Urban Development Professional – 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 skilled and motivated urban development professional to support the design and delivery of impactful training and knowledge initiatives. This role focuses on strengthening institutional and community capacities across key urban sectors such as Water, Sanitation and Hygiene (WASH), climate resilience, housing, mobility, and digital governance. The consultant will contribute to structured learning programmes, applied research, and stakeholder engagement with municipalities and urban stakeholders. The ideal candidate will have strong sectoral expertise, practical experience in urban development projects, and demonstrated strengths in facilitation, proposal development, and partnership building.

Activities and Tasks

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

• Exploring new partnerships: Initiating discussions with potential partners about capacity-building programmes for their employees and officers in the urban sector;
• Designing and delivering high-impact capacity building programmes on urban development for a diverse set of stakeholders, including government agencies, urban bodies, NGOs, and community-based organisations at the national, state, and international levels;
• Leading and supporting the development of training curricula, toolkits, and learning materials tailored to specific institutional and community contexts;
• Facilitating field-based and experiential learning, including exposure visits, participatory planning exercises, and hands-on sessions;
• Collaborating with internal teams and external experts to mainstream cross-cutting themes such as gender, inclusion, digital innovation, and sustainability;
• Undertaking programme planning, monitoring and evaluation, reporting, and documentation;
• Conducting thematic research, case study compilation, and contributing to the development of publications and knowledge products;
• Engaging with government agencies, capacity building institutions, foundations, think tanks and development partners to foster collaboration and scale outreach;
• Supporting in the preparation, review, and submission of proposals for multilateral/ bilateral organisations and donor-funded programmes in the capacity development space;
• Managing teams effectively and nurturing the skills of individuals to grow further in their career;
• 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 Consultant – Capacity Development will report to 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 Environmental Engineering, Civil Engineering, Urban Planning, Environmental Science, Public Health, Climate Studies, Development Studies, or a related discipline, with a strong grounding in urban thematic areas such as water supply, sanitation, housing, mobility, climate resilience, digital and urban governance;
• 8–10 years of relevant experience in capacity development, training delivery, or programme implementation within urban development projects;
• In-depth understanding of urban thematic frameworks, climate resilience strategies, and inclusive, community-based approaches;
• Prior experience working with Project Management Units, State or City-level Mission Management Cells (SMMCs, CMMCs), which will be an added advantage;
• Demonstrated experience in proposal writing, review, and submission for donor-funded or multilateral/ bilateral projects;
• Strong facilitation, communication, and writing skills in English and at least one regional Indian language;
• Proven ability to manage multiple priorities, work independently, and coordinate with diverse teams.
• Knowledge and hands-on experience with software tools relevant to urban thematic areas, such as GIS, MIS dashboards, digital planning platforms, or data collection applications, will be an added advantage;

Desirable Attributes:

• Knowledge of adult learning methodologies and participatory training approaches;
• Experience in developing IEC materials, multimedia training tools, and digital learning content;
• Exposure to both urban development contexts and public service delivery systems;
• Willingness to travel extensively within India for training delivery, stakeholder engagement, and field-based research.

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.