Research and Data Integrity Lead

Research and Data Integrity Lead, RDI

This is a hybrid position which requires 8 days per month in the office. You can be based in our office in WRI Indonesia, Jakarta. Existing work authorization is required at the time of application submission as WRI is unable to sponsor any visa work sponsorship for this position. 

Program Overview

WRI Indonesia’s mission is to become the go-to research organization that supports scientific evidence and informed decision making based on sound and robust scientific methodology. Our research activity is a big part in achieving this goal. WRI Indonesia needs to have a solid research strategy to help in addressing the underlying problems across our programs:

Food, Land, and Water

• Transforming Supply Chains and Livelihoods: Our mission is to drive the adoption of sustainable palm oil production practices at the national, regional, and global levels. We collaborate closely with government bodies, smallholders, and agriculture businesses, including palm oil, to ensure sustainable livelihoods and secure land tenure.

• Strengthening Forest and Peat Monitoring: We aim to enhance the monitoring capabilities of stakeholders, focusing on forests, peatlands, and landscapes. By leveraging scientific advancements, we aim to support forest management and conservation efforts effectively. We are dedicated to combating illegal forest logging and advocating for thorough reviews of palm oil business licenses.

• Innovating Financing for Nature-based Solutions: Our commitment lies in financing nature-based solutions (NbS) projects. Through strategic investments and partnerships, we strive to find the most effective financing mechanisms and tools that ensure the long-term sustainability of NbS programs.

• Advancing Sustainable Food Systems: Our primary objective is to expedite the transformation of food and land use systems. We actively support the reform agenda for food systems, fostering positive outcomes for the environment, health, inclusive development, and food security. We aim to align these systems with globally agreed upon sustainable development, climate, and biodiversity goals.

Climate

• We are dedicated to advancing transformative solutions for climate change mitigation and adaptation by assisting the Indonesian government in exceeding its climate commitments and successfully transitioning to low carbon development. We engage with businesses and civil societies at local, national, and international levels to drive transformative solutions that combat climate change and enable communities to adapt to its impacts.

Energy

• We accelerate the transition towards a clean energy future through innovative solutions in clean energy governance and transparent market mechanisms that prioritize inclusivity and fairness. In addition, we convene stakeholders from national and sub-national governments, business sectors, and civil society to collaborate and achieve our shared goals.

Cities

• We provide technical assistance to policymakers and urban planners, empowering them to fortify the resilience of urban residents against climate change impacts and reduce road fatalities.

Ocean

• Our focus lies in supporting the government of Indonesia to reduce 70% of marine plastic debris by 2025. Additionally, we strive to mainstream blue carbon in Indonesia’s New Ocean Economy, promoting the importance of these ecosystems for sustainable development.

As the bedrock in our organization, the Research, Data, and Innovation unit needs to:

Support the programmatic research activities especially by advising on research methods, strategies, and knowledge product development; Position WRI Indonesia as a nurturing institution where young talents –especially recent graduates and/or post-grad students—can advance their research skills and field experience; Support programs to generate and Integrate Data in WRI Indonesia – from the programs and their activities, WRI Indonesia will be able to extract data coming from past and current research activities, and make these data accessible to various stakeholders for decision-making on environmental issues; Strengthen WRI Indonesia’s profile as an independent national research institution and learning center on sustainable development.

Job Highlight

The Research and Data Integrity Lead will report directly to Research and Data Integrity Manager at WRI Indonesia, also to work in close coordination with project managers/leads to help close the loop between problem definition, research design, evidence building, and country and program strategies. It is expected that the position holder will use their scientific expertise to enhance the effectiveness of the science in meeting organization’s programmatic research goals. WRI-Indonesia’s research is intended to promote innovative solutions to key environmental problems in Indonesia, with a key focus on analyses that transform business-as-usual into good practices of data-driven decision making to improve environmental outcomes.

This position will be based in Jakarta with office-flex working arrangement and to do travel as necessary. In support of WRI's Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI) commitment, you are responsible for actively participating in these collaborative efforts by integrating equity into your work, our workplace, and the organizational culture.

What You Will Do

Research management and development (40% of time)

• Collaborate with the RDI manager to ensure that all WRI Indonesia-branded knowledge products meet WRI’s Standards of Excellence and are designed to deliver actionable results.

• Collaborate with the RDI manager to oversee the peer and user review process for WRI Indonesia-branded publications.

• Review WRI Indonesia publications and use expert judgement to ensure alignment with WRI’s research Standards of Excellence.

• In consultation with RDI Manager in providing constructive feedback to authors on research design, research methods, writing, the provision of robust evidence, data generation, and making recommendations that are fit for key audiences—including policymakers, businesses, multilateral development organizations—and ensuring coherence with other research and publications at WRI.

• Assist research staff in identifying internal and external experts who can provide objective, relevant reviews of drafts.

• Ensure research teams comply with WRI’s Human Subject Protection (HSP) and safeguarding protocols.

Mentoring and capacity building (30% of time)

• Collaborate with the RDI manager to guide program staff on how to produce high-quality research work, including research design, data interpretation, analytical issues, and effective writing.

• Provide mentoring and support staff to strengthen WRI Indonesia’s ability to produce high-quality, actionable research, and increase the output of knowledge products.

