Senior. Research Associate – Sustainable Buildings and Habitat Programme

CSE is looking for a Senior. Research Associate to work towards enabling climate resilience and resource efficiency in the built environment. Focus of the work will be on self-built housing with cross-cutting research on heat resilient urban design and planning for infrastructure and thermally efficient buildings.

CSE is carrying out deep-dive research in the states of West Bengal, Odisha, Karnataka and others with the respective state nodal agencies inthe housing sector. The aim of this work is to build heat resilience in cities through promotion of wind flow with better layouts, planning for green and blue spaces, reducing waste heat by better public transportation, resource-efficient cooling and thermally efficient buildings by use of cool materials and passive building design. Other than research, the work requires advocacy, outreach and capacity building of the relevant public institutions as well as the built environment community to enhance master plans, zoning and building codes for heat-resilient cities.

Candidates with a comprehensive understanding of the housing and construction sector with knowledge on city cooling strategies will be preferred. Skills pertaining to remote sensing and geo-spatial mapping will have an advantage.The selected candidate will be a part of Sustainable Buildings and Habitat Programme, which aims at reducing the resource footprint of the new development and improving the quality of our built habitat.This includes ensuring the new and existing built environmentis climate-appropriate, resilient, inclusive and resource efficient.

Work Profile

• Data collection and interpretation from accredited organizations.
• Evaluating data and synthesizing analysis in ongoing reports to prepare advocacy agenda.
• Contribution in the programme’s written papers and reports.
• Designing and producing specific training modules, field exercises, etc.
• Capacity building of public institutions and varied professional groups.
• Hand holding and liaisoning with individuals and organizations.
• Promote and maintain a high level of ethical professional conduct in all work-related situations. 

Competencies

Essential

• Sound understanding of city cooling strategies and their integration with land use planning, zoning and building codes.
• Skills to conduct environmental and socio-spatial analyses and proficiency with spatial mapping tools such as GIS.
• Sound understanding / research experience onurban heat island effect and its mitigation.
• Knowledge on sustainable construction practices and building materials. 

Desirable 

• Familiarity with city heat action plans, cool roof programmes among other cooling efforts in India.
• Familiarity with passive architecture and other passive techniques such as water sensitive urban design and planning.
• Familiarity with codes related to energy conservation and building simulation software. 

Qualification and Experience

• A Master’s degree in Urban Planning / Environment Planning / Architecture / Engineering.
• 3 to 4 years of experience in non-profit / academia / consulting sector in the field of urban planning, construction, environmental sustainability and / or energy efficiency. 

Given details above are flexible if the candidate is able to demonstrate a deep interest and capability in working on the issues of sustainability in buildings and habitat. 

Essential Soft Skills 

• Fluency in written and spoken English
• Ability to perform under pressure
• Ready and willing to travel as and when required
• Good interpersonal skills
• Ability to be self-organized about their work
• Discipline to work independently with little or remote supervision 

Salary will be commensurate with qualifications and experience.  

Location: New Delhi 

Application deadline: December 13th, 2021. 

How to apply: 

To apply for the above position, please visit >http://jobs.cseindia.org and choose ‘SRA - SBHP’.