Salary: INR 40-44 lakh pro rata, per annum 

Hours: 37.5 hours per week (5 days a week) excluding lunch breaks 

Contract: This is a permanent contract. The notice period is three months in writing on either side. There is a probationary period of six months. 

Location:  India. This is a remote role with in-person team working at least four weeks a year or as needed for priority internal and external meetings. Candidates must have a valid right to work in India. 

Benefits: various opportunities for flexible working, generous time off policies, and other sector-competitive benefits. 

Are you passionate about helping India’s energy sector move faster and more fairly, towards a renewable future? Do you have deep industry or business experience in energy, and know what drives decisions inside companies, how partnerships get built and how deals get done? Are you as comfortable shaping a portfolio and winning new income as you are leading a team and sitting across the table from senior leaders in industry, government and civil society? Do you want to bring that experience to an international team that is helping to shape the future of energy? If so, this is a unique opportunity for you. 

About Forum for the Future 

Forum for the Future is one of the world’s leading international sustainability organisations. We work alongside businesses, philanthropies, government, civil society and others as part of change-making collaborations set on creating a just and regenerative future. We bring a 30-year track record in influencing change on the issues that matter most, helping organisations step up their ambition and find practical pathways that tackle the root causes of our current crises.    

We focus on influencing three pivotal transitions: to renewable energy, to a sustainable food system, and in the purpose of business. Our collaborations are largely either one-to-one or coalition-based, bringing together influential organisations to tackle shared challenges. We work out of four regions: the Americas, UK/Europe, India and Southeast Asia. We operate a global team, delivering both international and local projects. 

About the team 

We are a multicultural team of 63 people, working out of the UK/Europe, Americas, India and Southeast Asia.  

This post, Lead – Energy Transition, India, reports to the Managing Director of Forum India and will line manage at least one team member directly, along with other colleagues as needed. You will work as a co-leader of our international Safe and Just Renewable Energy Collective, with colleagues in the USA, UK, Europe and Southeast Asia, and will collaborate closely with our Development team on income generation and partnerships. 

About the role 

The energy transition is one of Forum’s key strategic priorities, and India is central to it. As Lead – Energy Transition, you will shape, grow and direct a portfolio of programmes and projects that help India’s energy systems and the organisations within them to transform. You will also bring your specialist energy expertise to Forum’s work internationally. 

This is a role for someone who knows the Indian energy sector from the inside. You will use your understanding of how the sector works, from the policies and technologies to the business models, incentives and relationships that drive action, to design programmes that deliver results. Our work focuses on three areas: more sustainable ways to produce and deploy renewable energy, a sustainable path for the critical minerals value chain, and helping the energy sector navigate uncertainty from trends such as AI and growing conflict. 

Whilst impact is the focus of the role, income generation is also core. You will set the income plan for the India energy programme, build and maintain a healthy pipeline, and lead concept development, proposals and pitches. You will look after relationships with funders and partners, and hold senior relationships across industry, government and civil society. 

You will direct three to four programmes or projects at a time, making sure each has a sound budget, timeline, team and risk plan and delivers against its aims. You will lead and develop your team, and manage the affiliates and third parties who support delivery. 

You will also be a visible voice for Forum on the energy transition domestically and internationally, at conferences, on panels and webinars, and in articles and blogs. You will make sure what we learn from our work feeds into Forum’s wider strategy and plans. 

The role is based in India, with occasional domestic and international travel. 

 About you 

To succeed in this role you will have: 

• an expert understanding of the energy system in India: the actors, technologies, policies and politics, value chains and economics, and the forces shaping how it is changing, on both the production and consumption sides 

• an expert understanding of business and corporate leadership on energy sustainability, including business models, approaches to ESG and CSR in the energy sector, what motivates action within industry, and the existing initiatives that set norms and good practice 

• a deep knowledge of safe and just renewables and transition pathways, and a sound understanding of the range of actors, perspectives and requirements across India’s energy system 

• business development and fundraising skills: creating new opportunities, selling, writing proposals and tenders, pitching, negotiating and making deals 

• excellent relationship-building, influencing and networking skills, particularly in industry, and comfort and experience working with the private sector and funders 

• experience of managing complex programmes and projects, including building and overseeing budgets and timelines, and leading teams while managing both up and down 

• the ability to line manage and coach colleagues, so that individuals and teams feel inspired and skilled to deliver high-quality work 

• experience of applying a range of methods to drive change in complex settings, such as system mapping, applied futures and multistakeholder platforms, along with excellent process design, workshop design and facilitation skills 

