Research Assistant (WASH & Climate/ Public Policy/ Finance) – Capacity Development Programme

About the Capacity Development Programme

IIHS Capacity Development is an education and capacity building programme for urban practitioners spanning disciplines and levels in public, private, academic and civil society sectors. IIHS believes that a city’s transformation rests largely on the collective endeavours of practitioners who confront challenges through an informed, reflexive and creative manner. Through a portfolio of customised and open enrolment capacity development programmes and projects, the Capacity Development team offers institutions and practitioners new frameworks of knowledge, backed by a cohesive package of skills. Our portfolio spans sectors, disciplines and scales of practice and seeks to intervene at three levels:

• Strategic perspectives and orientation of the practitioner to urban challenges;
• Knowledge frameworks employed to appraise such challenges;
• Execution skills to tackle them effectively and sustainably.

Job Description

We are seeking a highly motivated and detail-oriented research assistant to support research and analytical work across the domains of Water, Sanitation and Hygiene (WASH), climate resilience, public policy, and development finance. This role involves primary and secondary research, policy analysis, data management, and preparation of high-quality outputs to inform programme strategies, policy briefs, and knowledge dissemination.

This will be a contractual position for an initial term of 11 months, renewable on mutual consent.

Activities and Tasks

Responsibilities would include, but not be limited to, the following:

• Conducting literature reviews, policy analysis, and secondary research on WASH, climate resilience, public policy, and development finance;
• Collecting, cleaning, and analysis of primary and secondary data, including spatial, environmental, and demographic datasets;
• Assisting in writing technical reports, research papers, briefing notes, and case studies;
• Supporting the development of knowledge products such as articles, presentations, and infographics;
• Documenting field studies, stakeholder consultations, and project processes in coordination with team members;
• Maintaining databases and supporting data visualization using tools such as Excel, Power BI, or GIS platforms;
• Tracking relevant national and international policies, frameworks, and practices in WASH, climate resilience, public policy, and development finance;
• Providing support to other IIHS activities including academics, research, training, practice, operations and others;
• Participating in all activities of Institution-Building at IIHS; carrying out tasks as assigned by IIHS; and traveling on IIHS work within or outside the country as and when needed.

Structure and Reporting

The research assistant will be an External Consultant coordinating with the Senior Lead – Capacity Development 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 postgraduate degree in Public Policy, Development Studies, Environmental Studies, Economics, Finance, Rural/Urban Studies, Climate studies or a related field;

• 1–3 years of relevant experience in research and analysis in the areas of WASH, climate resilience, public policy, and/ or development finance;

• Strong analytical skills and familiarity with qualitative and quantitative research methods;

• Excellent writing and documentation skills in English; proficiency in a regional language is a plus;

• Proficiency in MS Office; experience with data analysis tools (e.g., Excel, SPSS, R) and mapping software (e.g., QGIS, ArcGIS) is desirable;

• The ability to manage tasks independently and meet deadlines in a dynamic, team-based environment;

Desirable Attributes:

• Experience in field data collection or working with environmental datasets;
• An understanding of water and sanitation systems in urban and rural contexts;
• Interest in climate adaptation, sustainability, and public policy;
• The willingness to travel for short-term research or documentation assignments, if needed.

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.