• Oversee and develop research capacity at the Program Clusters and Regional Offices, ensuring alignment with organizational goals and research standard

• Identify skill gaps and provide Research, Data and Innovation training programs to enhance staff skills and build technical expertise across teams.

• Organize a regular series of early-stage research seminars to provide early feedback, foster cross-program collaboration, and promote a culture of openness to feedback.

• Support the increase of quality and quantity of knowledge products in Bahasa Indonesia to achieve a wider readership in Indonesia, including working with WRI Indonesia Research Advisory Board for review and improvement.

Data and project Management (10% of time)

• Contribute to development of research plans, project proposals, terms of reference and concept notes to support RDI activities or fundraising efforts.

• Design and implement WRI research roundtables, seminars, workshops, conferences, or other convening events with key stakeholders.  

• Participate in recruitment process of research-focused staff.

• Be able to take on assignments that require a fair amount of travel in Indonesia or abroad to support teams doing field research, and to attend conferences and annual RDI retreats.

Research culture and knowledge sharing (20% of time)

• Support the RDI Manager to develop annual workplan and to create an organizational-wide strong culture of research excellence across WRI Indonesia.

• Foster a strong culture of excellence in scientific research across the organization, communicate WRI research and analysis with external audiences, represent WRI at conferences, workshops and other events.

• Ensure all program staff understand the connection between research and outcomes, integrating research as key component of strategies for sustainable outcomes.

• Foster a learning culture where constructive criticism and candor are highly valued, and staff feel empowered to speak up and discuss failures.

• Collaborate with the RDI manager to organize regular meetings and check-ins among lead researchers and junior analysts, in FLW, CECO and/or regional programs.

• Collaborate and coordinate with staff across WRI Indonesia’s programs, as well as WRI Global, and external partners to advance the interest of research activities of WRI Indonesia.

What You Will Need

• Master's degree (Ph.D. preferred) in a discipline related to environmental science and technology, environmental engineering, environmental economics and finance, climate science, forestry science, geography or related fields with strong statistics and quantitative methodological skills (fluent in both quantitative and qualitative methods as well as environmental modelling is a plus).

• Minimum 5 years of experience in conducting policy-oriented research related to environment and/or development

• Multi years of experience in overseeing and developing junior researchers' capacity;

• Proven track record of conducting and overseeing research that translates into policy and practice;

• Experience of mixed methods and cross disciplinary/interdisciplinary approaches;

• Track record of producing and overseeing high-quality research and publications;

• Strategic thinking, strong planning and managerial skills;

• Demonstrated knowledge of specific research methods, quantitative or qualitative, and ability to communicate those methods clearly to diverse colleagues;

• Sound judgment and the ability to uphold high quality standards. Strong sense of skepticism and the ability to diagnose and articulate weaknesses in research;

• Demonstrated ability to mentor staff and give constructive feedback and clearly explain the reasoning behind decisions;

• Strong interpersonal skills and ability to work in a fast-paced environment in a collegial fashion as part of a small, collaborative team;

• International experience strongly preferred;

• Natural curiosity and interest in keeping current with the latest science and policies relevant to WRI Indonesia’s work;

• Professional proficient in oral and written Bahasa Indonesia and English skills;

• Patience and persistence and willingness to stand up for quality under pressure;

• Cross-disciplinary portfolio with experience of working with the entire spectrum of stakeholders-government, corporate, NGO, primary stakeholders etc;

• Strong team player with ability to work across institutional departments/programs;

• Flexibility and willingness to explore unfamiliar issues

• Legally able to work in Indonesia.

Contract Arrangement

Full-time with fixed-term employment agreement up to 31 December 2026 with possibility of extension subject to individual performance evaluation, project needs, and budget availability.

How to Apply:

• Please submit a resume with a cover letter by 31 May 2026. You must apply through the WRI Careers portal to be considered. We may close for applications sooner if we receive a high volume of applications from qualified candidates.

• Must have authorization to work in Indonesia to be eligible for this position.

• Final candidates might be required to take a certain test and/or to produce/share writing samples when needed.

• This is a locally engaged position, Indonesian nationals are encouraged to apply.

What we offer:

• Salary that is commensurate with experience and skills

• Competitive and comprehensive benefit package

• Access to the WRI global network with the opportunity to exchange with and learn from passionate colleagues working at the cutting edge of their fields.

• A workplace that strives to put diversity and inclusion at the heart of our work

• The opportunity to join and get involved in different working groups and affinity groups to shape the future of WRI

• Commitment to hybrid working model with flexible working hours

About Us:

World Resources Institute works to improve people’s lives, protect and restore nature and stabilize the climate. As an independent research organization, we leverage our data, expertise and global reach to influence policy and catalyze change across systems like food, land and water; energy; and cities. Our 2,000+ staff work on the ground in more than a dozen focus countries and with partners in over 50 nations.

Our mission and values:

WRI’s mission is to move human society to live in ways that protect Earth’s environment and its capacity to provide for the needs and aspirations of current and future generations.

Our values are shared ideals that bind us together: Independence, Integrity, Impact, Partnership, and Care.

Our culture:

WRI is committed to advancing gender and social equity for human well-being in our mission including equal opportunities in employment. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, ethnicity, religion, sex, national origin, age, caste, marital status, sexual orientation, gender identity and expression, disability, or protected Veteran status.

Our Human Resources Team carefully reviews all applications.

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