Senior Programme Officer

India's rapid economic growth is leading to new and increased developmental opportunities and challenges at multiple levels. As one of the largest conservation organisations in the country, WWF-India seeks to leverage these opportunities and address these challenges both through enhancing biodiversity conservation, and reducing humanity's environmental footprint.

WWF-India's sustainable business programme is aimed at working with business and industry in improving environmental and social outcomes. These engagements help corporates (1) understand the impact of their business/ financing and supply chains on critical natural habitats, such as deforestation, extractive, fossil fuel emissions, and (2) find solutions that mitigate business risks and enhance business opportunities that promote positive conservation outcomes, such as sustainable finance, water stewardship, climate innovation, DCF (deforestation and conversion free) supply-chain of deforestation risk soft-commodities, energy transition, renewable energy usage, plastics management, decarbonization of industry. The programme focuses on working around strong levers to materialise transition, such as science-based policy awareness and capacity building, market transformation, and sustainable finance.

WWF India recognises the importance of the circular economy in the promotion of conservation. The circularity, while reducing the impact on virgin resources, also mitigates the footprints, and WWF India is positioned ideally to translate the related science into action. WWF India has initiated a waste circularity project in Coimbatore, that focuses on reducing leaking of plastic waste to the ecosystem. The project will work towards:

• Identifying, quantifying, and addressing the primary sources of waste plastic debris in Coimbatore
  
• Engaging with high-footprint sectors towards finding solutions for reducing plastic waste
  
• Improve plastic waste management (collection, segregation, and processing) systems
  
• Work along with the other sector actors and the community to disseminate knowledge on best practices and source segregation
  
• Work along with the policy maker to improve compliance and bankability of waste collection and segregation projects/ MRFs
  

WWF-India is looking for a dynamic and motivated individual with inherent sensitivity towards conservation of nature, to contribute to our existing work on promoting sustainability with Indian businesses with a focus on ensuring circular economy by managing the flow of plastics, e-waste and textile waste across the entire value chain and eliminating the leakage into the environment.

Location: Coimbatore

The Senior Programme Officer – Circular Economy will provide critical operational, analytical, and coordination support to the Senior Expert and team. The role is ideal for a young professional seeking to build expertise in circular economy and sustainable material flows, working on impactful projects in plastics.

• Developing city-specific IEC plan aligned with national/state-level plastic waste management and circularity policies (e.g., Plastic Waste Management Rules 2016, EPR Guidelines, Swachh Bharat Mission).
  
• Designing campaigns to target key audiences (households, bulk generators, informal sector, schools, etc.) on plastic segregation, reduction, and recycling.
  
• Designing and implementing awareness campaigns on waste segregation and sustainable practices, engaging residents, commercial entities, Panchayats, and BWGs
  
• Preparing annual and quarterly work plans with timelines and expected outcomes.
  
• Leading primary and secondary research to support policy engagement efforts; developing evidence-based technical reports and policy briefs tailored for engaging with government stakeholders and decision-makers.
  
• Developing and executing annual communication and community engagement strategy aligned with project goals and government priorities.
  
• Preparing monthly progress updates, event documentation, case stories, and outcome-based reports for internal and external stakeholders, including government departments and funding partners.
  
• Supporting stakeholder mapping, outreach, and engagement activities with relevant government bodies, urban/rural local bodies, civil society organizations, and community leaders.
  
• Assisting in planning and tracking field activities; monitor deliverables related to communication, capacity building, and policy engagement outcomes.
  
• Coordinating effectively with consultants, vendors, community facilitators, and internal teams for smooth execution of project interventions.
  
• Drafting technical documentation, meeting minutes, policy notes, and presentation decks for high-level stakeholder interactions and review meetings.
  
• Organizing and managing multi-stakeholder workshops, field visits, policy consultations, webinars, and community meetings, ensuring inclusive participation.
  
• Maintaining systematic documentation of all engagements, policy interactions, decisions, and follow-up actions with government and community stakeholders.
  
• Developing and maintaining updated databases related to IEC related project performance metrics like beneficiary outreach, stakeholder engagement, black-spots reduction, and impact reduction on the ecosystem.
  
• Facilitate local research and participatory assessments to capture community insights and inform policy feedback loops.
  
• Provide operational support for project development, implementation, and reporting, ensuring alignment with both government policy frameworks and local community needs.
  

Required Qualifications and Experience

• Bachelor's or Master's degree in Environmental Studies, Urban Planning, Economics, Public Policy, or related disciplines.
  
• 3–5 years of experience in program implementation, research, or fieldwork in the sustainability or development sector.
  
• Experience of working with stakeholders from the Government, industry, think tanks, and end users
  
• Experience in cross-sector collaboration with businesses, government bodies, and informal sector actors
  
• Familiarity with circular economy/waste management topics is preferred.
  
• Detail-oriented and organized, with a solution-oriented mindset.
  
• Strong interpersonal skills and ability to coordinate with multi-level stakeholders.
  
• Prior experience supporting donor reporting or grant administration is a plus.
  
• Familiarity with the key stages in the value chains of multiple waste types
  
• Good analytical, communication, and report-writing skills.
  
• Comfortable using MS Office, spreadsheets, and presentation tools.
  
• Strong written and spoken communication skills in English and Tamil
  

WWF-India is an equal opportunities employer. Applications from qualified women are encouraged.

Remuneration will be competitive with Indian NGO pay scales and will depend upon the candidate's experience levels and the overall WWF-India salary structure. WWF-India does not provide housing, telephone or vehicle facilities.