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 the ComPASS (Composting Partnership for Advancing Soil Sustainability) project
The IIHS Practice Programme collaborates with the Chitradurga City Municipal Council (CMC) to demonstrate a composting partnership that focuses on improving source segregation and building partnerships with farmers. Through this initiative, farmers gain access to organic compost made from segregated urban wet waste at no significant additional cost, leading to improved soil health at the farm level. The project also delivers environmental benefits by reducing the use of chemical fertilisers and lowering methane emissions from landfills, while enabling residents to access improved waste management services.
Key components include:
- Awareness campaigns to promote segregation of waste at source;
- A direct link between urban wet waste streams and local agricultural needs;
- Advisory support to the CMC on waste management efforts.
Job Description
IIHS seeks a capable and motivated farmer coordinator who will be part of the proposed project and will be responsible for contributing to the implementation of the ComPASS project in Chitradurga. The core responsibility of this role will be to act as the primary link between farmers and the project management team thereby coordinating with farmers and overseeing composting operations at composting sites. The incumbent will support governance, strategic and operational planning, the management of resources (people, physical and financial), the development and delivery of the project outcomes.
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:
- Identifying 150 volunteer farmers from villages located around Chitradurga;
- Curating a list of farmers interested in composting and anchoring waste delivery to farmers;
- Supervising the excavation of composting pits and covering them with green nets;
- Coordinating with the waste collection team to ensure that segregated waste is delivered to farmers;
- Collecting samples of waste, soil, water, and leachate for quality control and testing;
- Training farmers on organic composting from waste, and preparing documentation on farmer lists and training activities conducted;;
- Preparing daily reports on waste delivery and the composting process;
- Being part of awareness sessions and campaigns with the team;
- 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 travelling on IIHS work within or outside the country as and when needed.
Structure and Reporting
The liaison will be an External Consultant coordinating with the Senior Associate — Practice at IIHS and will be required to collaborate effectively with a diverse group of internal teams and external individuals/organizations, and students.
Person Specification
The ideal candidate should have:
- A Bachelor’s/ Master’s degree in Agriculture, Waste Management, Environmental Sciences, Engineering, etc., a relevant field;
- 2 to 5 years of experience, ideally in the agriculture, rural, or the development sector;
- Strong experience in project management;
- Strong oral communication, writing, analytical, and numerical skills;
- Knowledge of file management, transcription and other administrative procedures;
- Proficiency in MS Office;
- 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 Chitradurga 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.
