Assistant / Field Officer – Sociologist in Bansbari | Wildlife Trust of India (WTI)

Wildlife Trust of India (WTI)

Wildlife Trust of India is a conservation group that protects wild animals and the places they live, working closely with forest departments and local communities. In the Manas landscape of Assam, WTI and its partners have spent years helping the forest and its wildlife recover. The work reaches more than a hundred villages on the forest edge, where families and elephants often come into conflict. WTI helps these villages stay safe, earn a living and rely less on the forest.

Role

As Assistant / Field Officer (Sociologist), you will be WTI's person on the ground for the community side of the project. You will work with villagers to set up and run the committees that look after solar fences and keep people and elephants safe, deliver livelihood work for families on the forest edge, and collect and study the data that shows what is working. You will report to the Project Head, work closely with forest officials and local partners, and represent WTI in the field.

Responsibilities

• Lead the community work of the Assam Haathi Project and Mowgli Street Food, following the project plan.
• Organise meetings with local communities to form Eco Development Committees and Fence Management Committees.
• Meet regularly with committees and Haathi Watchers so villagers keep the solar fences working and human-elephant conflict goes down.
• Run livelihood activities for villages on the forest edge so families depend less on the forest, and track how each activity is doing.
• Design studies, collect and analyse data, and write monthly, quarterly, half-yearly and annual reports.
• Write technical reports and draft articles for scientific journals and the general public, with guidance from your manager.
• Keep field records up to date, including baseline surveys, beneficiary lists, case studies, data sheets and photographs.
• Build good relationships with forest officers, local NGOs, academic institutions and local media in the Bodoland Territorial Council area.
• Update your manager on progress at least twice a week by email or phone, and share photos and updates for donor reports and new proposals.
• Spend project funds as per the approved plan, and submit expenditure statements, muster rolls and original bills by the 5th of each month.
• Share ideas and suggestions during yearly planning and mid-year reviews of the project plan.
• Look after WTI's assets in the field and represent WTI well in the project area.

Requirements

• Background in sociology or a related social science field
• Experience working on community engagement or livelihoods programmes, preferably in conservation or rural development
• Strong data collection, analysis, and report writing skills
• Ability to coordinate with local communities, government officials, and project stakeholders
• Willingness to be based at Bansbari Field Station and Bijni Field Camp with regular field travel
• Good communication skills and familiarity with financial reporting processes

Benefits

• Hands-on work protecting elephants and other wildlife in the Manas landscape.
• Direct work with communities on problems that affect their safety and income.
• Guidance from senior staff on research, report writing and publishing articles.
• A voice in shaping the project's yearly plans.

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