Senior/Research Associate – Better Bricks

Senior/Research Associate – Better Bricks.

Organization: SARWA/JPAL South Asia

Location: Kolkata, West Bengal, India

Start Date (Earliest): As soon as possible

Education: Bachelor’s/Master’s in social science (Anthropology, political science, economics, sociology, or other related field) with 3–5 years of relevant work experience, preferably with environment/development projects.

Language Requirement: English, Bengali, Hindi

Length of Commitment: Minimum 1 year, with possible extension up to 3 years

Location: Preference for someone who resides in West Bengal (for frequent travel within West Bengal)

About the project:

Better Bricks is a multi-country research and implementation program focused on improving the environmental, economic and social performance of informal brick kilns in South Asia. Led by researchers at Stanford University, the University of Michigan, and UC Berkeley, and, in

partnership with icddr,b, Greentech Knowledge Solutions Pvt. Ltd. and the Bangladesh University of Engineering and Technology, the program has achieved landmark results in Bangladesh—including a randomized controlled trial demonstrating that a no-capital-cost operational intervention called Zigzag 2.0 reduces CO₂ and PM2.5 emissions by 20%, cuts energy use by 26%, and increases kiln owner profitability.

The Indo-Gangetic region is the most heavily polluted in the world and air pollution presents an enormous social and economic cost. Building on our past success, Better Bricks is now expanding to India, where as many as 50,000 brick kilns present an enormous opportunity for

environmental impact. West Bengal is the primary entry point for this expansion, given its close operational similarity to kilns in Bangladesh. Over the next three years, the India workstream will encompass stakeholder and government engagement, a systematic situational assessment of the brick manufacturing landscape, adaptation and piloting of the Zigzag 2.0 intervention in West Bengal and a second state in the Indo-Gangetic region, and the development of a state- specific scale-up roadmap.

About the position:

To support this effort, we are seeking a Senior Research Associate who will support a comprehensive situational assessment of brick manufacturing in West Bengal as a prelude to piloting and a larger scale RCT of the modified Zigzag 2.0 intervention. This assessment will inform our understanding of the local operational, market, and policy landscape, ensuring the intervention is customized for the local context. This position will report to an India-based Senior Project Manager, as well as the remote PI team.

Key responsibilities:

1. Research and data collection

Conduct desk research on brick sector regulation in India with a specific focus on West Bengal’s approach to air quality and brick sector regulation.
Develop and adapt interview guides and survey instruments to support the situational assessment.
In collaboration with the Senior Project Manager, conduct key informant interviews with sector stakeholders including brick owner association leaders, kiln owners, managers and workers, soil sellers, brick purchasers, government officials, and NGOs.
Analyze key informant interview data using appropriate qualitative research methods and draft qualitative findings reports.
In collaboration with the Senior Project Manager, supervise a survey of kiln owners to capture operational practices, market needs, regulatory challenges, and readiness to adopt Zigzag 2.0’s low-cost changes.
Summarize all findings in a final report on the feasibility of efficiency strategies in the West Bengal brick industry.

2. Stakeholder and partner engagement

Develop and maintain a stakeholder map covering government agencies, industry associations, NGOs, and other relevant actors.
Build relationships with local brick kiln owners and brick kiln owners’ associations, including making frequent field visits to brick kilns.
Conduct background research on potential partner institutions who could implement a pilot intervention; assist in developing criteria for selecting and shortlisting partner institutions.
In collaboration with the PI team and Senior Project Manager, engage with key stakeholders in the West Bengal Pollution Control Board, Department of Environment, Land and Land Reforms Department, Department of Labour, and others.
Prepare concise research briefs and presentation materials to communicate program objectives and evidence to external stakeholders.

3. Project management and communication

Maintain a detailed project tracker, breaking deliverables into granular sub-tasks with timelines and effort estimates, monitoring progress against intermediate milestones, and flagging problems early.
Maintain structured communication with the remote PI team and Senior Project Manager, including weekly written updates, meeting agendas and notes, documented action items, and proactive escalation of blockers or dependencies.
Develop and maintain process-monitoring systems that give the PI team clear visibility into the status of all workstreams at any given time.

Desired qualifications:

1. Education and experience

Bachelor’s/Master’s in social science (anthropology, political science, economics, sociology, or other related field).
3–5 years of relevant work experience, preferably with environment or development projects.
Preferred: some experience with or understanding of the brick sector or air pollution policies in India.

2. Research skills

Experience conducting qualitative research, including designing and adapting interview guides, developing interview protocols, and analyzing qualitative data using appropriate methods.
Experience designing and conducting surveys, including designing questionnaires, running pilot exercises, refining instruments, and recruiting, training, and supervising field surveyors to ensure good data quality.
Ability to engage proactively with existing literature and PI-developed materials before drafting research instruments or outputs, minimizing rework and making efficient use of team time.

3. Work style and self-management

Ability to work independently with minimal day-to-day supervision, while remaining a collaborative and communicative team member with remote supervisors.
Demonstrated ability to maintain structured communication with remote supervisors, including written updates, meeting documentation, and proactive escalation of blockers.
Strong planning and organizational skills, including the ability to break complex deliverables into actionable sub-tasks, estimate effort requirements, and monitor progress against intermediate milestones.
Capacity to rapidly build domain expertise in an unfamiliar sector through self-directed learning and proactive engagement with team knowledge.
Comfort managing responsibilities across multiple concurrent workstreams and, potentially, multiple projects.

4. Communication

Excellent written and verbal communication skills in English and Bengali, including the ability to liaise effectively with government officials and local stakeholders.
Proficiency in Hindi is an asset.

Work Authorization

Candidates must have work authorization to work in India.