About the job

About ICIMOD

The Hindu Kush Himalaya (HKH) region stretches 3,500km across Asia, spanning eight countries – Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, China, India, Myanmar, Nepal, and Pakistan. Encompassing high-altitude mountain ranges, mid-hills, and plains, the zone is vital for the food, water, and energy security of over two billion people and is a habitat for countless irreplaceable species. It is also acutely fragile – and frontline to the impacts of the triple planetary crisis of climate change, pollution, and biodiversity loss.

The International Centre for Integrated Mountain Development (ICIMOD), based in Kathmandu, Nepal, is an international organisation established in 1983, that is working to make this critical region greener, more inclusive and climate resilient. For more information, read our Strategy 2030 and explore our website. 

ICIMOD brought the South Asian Network for Development and Environmental Economics (SANDEE) into its portfolio a few years ago, and now SANDEE constitutes one of ICIMOD’s strongest and largest networks. SANDEE is a research capacity and academic leadership development programme. SANDEE aims to effectively support ICIMOD’s work by contributing to and strengthening the economic and policy analysis elements across our three Strategic Groups. Aligning and integrating SANDEE’s research grants, capacity-building events, and outputs to better support ICIMOD’s workstreams and results is also a key objective moving forward.

Position Overview 

The Environmental Economist position involves developing and managing the strategy and process for SANDEE research grants to align with ICIMOD’s research areas, providing technical support for joint research projects and ongoing studies, and coordinating biannual research grant competitions. It includes managing and supporting training programmes such as the annual summer school in environmental economics, developing new teaching programs, and identifying capacity development needs in the HKH region and South Asia. The role also encompasses supporting SANDEE’s publications and dissemination efforts, including developing policy briefs and guiding web-based dissemination, and managing SANDEE’s activities, budgets, and donor communications. Additionally, it requires participating in relevant global, regional, and country forums and meetings.

Responsibilities 

The Environmental Economist will be responsible for delivering results that are in line with our commitments in our Strategy 2030: Moving Mountains and our Medium-Term Action Plan V (2023–2026): Embracing Change and Accelerating Impact. 

The key responsibilities include the following: 

1. Research Coordination

• Develop a strategy on how to identify and prioritise topics for SANDEE research grants jointly with the Programme Coordinator-SANDEE, Strategic Group Leads, and Action Area Coordinators before/during ICIMOD’s annual planning processes to ensure SANDEE research grants align with ICIMOD areas of research.
• Coordinate and manage SANDEE’s research grant-making process, including planning the biannual research grants competition and guidelines, preliminary review and screening of research applications, communicating with reviewers and writing reviews and letters to proposal presenters to ensure workshop planning and tasks are undertaken, deliverables from researchers, reviewers, and advisors are received, and research progresses smoothly.
• Provide technical support to the Programme Coordinator- SANDEE in managing joint research projects that SANDEE collaborates on with other Action Areas within ICIMOD.
• Support the development of a strategy to utilise SANDEE network resources for supporting economic analysis and policy issues across ICIMOD.
• Provide technical assistance to ongoing research studies, facilitate research input from resource persons to advisees, and regularly follow up on ongoing research on technical issues.
• Support the writing of concepts/proposals for multi-country collaborative projects.

2. Training and Institutional Support

• Manage the annual environmental economics workshop, such as the SANDEE Summer School in Environmental Economics, and additional courses each year under the guidance of the Programme Coordinator- SANDEE and AAE Coordinator for Regional Cooperation.
• Provide technical support for developing new teaching programs in environmental economics and related issues in the region. This may require technical input related to workshop curriculum, design, and teaching of specific modules, development of classroom assignments, and identification and discussions with other faculty.
• Identify emerging environmental and resource economics research and capacity development needs in specific countries of the HKH region and South Asia.
• Lead planning, hiring resource persons/teaching faculty/consultants, and implementing any country-specific capacity development programs.

3. Publications and Dissemination

• Provide technical support for SANDEE’s publications, including developing policy briefs and other reports/manuscripts/articles in consultation with Programme Coordinator- SANDEE and ICIMOD experts/scientists for publication in peer-reviewed journals.
• Support grantees in organizing dissemination and policy dialogue workshops meant to communicate research results to policymakers.
• Guide web-based dissemination of knowledge products and publications.
• Publish SANDEE-based and independent work where possible in collaboration with ICIMOD experts/scientists.

4. Management

• Provide support and inputs into ICIMOD’s annual and quarterly planning, monitoring, and reporting processes, including compiling evidence of progress against results targets and uploading such evidence to the ICIMOD Results Dashboard.
• Support the SANDEE Steering Committee, including setting meetings, developing agendas, and taking minutes.
• Manage and implement SANDEE’s research, training, institutional support, and dissemination activities.
• Be responsible for tracking expenditures against budgets, ensuring minimum variance from the agreed annual budget, and being fully accountable within the framework of ICIMOD’s policies and procedures.
• Lead the preparation of technical terms of reference for consultants, technical agreements, and/or grant letters and communications with SANDEE’s donors.
• Participate in global, regional, and country fora and meetings related to SANDEE and Environmental Economics as required.

Person Specification/Competencies ESSENTIAL

• A PhD in Economics with a minimum of 5 years of research and teaching experience in environmental economics. 
• Excellent communication skills in English, proven technical/policy writing ability, and research and publication experience in environmental economics.
• Excellent working knowledge of statistical software such as STATA and/or R.
• Evidence of research experience backed by the publication of research articles in highly ranked journals.
• Evidence of teaching experience in statistics, econometrics, microeconomics, and environmental economics.
• Excellent networking ability and strong interpersonal skills.
• Willingness to travel frequently within and outside of the region.

DESIRABLE

• Familiarity with economic and environmental issues and the institutions involved in such work in South Asia and the Hindu Kush Himalaya Region would be useful.
• An interest in regional networking activities.

Reporting and supervising

The Environmental Economist will report to the Programme Coordinator- SANDEE and work closely with the SANDEE team, Action Area E Coordinator and other relevant team members in Strategic Group 3 and other Strategic Groups and Action Areas. 

Location

You will be working in a cross-cultural, impact-oriented environment at ICIMOD’s head office in Kathmandu, Nepal. Frequent travel in the HKH region will be required. Kathmandu is a lively and exciting place to live. People are friendly, living costs are comparatively inexpensive, food is delicious (with a range of local and international cuisines), and there are good local and international schools and a low crime rate. Nepal offers amazing trekking trails, white water rafting, and safaris, combined with a rich culture and charming yet lively nightlife. 

Duration 

The initial appointment will be until December 2026 with a probation period of six months. There is a possibility of extension subject to performance and ICIMOD’s future funding levels.

Remuneration

This is an international position at ICIMOD. The starting annual gross salary for this position is USD 39,724 (negotiable based on experience and qualifications). Gross salary comprises of basic salary, provident fund, family/post adjustment allowance, and child/dependency allowances. Salaries and benefits at ICIMOD are competitive compared with other international organisations. We offer a comprehensive benefits package which includes insurances (medical, life and accidental), children’s education grant for maximum 2 children below 18 years of age, severance pay, paid leave (30 holidays and 10 public holidays per year) and day care facility.

For expatriates, there is a tax exemption in Nepal; they are responsible for their home country’s tax payments. Expatriate staff are entitled to housing allowance, annual home leave ticket, shipment of personal effects, and an installation and repatriation allowance.

Method of application 

Applicants must apply online through ICIMOD Vacancy Application Portal. 

Only shortlisted candidates will be notified.