insurance mechanisms for risk mitigation, and enabling financing pathways for sustainable food systems. You will also support research and knowledge generation, strategic partnerships, technical advisory engagements, and program development across FLW priorities.


What Will You Do
You will play a key role in leading research, coordinating and driving action on FLFW through research, knowledge sharing, and implementation support.



Develop and advance the program’s finance strategy for sustainable agriculture, food loss and waste reduction, and landscape restoration, including building relationships with banks, NBFCs, DFIs, MDBs, and other financial institutions.
Develop financial models, financing frameworks, and clear reports or presentations that explain their approach, outcomes, and implications.
Support partner organizations in designing finance strategies and building sustainable, scalable business models.
Conduct research on financing trends and opportunities in sustainable agriculture, food loss and waste reduction, and landscape restoration.
Produce reports, case studies, and policy briefs that highlight the importance of effective financing in addressing key food and land system challenges.
Serve as the focal point for finance-related coordination across FLW teams, including facilitating knowledge exchange and collaboration.
Co-develop and support discussions on finance through roundtables, webinars, and other stakeholder convenings focused on food systems transformation.
Develop and implement work plans and processes to support effective project delivery.
Support internal capacity buildin