Back Air Quality Senior Research Lead

Program Overview

WRI’s air quality program is a global initiative that seeks to identify, build awareness of, and eliminate the root causes of air pollution that damages climate, human, and ecosystem health. The program has three main areas of work: (i) engagement with city stakeholders to use participatory science to diagnose and develop targeted, cost-effective clean air solutions to protect human health and climate, (ii) working with the science community to convert innovative methods into tools and products that communities and policymakers can use to better manage their impact on the atmosphere, and (iii) working with national governments and business networks to design and implement broader regional-to-global air quality governance. It is a part of the WRI Ross Center on Sustainable Cities, with additional oversight from the Data Lab and engagement with Climate, Governance, Energy, and other programs at WRI. The team is global, with senior experts distributed across WRI’s network of international offices.

About the WRI Ross Center for Sustainable Cities

The decisions that national leaders, local officials, developers, and planners make today will determine how billions of people in urban centers will thrive over the next century. Already, half the global population resides in cities. That figure is set to increase to 70 percent by 2050.

Traditional models of city development can lock us into congestion, sprawl, and inefficient resource use. However, compact, connected, and efficient growth can help ensure more competitive cities, and provide a better quality of life for citizens. WRI Ross Center for Sustainable Cities (WRI Ross Center) works to ensure cities drive economic opportunity while sustaining natural resources. We use technical expertise, cutting-edge research, and on-the-ground partnerships to design solutions that enable sustainable city growth.

Our analysis and tools allow cities to effectively manage their natural resources and reduce their greenhouse gas emissions. Working across our network, we develop and support the implementation of research-based solutions in sustainable mobility, urban development, as well as urban efficiency & climate that reduce pollution, improve health, and create safe, accessible public spaces for all people to thrive.

WRI Ross Center builds on WRI’s global and local experience in urban planning and mobility and uses proven solutions and action-oriented tools to increase building and energy efficiency, manage water risk, encourage effective governance and make the fast-growing urban environment more resilient to new challenges. Aiming to influence 200 cities with unique research and tools, WRI Ross Center focuses on a deep cross-sector approach in selected megacities on two continents, and targeted assistance to additional 50 urban areas, bringing economic, environmental and social benefits to people in cities around the globe.

Clean Air Catalyst

WRI Indonesia air quality program is growing along with the new USAID-funded program called “Clean Air Catalyst ” , which will be implemented by a global consortium that WRI is leading with EDF and other partners. The consortium includes six additional partners: Clean Air Toolbox for Cities (Columbia University), Climate and Clean Air Coalition, Internews Network, MAP-AQ, OpenAQ, and Vital Strategies. The program will work in three pilot regions with WRI international offices and local partners to test and refine a three-part data to action methodology for improving air quality and delivering climate co-benefits. We plan to work with local partners in three pilot regions – one of which is Jakarta, Indonesia – to test and refine a three-part data to action methodology for improving air quality and delivering climate co-benefits.

This partnership brings together diverse local stakeholders to address key information gaps, build confidence in air pollution information, and to advance and institutionalize lasting solutions. It is currently being piloted in three cities across the globe: Jakarta (Indonesia), Indore (India), and Nairobi (Kenya).

The Clean Air Catalyst data-to-action approach is unique in combining three key innovations: source awareness, root cause analyses and solutions co-design and cross cutting objectives, health, climate and gender equity to deliver comprehensive integrated air quality management plans.

In Jakarta, CAC is installing three new continuous ambient air quality monitoring stations in West, East and North Jakarta to improve data collection on the main sources and drivers of Jakarta’s air pollution. These sites were selected due to their proximity to priority air polluting sectors and to the vulnerable communities that are suffering the worst impacts to their health and livelihoods. The CAC Jakarta team is also supporting the Jakarta Provincial Government Environment Agency to design an air quality data platform and conduct technical training that will allow them to integrate available monitoring data into a better tool for forecasting and insights into Jakarta’s air pollution that can be shared with the public.

Southeast Asia (SEA) Air Quality Community of Practice

SEA Air Quality Community of Practice is part of Air Quality Program at the WRI Ross Center for Sustainable Cities. It is coordinated by WRI Mexico in collaboration with WRI Africa and is the first pilot in Latin America with an intersection with a project in Africa. The objective is to disseminate, share and promote best practices for the generation and use of data and tools for air quality management and climate change mitigation through a specialized community of practice through a series of technical seminars (Tech talks). This community is addressed to technical teams, government authorities from cities in Latin America and Africa, and specialists interested in the topics. As context, in 2020 and 2021, the CityAQ project was piloted to provide participating cities with station-level, bias-adjusted air quality forecasts to anticipate air quality events, communicate with stakeholders and more effectively manage local interventions. The new phase of this project funded by Clean Air Fund and UNEP science is called CanAIRy Alert aiming to include air quality data from low cost sensor networks to produce bias corrected station level forecast for 4 cities in Africa (Nairobi, Kampala, Kigali and Accra). The launch of the SeA AQ CoP was done through the Climate and Air Conference in Bangkok on June 2023. A series of webinar on selected topic on air quality and an hybrid AQ instrument (in cooperation with CAC) workshop was done by the SeA AQ CoP in Jakarta.

The outcomes of this initiative consist of: (1) strengthened knowledge, technical capacity, and a network for air quality experts, practitioners, and stakeholders in the context of air quality awareness, monitoring, modeling, and management in the three focused countries within Southeast Asia; (2) cross-border sharing of experience on air quality management and (3) guidance on the use of already available and successfully implemented tools for enhanced action on clean air solutions by stakeholders. This initiative include Indonesia, Malaysia, and the Philippines as the main beneficiaries at the country level, while the secondary beneficiaries include other Southeast Asia countries, for example, Thailand, Laos, and Vietnam.

