NRDC India Looking For Director of Programs at Delhi, Full Time

NRDC India Private Limited is an independent organization based in New Delhi founded to build a healthier and more prosperous future for all Indians.

To attain a healthier and more prosperous future, NRDC India and its partners work with governments and stakeholders at all levels to deliver transformative solutions across the organization’s focus areas. The approach is to collaborate on pilot projects that offer the potential for tangible environmental and public health benefits. NRDC India has a strong proof of concept to bring solutions to scale at the state level – with the goal of informing national policies and unlocking the public investments needed to implement them.

NRDC India also partners alongside Natural Resources Defense Council (“NRDC”) in the United States, a non-profit environmental advocacy organization. NRDC was founded in 1970 and their people helped write some of America’s bedrock environmental laws, including the Clean Water Act and many of the implementing regulations. NRDC uses law, science, and the support of 3.1 million members and online activists to protect the planet’s wildlife and wild places and to ensure the rights of all people to clean air, clean water, and healthy communities. In India for over 10 years now, NRDC has been a thought leader and trusted adviser to the partners within the country to tackle climate change and implement energy solution. Since 2009, the India Initiative has combined scientific research and policy acumen to produce game-changing results.

Areas of Work

NRDC India advises and provides solutions to organizations that are seeking to advance national and global climate goals through community-based solutions that prioritize public health and equity, create jobs, and boost resiliency. The advisory work falls within five interconnected focus areas.

• Climate Resilience and Health: NRDC India has expertise on city-led programs to build resilience to extreme heat and implement clean air policies in alignment with the government’s objectives.
• Cooling and Energy Efficiency: NRDC India advises and provides solutions to organizations seeking to advance affordable and climate friendly cooling for all. Their work focuses on passive cooling solutions such as cool roofs and better building design as well as optimizing refrigerant transitions in cooling equipment and strengthening appliance efficiency.
• Renewable Energy Growth and Access: NRDC India has expertise on how to advance clean energy policies, in alignment with the government’s objectives, assess jobs and skill requirements, develop financial solutions, and enhance village energy access, which improves livelihoods for the most vulnerable and strengthens climate action.
• Clean Transportation: NRDC India advises organizations seeking to advance electric mobility in India’s cities as well as villages by focusing on charging infrastructure, utility participation, and rural-electric mobility solutions.

The Position

NRDC India is looking to create impact for a better future, and they’re looking for an equally ambitious and skilled Director of Programs in Delhi to help them get there. Reporting directly to the Country Director, the Director of Programs will be responsible for assisting the Country Director in creating and driving strategy and execution of projects for NRDC India through its primary bodies of work in climate resilience and health, renewable energy growth and access, cooling and energy efficiency, and climate goals and global engagement. To advance NRDC India’s strategy, the Director of Programs will also effectively manage programmatic bodies or work and growing the team in Delhi. This role will also require a significant amount of collaboration and thought partnership with NRDC teams based in the United States, Canada, and elsewhere, to help deliver on institutional goals.

The Director of Programs will be externally and internally focused, representing NRDC India at various external events as well as internal forums. The Director of Programs may also be called to proxy for the Country Director in various settings, representing NRDC India with government, industry, and civil society partners.

The Director of Programs will be an empowering and collaborative individual who enables high performance and innovation and champions equity, diversity, and inclusion. The successful candidate will be flexible, thrive in collaboration, embrace solving complex and nuanced problems, and be recognized within the environmental movement as a strategic leader who communicated effectively to tell compelling stories to diverse audiences. Most importantly, the individual will demonstrate a genuine alignment with the values of NRDC India and seek to apply your passion and skills to tackle the most important challenges humanity has ever faced.

Key Job Responsibilities

• Collaborating with the Country Director and program leads to setting strategic goals in alignment with organizational priorities, developing key performance indicators and work plans to achieve outcomes, and setting high performance expectations.
• Lead the NRDC India program team, including strategic planning, people management, career development and administration. This includes leading the team in designing and implementing work to advance national and global climate goals within the NRDC India’s focus areas.
• Serve as the strategic advisor to the Country Director and an expert within NRDC India’s bodies of work and across NRDC. Providing, as needed, expert level guidance on projects, initiatives, and individual-level projects.
• Collaborate across teams within NRDC India and NRDC teams in the United States, Canada, and elsewhere to ensure all initiatives are integrated and in support of strategic priorities. Close coordination with programmatic work with the NRDC India team, Capacities, and other sectoral teams in the United States is required to ensure alignment across all work.
• Responsible for management of the program’s budget, including forecasting and resource allocation to maximize opportunities and outcomes.
• Work with the communications staff to develop effective external communication strategies and formulate opportunities to increase NRDC India’s visibility.
• Cultivate and manage strategic relationships and partnerships with external stakeholders such as government, partners, civil society, and the media to maximize impact and achieve major outcomes.

Education & Qualifications

• Minimum of 15 years’ directly related experience relating to renewable energy, energy efficiency, climate resilience, transportation, climate policy and/or other climate and environment issues.
• Advanced degree in a related field, or equivalent combination of education and experience.
• At least 5 years’ experience successfully managing teams toward a common vision and purpose.
• At least 5 years’ experience working internationally or collaborating with international teams preferred.

Must Haves

• Commitment to NRDC India’s mission and values.
• Demonstrable alignment and deep commitment to NRDC India’s mission and purpose with an ability to communicate this passion to others with a positive and high-energy attitude, integrity, and a commitment to working collaboratively with peers and colleagues.
• Forward-looking and strategic thinker with a multidisciplinary approach to problem solving.
• Proven ability to manage teams, develop and execute large-scale projects and strategic goals, and manage relationships in a complex and matrixed organizational structure.
• Experience successfully managing budgets, including prioritizing and reallocating funds to make the best use of limited resources for strategic purposes.
• Experience in and deep commitment to incorporating and growing the use of justice, equity, diversity, and inclusion principles in strategic goals, work plans, team culture, and operations.
• Exceptional communication skills, with the ability to connect with a variety of audiences in writing, orally, and through digital means.
• Experience with public speaking on technical and non-technical topics
• Experience working with industry, academia, NGOs, and/or government officials on issues relating to renewable energy, energy efficiency, climate resilience, transportation, climate policy and/or other climate and environment issues.
• A willingness to travel domestically and internationally to advance organizational goals.

Interested Candidates: Please send your latest curriculum vitae, three references and a covering letter explaining your interest, suitability, and fitment with NRDC India at progdirector2023@gmail.com.