Senior Program Associate - IRP

Note: This opportunity is available across Mumbai, and New Delhi

About us

WRI India, an independent knowledge organization registered as India Resources Trust, provides objective information and practical proposals to foster environmentally sound and socially equitable development.

Through research, analysis, and recommendations, WRI India puts ideas into action to build transformative solutions to protect the earth, promote livelihoods, and enhance human well-being. Know more: wri-india.org

Program Overview for Energy

The objective of the WRI India energy program is to inform and guide India’s transition to cleaner energy through strong research, ground-level implementation experience, partnerships with key stakeholders and communicating our work. The 5 pillars of the energy program focus on increasing clean energy demand, increasing clean energy supply, supporting sub-national energy transitions, raising the issues of materials and circularity for the energy transition and ensuring equitable development through energy transitions.

About IRP:

Under this initiative we work with states on Integrated Resource Planning (IRP) and to support the translation of state energy-transition priorities into implementable plans, infrastructure requirements and investment pathways. By helping states identify the system interventions needed to meet changing demand and integrate clean energy, the work strengthens their capacity to implement reliable and modern electricity infrastructure and supports the long-term transition towards cleaner energy supply for communities.

Job Highlight:

We are looking for a Senior Program Associate - IRP to support and co-lead WRI India’s state-level Integrated Resource Planning (IRP) work. The role will focus on modelling and simulation, scenario development, and translating analytical findings into insights that can inform electricity sector policy and regulatory decision-making.

The position will also drive project execution and stakeholder engagement, working closely with state electricity utilities, regulators, renewable energy agencies, partners, and other stakeholders. In addition, the role will contribute to capacity-building initiatives on resource adequacy and IRP, develop knowledge products and research outputs, and facilitate training sessions for relevant institutions and stakeholders.

The ideal candidate will bring strong analytical and research capabilities, an understanding of power sector policy and regulatory processes, and the ability to translate complex analysis into actionable insights and effective stakeholder engagement.
 

What you will do:

• Support and co-lead the state-specific IRP work of WRI India, including overseeing the modelling and simulation, designing of scenarios and interpretation of results to draw insights that can help inform regulatory and policy decision-making at the state level, etc.
• Manage the IRP work in terms of timely project execution and ensuring completion of all deliverables.
• Communicate with various stakeholders, especially with the state electricity utilities, regulators, RE nodal agencies, donors, partners, and other state-level agencies, for effective collaboration to ensure a comprehensive IRP process.
• Support and co-lead the effort of developing course content for capacity building on resource adequacy and IRP-related processes in collaboration with partner organisations.
• Be proactive in understanding the relevant policy and regulatory processes at the state and national levels, as well as in researching and pitching ideas.
• Conduct capacity-building sessions at various research and training institutes to present the developed course material to various stakeholders.
• Participate in research projects to produce knowledge products, reports, articles and communication products.

What you will need:

Knowledge & Skills  

• A keen interest in policy and regulatory research and strong analytical skills, supported by professional experience, preferably in the power sector. Contributions to technical papers or research reports will be a plus.
• Excellent project management skills with an ability to track, monitor and ensure compliance with timelines, milestones and due completion of project deliverables.
• Good understanding of the basic institutional framework of the Indian electricity sector with an ability to analyse, interpret and summarise relevant policy, legal and regulatory documents.
• Exposure to or familiarity with power sector modelling tools and software (e.g., PLEXOS, GridPath, PSS®E) is desirable, and a willingness to learn new tools and modelling techniques relevant to the work is crucial.
• Excellent communication skills in presenting/sharing WRI’s research findings – both orally and through op-eds, blogs, and research publications – with a wide set of stakeholders.
• Strong ability to brainstorm and think creatively about all elements of the project in diverse group settings, especially when collaborating with partners and external agencies. 
• A willingness to travel and an ability to work flexibly and cooperatively with all team members to achieve the project goals are essential.

Qualifications and Requirements we seek:

• Bachelor’s/Master’s degree in Engineering, Economics, Public Policy, Law or a related discipline.
• Minimum 5-7 years of relevant experience in electricity sector policy and regulatory analysis. Exposure to open-source energy models would be a plus.
• Fluency in English and Hindi. Any other regional language fluency will be a plus.

Potential Salary and Benefits: INR 14,00,000 to 17,50,000 Per Annum

Salary shall be commensurate with experience, skills and internal parity. WRI India offers a generous and comprehensive benefits package.
 

Duration: 1 year as a term hire (extendable based on performance and project requirements)

Location: Preferably Mumbai or Delhi

Start date: As soon as possible

List of Documents to be attached:

• Cover Letter

• Resume

Only shortlisted applicants will be contacted for interview purpose.

How to Apply

Qualified applicants should apply online at www.wri.org/careers. All applications must be submitted online through this career portal in order to be formally considered. Only select applicants will be contacted for interview. There will be a writing test conducted with final candidates. Please do not contact program staff directly for this position.

Kindly note that WRI India’s recruitment process does not involve any payment at any stage. Applicants will never be asked to share bank account or financial information as part of the application. All official communication and offer letters are issued only through authorised WRI India email IDs.

Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) @WRI India

WRI India values and promotes diversity, equity and inclusion across all areas of our work and workforce. Integrating these values into our actions fosters a progressive and collaborative culture and can also enhance our impact. It is our responsibility to create a welcoming working environment for people of diverse cultures, backgrounds and experience to learn together. We are responsible for fostering a safe and inclusive workplace where questions, concerns and information about diversity, equity and inclusion are part of our ongoing dialogue and development.

Learn more about WRI India’s commitment to Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI). Click Here

People-centric to the core:

We keep our people at the center of everything we do - from a welcoming work environment to benefits and a culture that encourages staff to stay healthy, happy, engaged, and growing.

Some of the non-monetary benefits that our staff get:

Health benefits: We cover health insurance for you and your loved ones for up to INR 8 lakhs

Term Insurance: Our term insurance policy covers life coverage of 50 lakhs per staff member

Employee Assistance program: Promoting mental well-being and supporting staff in achieving a satisfying work-life balance

Health & Nutrition: Personalized diet recommendation from a certified dietitian based on the physical health condition and lifestyle

Flexible work schedule: Alternative work arrangements for all who are eligible by nature of their job

Learning culture: Workshops and trainings to empower staff, encourage new learning opportunities

Rest and Recharge weeks: We encourage staff to take time off to rest, rejuvenate, upskill, and pursue their interests.

Our leave policy: Avail personal time off at 36 per year, along with public holidays, maternity, paternity, and adoption leaves.

Equal employment @WRI India

We believe in equal employment, it is our policy to recruit and provide opportunities for advancement in all job classifications without regard to caste, religion, sex, age, marital status, sexual orientation, parental status, or disability.