Job Highlight

Air Quality Senior Research Lead is responsible to lead and expand the air quality portfolio in the country and region, ensuring excellent delivery quality of the portfolio research work, act as an anchor for WRI’s air quality research, technical support on air quality management, and engagement in Indonesia and Southeast Asia.

This role will lead and oversee the implementation of air quality-related projects in Indonesia, namely: (1) The USAID-funded “Clean Air Catalyst” program that WRI is leading with EDF and other partners and (2) the Southeast Asia Air Quality Management of Practice - a regional project to strengthen stakeholders through establishing a Community of Practice in Southeast Asia, and implement experience sharing to address capacity gaps in the region.

In implementing these programs, this role will be expected to provide science-based advices to the stakeholders, hence an advanced scientific understanding on air quality is mandatory.

This position will be based in Jakarta with office-flex working arrangement. Reporting to the Project Manager for Air Quality, the position holder expected to be working independently in building and manage work collaboration with the relevant team in global air quality team and other external key stakeholders.

What You Will Do

1. Research/Scientific leadership (80%)
   • Lead the research design, provide scientific direction, and coordinate the execution of scientific analysis to ensure that the identified priority pollution sources under CAC will continue to be be applied in other AQ projects
   • Coordinate with the CAC Principal Investigator and science global team on the formulation of air quality research methodologies and its advanced analyses;
   • Execute and supervise strategic air quality research and scientific work of the national stakeholders;
   • Lead the study of pollutant root cause analysis and engagement with stakeholders involved in pollution-producing sectors, supported by WRI teams and local sectoral partners.
   • Coordinate with Air Quality Project Manager on the capacity building and provide technical assistance to the state and non-state actors in both national/regional level;
   • Act as a key topic content lead for air quality and other urban proposals and research development work to build and strengthen WRI air quality scientific portfolio in the country & region;
   • Coordinate content curation, survey development and analysis, and capacity building support in SEA AQ CoP as well as leading the interaction with One Atmosphere global team.
   • Prepare and present oral and written reports of findings to related stakeholders;
   • Publicly representing the WRI in national/regional/global events.
     1. Project Management & Stakeholder engagement (20%)
        • Leading small but high impact teams and owning content and day-to-day interaction;
        • Contribute to the scientific section of the project report; identifying, building and managing robust working relationships with local scientific, community, policy, private sector, and other partners to collaborate with in developing the air quality program.
        • Liaise and work closely with the global air quality team and beyond to develop and implement the regional strategy for assisting project of air quality improvement, building awareness of air quality sources, catalyzing momentum for reducing health and climate-damaging emissions, and supporting policy, business, and community leaders in implementing effective clean air solutions
        • Lead role in presenting key findings to stakeholders’ C-level executives;
        • Act as a key topic content lead for air quality-including but not limited to content curation and capacity building support to Southeast Asia Air Quality Community of Practice
        • In coordination with WRI Indonesia Air Quality Project Manager, involve in Air Quality and other urban proposals and research development work to build and strengthen WRI air quality scientific portfolio in the country & region;
        • Support the Project Manager for Air Quality in developing robust project proposal for new funding opportunities by providing high-quality research component.

          What You Will Need

          Education: Master’s degree in environmental science, chemistry, engineering, sustainable development, or other relevant disciplines relevant for AQM or pollution management. PhD degree is preferred.

          Skills and Experiences:

          • Minimum 5 years of experience in AQM and/or other relevant environmental management subjects, including the preparation and/or environmental management plans, capacity assessment, research, and institutional strengthening, public consultation plans, or other related project environmental plans/ studies;
          • Deep experience and clear expertise alignment on AQM especially in middle income countries and urban landscape;
          • Strong understanding of the key aspects of air quality and pollution including analyses of pollution sources, air quality monitoring technologies, how health impacts from air pollution concentrations are being estimated, how cost-effective abatement options are being determined, and some understanding of how AQM models are being applied;
          • Comprehensive understanding of environmental policies, strategies, institutions, and regulations and ability to input into the design and implementation of policy reforms for pollution control;
          • Strong organizational, coordination and project management skills, including experience in managing complex and time-sensitive donor reporting requirements;
          • Ability to define research questions and select a research approach that matches, with limited manager guindance.
          • Ability to lead literature reviews, collect, evaluate, and synthesize the evidence.
          • Ability to ensure the data collection, clearning and analysis process is transparently documented, reproducible, and accessible to team members and reviewers.
          • Experience in being part of a research team team, conduct fieldwork, design and coordinate meetings and/or focus group discussions with relevant stakeholders or resource persons.
          • Experience in writing and reviewing research papers and other technical and scientific publications related to qir quality topic. Evidence in publishing research articles in prestigious and well-known scientific journals would be an advantage.
          • Understanding of project management and associated best practices
          • Ability to work creatively and analytically in a problem-solving environment;
          • Demonstrated flexibility and creativity in conveying complex science, building empathy, and winning the trust of donors and non-expert audiences in compelling ways;
          • A solid track record of building strong relationships with diverse stakeholders, as well as identifying opportunities to deepen those relationships and grow the portfolio.
          • Demonstrated ability to collaborate across organizations, practice areas, disciplines;
          • Excellent oral and written communications skills in Bahasa and English along with strong interpersonal skills. Good organizational skills, with strong experience in organizing and facilitating meetings and writing reports.