Senior Analyst, Coal Mine Methane, India
Ember, India

Join Ember's fast-growing, global team as India embarks on its journey towards its net-zero target. This role is essential in supporting Ember’s work on establishing an understanding of methane emissions from coal mining in India and the opportunities for reducing these.

Ember is an independent energy and climate think tank, with a mission to shift the world to Clean Electricity using data. We gather, curate, analyse and use data to advocate policies that help drive down emissions from electricity generation and accelerate transition to clean power.

A significant barrier to India’s transition to clean power is high dependence on fossil fuels for electricity generation, wherein coal is the highest contributor. This means that the coal industry plays a critical role in both the energy and climate challenge. India is currently the fourth largest emitter of methane from coal mining, but these emissions remain unmonitored. Methane is the 2nd biggest contributor to global warming with shorter atmospheric lifetime but stronger potency and warming potential. This Coal Mine Methane (CMM) is set to grow significantly, unless, of course, intervened.

As highlighted by the IPCC and IEA, addressing Coal Mine Methane is also one of the most cost-effective emissions reduction strategies in the short term.

Ember has already made a major international impact in drawing attention to the methane crisis in Australia and the European Union. Please read more about our work here: https://ember-climate.org/topics/coal-mine-methane

Ember sees an opportunity in India to utilise our approach to critical data analysis to evaluate the impact of coal mine methane and reduce the climate impact of the coal sector. With India planning to ramp up coal mining by 2030, there is a crucial window to shine the light on the issue and the opportunities to abate these emissions, especially as technology already exists to do so.

Ember is looking for a passionate Senior Analyst to lead Ember's Coal Mine Methane (CMM) activities in India, with support from our existing CMM team based in Europe, Australia and Indonesia. The successful candidate will have:

- Adequate capacity to research and source national data on methane emissions to support our efforts to reduce emissions in India.

- A deep understanding of climate and energy topics,

- A good sense of the related developments in the country,

- A strong network in government and may also have relationships with international and Indian NGOs

Location

This is a remote post, but you would need to be based in India, ideally in Delhi. Occasional travel within India might also be necessary.

Key responsibilities

• Lead Ember’s research on India’s coal mine methane (CMM) emissions to better understand the challenges and opportunities
• Gather data that can be analysed and used to tell a story of the significance of methane in India’s coal mining sector
• Use data and research to write op-eds and reports that grab attention with the right players
• Collaborate with Ember’s existing team in India and build relationships with research institutes, think tanks and government organisations
• Lead on developing a strategy for how to raise the priority of CMM and how to realise the opportunities in improving the monitoring and capture of CMM.
• Align our CMM work with the wider energy transition in India
• Brief government and NGO contacts on CMM opportunities and lead workshops/ webinars and panel discussion to improve awareness
• Use understanding of the policy landscape to identify opportunities and tipping points where we might shift the narrative and have an impact on CMM

Requirements

Must have

• Ability to research and source coal mining emissions data and curate datasets
• Minimum five (5) years working in relevant Senior research, analyst or policy positions for a climate think tank, NGO, academia or private sector organisation working in India (background in the mining industry also welcomed);
• An effective networker with an established network in India’s energy and coal space
• Knowledge of the coal sector in India and where this fits with climate, energy and environmental politics and experience in developing strategies to influence policy
• Able to work independently and effectively in spoken and written English, such as writing articles and reports without supervision.
• Passionate about reducing global greenhouse gas emissions
• Confident working remotely with a broad range of people, from different countries and timezones.

Nice to have

• Experience of working with anthropogenic methane emissions (coal, oil, gas, agriculture, biogas)
• Experience of developing policy or

Job Rewards and Benefits