About the Practice Programme
The IIHS Practice Programme aims to demonstrate capacity for innovation and change in order to influence and enable urban transformation and translate learning from practice into policy as well as research and teaching-learning material. It provides strategic/ policy advisory, implementation support, and knowledge management services to national and state governments, public, parastatal and municipal agencies, international development agencies, as well as private firms at the interface of human settlements and urbanisation. This work spans a range of areas, including urban governance, water and sanitation, municipal finance, land management, urban infrastructure and services, as well as climate change and risk and resilience.
The Practice team at IIHS is responsible for providing cutting-edge and integrated solutions to India’s urban development challenges by bringing together faculty and experts across diverse domains of knowledge and practice, exposing learners to real life problems and integrating the practice into academics and research.
About Building Small Town Water Resilience (Chikkaballapur District)
This project intends to strengthen the capacity of Urban Local Bodies (ULBs) across six towns (Chikkaballapura, Bagepalli, Gowribidanur, Shidlaghatta, Gudibande, and Chintamani) in Chikkaballapura District, Karnataka, to implement risk-informed planning and investments for resilient water and used water infrastructure. The project will undertake comprehensive water audits, analyse the quality and availability of both freshwater and used water, and assess consumption, conservation, and reuse practices. This data-driven approach will inform the design of systems that can withstand climatic stress and support long-term water security in the region.
The Coalition for Disaster Resilient Infrastructure (CDRI), an initiative launched by the Government of India in 2019 at the United Nations Climate Action Summit, supports IIHS in implementing this project across the six towns in Chikkaballapura District, Karnataka. The District Urban Development Cell (DUDC), Chikkaballapura, serves as the government partner for project implementation.
Job Description
IIHS seeks a skilled and motivated water resilience specialist (infrastructure and development planning) who will be responsible for delivering the project components related to research, data analysis, infrastructure planning, and stakeholder engagement and implementation support of the project.
This will be a contractual position for an initial term of 11 months, renewable on mutual consent. The position will be located out of Bengaluru, with travel as necessary to other locations in the State and India.
Activities and Tasks
Responsibilities would include, but not be limited to, the following:
- Anchoring primary and secondary data collection and analysis (both qualitative and quantitative) for socio-economic assessments and policy evaluations;
- Preparing technical briefs and evidence syntheses;
- Developing and refining water demand forecasts;
- Facilitating household survey preparation, piloting and rollout covering instrument development, monitoring and quality assurance;
- Drafting and refining planning guidelines/ checklists, procurement terms, investment plans etc.;
- Developing and validating a set of performance indicators for benchmarking water and sanitation services;
- Organising and conducting meetings, workshops etc.;
- Liaising and engaging regularly with external stakeholders such as ULBs, government departments and agencies, private players, partners etc., and IIHS teams;
- Developing documentation and content for capacity – building initiatives;
- Assisting in delivery of training programmes and public outreach activities;
- Providing support to other IIHS functions and initiatives, including academics, research, training, practice, operations, and institutional projects, as required;
- Participating in institution-building activities at IIHS, carry out tasks assigned by the Institute, and undertake travel within or outside the country for IIHS-related work, as required.
Structure and Reporting
The specialist will be an External Consultant coordinating with the Project Lead at IIHS and will be required to collaborate effectively with a diverse group of internal teams and external individuals/ organisations, and students.
Person Specification
The ideal candidate should have:
- A Bachelor’s degree in Planning, Social Sciences, Economics etc., or a relevant field a post-graduate degree with 3-8 years of relevant experience;
- Demonstrated track record of working involvement in infrastructure and development planning. Though sectors such as environmental services and sanitation would be preferable, candidates with significant experience in other sectors can also apply;
- Prior experience working with the government and development sector. S/he should also have experience of working in multi-disciplinary teams, interfacing with government (preferably in South Indian states) and possessing good communication, advocacy, people management and coordination skills;
- Proficiency in MS project management;
- Essential proficiency in reading and writing in both Kannada and English.
This is a contractual engagement for an initial term of 11 months, renewable on mutual consent. This offer is on an exclusive basis, which implies that other professional assignments (whether compensated or not) that bear a potential conflict of interest with IIHS cannot be undertaken.
The search will remain open until the position is filled.
Location
This position is based in Bengaluru and may entail travel to other locations in India.
Review and Assessment
The role and performance of the incumbent shall be subject to normal review and assessment systems at IIHS.
Diversity Policy
IIHS is an equal opportunity employer that encourages women, people with disabilities and those from economically and socially excluded communities with the requisite skills and qualifications to apply for positions.
Contact
Please write to us at hr@iihs.co.in if you need any clarifications while filling the online application form.
