Job Description:
About the Organization
Air Pollution Action Group (A-PAG) was set up in 2019 by Ashish Dhawan (Founder and Chairperson, The Convergence Foundation, Ashoka University and Central Square Foundation), Vijay Chadda (previously CEO of Bharti Foundation) and Mohit Beotra (previously Chief Brand Officer of Airtel).
A-PAG is focused on the strategic implementation of solutions to combat air pollution and has created a niche for itself within the broader ecosystem in the last 3 years. During this time, A-PAG has made significant progress in its quest with a focus on supporting the Governments at the national & state level. Some of the major projects include:
State Reforms and Implementation focused on leading A-PAGs efforts in the IndoGangetic states with the overall aim of helping states implement City Action Plans against air pollution. A repository of toolkits, resources, products, etc. that enable various stakeholders to address key issues has also been created.
Policy and Research focused on translating evidence and learnings into relevant policy instruments or implementation toolkits to solve air pollution systematically.
Political salience and advocacy focused on citizen engagement and building engagement with relevant stakeholders at the national and state level to ultimately push for political action against air pollution.
All our support to Government is offered on a pro-bono basis.
Our Work
In 2019, the environment ministry implemented the National Clean Air Programme (NCAP) to meet the prescribed annual average ambient air quality standards at all locations in the country. The NCAP has identified 132 non-attainment cities, which are required to create, submit, and implement Comprehensive City Action Plans to reduce air pollution levels by 20-30% by 2024.
Some of the key initiatives A-PAG is currently engaged with are as follows:
We work with the Punjab Government to reduce stubble burning. In 2020, we created a
mass media campaign aimed at farmers to help address misconceptions. We also placed
Project Management Resources in key districts to assist the district administration in the
efforts to combat stubble burning
In 2019, A-PAG supported hotspot implementation plan in Delhi. A-PAG is now running
a program with Delhi Municipal Corporation to address dispersed sources of pollution
dust and waste burning. A-PAG is also a part of the Green War Room set-up by the
government to monitor air pollution levels in the national capital.
In Bihar and Uttar Pradesh (UP), A-PAG is working closely with the State Pollution
Control Boards (PCBs) to help implement and monitor progress on actions from city
action plans in the non-attainment cities of Patna, Muzaffarpur, Gaya and Lucknow.
Strategy, Planning & Policy team (SPP)
SPP team does primary and secondary research, devices strategies and solutions for actions and identifies pilot projects that can be undertaken in any city by our implementation teams. As part of the research, we study sources of pollution, their causes, policy gaps, current interventions & challenges and propose projects where we can help a ULB to pilot test a solution. During and post completion of such a project, we capture learnings and help scale it up upon becoming successful.
As part of the team, you will work on building evidence around policy reforms that have worked and will work for Indian states, and develop a larger perspective of your own on what it takes to tackle the air pollution crisis in India. You will be closely involved in looking at long term actions from the City Action Plans focused on solving industrial pollution.
About the role
The role is a dynamic opportunity for someone who is passionate about environmental issues and wants to work on key policy reforms to mitigate air pollution. You will work on building evidence around policy reforms that have worked and will work for Indian states, and develop a larger perspective of your own on what it takes to tackle the air pollution crisis in India.
.Key Responsibilities
The critical functions to manage your area successfully will include the following:
- Policy landscape understanding: You should have good knowledge of and will be required to stay abreast of the ever-changing policy landscape, including laws, regulations, and industry standards relevant to air pollution. You should be able to monitor and analyze political, economic, social, and technological trends that might impact policy development and identify policy gaps which need to be addressed at the center or state.
- Research Skills: You will be required to conduct in-depth research on policy issues, market trends, and best practices and utilize research findings to develop evidence-based policies and strategies. You will develop position papers, policy briefs, concept notes and other research documents etc.
- Project Strategy and Design: You will support with the design and planning of pilot projects related to policy development and strategic initiatives while defining pilot goals, objectives, and key performance indicators (KPIs) to facilitate implementation of clean air City Action Plans under NCAP. You will help in developing a roadmap for implementation of the identified reforms and designing interventions that can bring about reduction in air pollution.
- Stakeholder Engagement: You will identify and build relationships with government officials, climate or environment policy experts, researchers, citizen groups, think tanks and other relevant organizations/bodies who have a definitive role to play in shaping strategic policy mandates in the air pollution landscape. You will collaborate with stakeholders to ensure policy alignment and garner support for proposed initiatives.
Eligibility
- A Masters degree in Public Policy, Environment Policy, and the Social Sciences is preferred. A Bachelors degree from a recognized university with a strong record of academic performance is required.
- 1-3 years of work experience in a role with substantial analytical requirements, and/ or policy research with the government or development sector
Skill Sets Required
- Excellent analytical, research, critical thinking and problem-solving skills
- Strong understanding of developing systems, formats and templates for project strategy,ideation and planning
- Great interpersonal skills and ability to interact and understand the needs of internal and external stakeholders
- Strong planning and organizational skills and an ability to set priorities, plan timelines and meet deadlines
- Strong verbal and written communication skills, especially note writing.
- Comfortable working in ambiguous environments; self-starter that can use good judgment and resourcefulness to take action in the absence of clear guidance and articulation
- Comfortable with use of MS Office tools
- Knowledge of statistics, data analysis and data visualization; comfortable using tools such as Excel, Stata, Google charts, Tableau, and others
- Lean six sigma certification preferred.
Location - New Delhi
Compensation - Will be commensurate with the best among social sector norms