• the ability to bring together a diversity of perspectives, including under-recognised power and under-heard voices, and a demonstrable awareness of why diversity and inclusion matter to project design and outcomes 

• the ability to communicate effectively as a writer, speaker and user of digital media, and an understanding of the role communications plays in driving change 

And to further thrive in this role you will: 

• be effective in highly distributed, networked global teams, using digital platforms to coordinate work across geographies and time zones 

• be proactive and able to work independently, while also being a team player who works well across a matrixed structure 

• adapt and pivot when plans change, innovating and troubleshooting as programmes develop, with the resilience to work with limited resources 

• have a strong sustainability ethos and a commitment to Forum’s purpose and values: being courageous, adaptive, empathetic, inquisitive, playful and respectful 

• be willing to travel domestically and internationally when needed 

Forum for the Future works in a space of complexity where there are no easy answers. An ideal candidate will be comfortable with uncertainty and able to hold space for exploration and innovation. Resilience is a key personal attribute for the role. 

If you do not meet all of the requirements outlined in the job description but still believe you have the right mix of skills and experience to thrive in this role and further Forum’s ambitious goals for change, we encourage you to apply. 

Our work environment 

We believe in being courageous, adaptive, inquisitive, respectful, empathetic and playful. You can read more about our organisational values here. These values help build our common culture, shape our shared purpose and guide us in all actions and decisions.  We are inspired by the world in which we live and those with whom we share it and seek to act justly in all we do. 

We enjoy working in teams, collaborating, and learning from each other. We are a dynamic, flexible and supportive team of people who care about each other’s wellbeing and the world around us. 

At Forum, we aspire to foster positive team spirit and to provide the best possible working environment for all our staff; one that is based on the highest standards of ethics, honesty, integrity, openness and transparency. 

We are an inclusive organisation that encourages applications from across our diverse communities. We’re committed to building a team of capable and thriving people from all walks of life. 

If this role interests and excites you, we would love to hear from you.  Where you do not meet all of the requirements outlined in the job description, but still believe you have the right mix of skills and experience to thrive in this role and further Forum’s ambitious goals for change, we encourage you to apply. 

In return, we offer a unique opportunity to be at the forefront of systems thinking and change making. We work as a close knit, dynamic, and supportive team. We offer various opportunities for flexible working to help you manage your work life balance. 

Together we can create a just and regenerative future. 

 Application process 

To find out more about this vacancy, please download and read the full job description.  

Job Description 

Application deadline is 23 November 2026

Depending on the volume of the applications, we may have screening round. Interviews will be held on between 27 November – 17December 2026 with a final interview in the w/c 17 December. 

We use the Applied platform because it is designed to reduce bias in our recruitment process. To apply for this job, we ask you to answer a few work-based questions. Please therefore read the application questions carefully and answer them in the space provided (250 words) to clearly demonstrate your understanding of the role, and how your skills and experience will enable you to thrive and deliver in this post in Forum for the Future 

The Applied platform includes instructions on how to use the portal. Once you start your application you will be presented with a dashboard which helps you to track your progress and reminds you of the closing date for the application. As you complete sections you can draft and save your responses to review and submit when you are ready to (as long as you’re within our required application deadline). 

Please note: 

Some of the personal data you provide to Applied when you apply for a role with Forum for the Future will be passed on to us for the purposes of (a) reviewing your application; (b) inviting you for interview; and/or (c) offering you a job and getting you set up as an employee. For full details on how we collect and use your personal data please visit our privacy notice here. 

If your application is not successful, any personal data provided to us by Applied (including any personal data relating to equal opportunities monitoring as set out above) will be retained by Forum for the Future for no longer than 12 months after the application deadline has passed, at which point your personal data will be securely deleted. We only keep your information for that period in order to allow us to comply with relevant legal obligations. 

Please note: 

If you do not already hold the right to work in the respective countries and/or require sponsorship in order to continue working in the country, you should think carefully before applying. This is because we will be unable to sponsor you. 

Equal Opportunities 

Forum for the Future wholeheartedly supports the principle of equal opportunities in employment. We promote and support equality, diversity and inclusion both in our own workplace and through our work with our partners and the wider public.  We actively support and promote diversity as an essential component of sustainability, and as a key element of our organisational values.  We oppose all forms of unlawful or unfair discrimination on the grounds of colour, race, nationality, ethnic or national origin, gender, marital status, sexual orientation, age, disability, caste, religion or belief. We encourage applications from under-represented groups, including those who identify as disabled, LGBTQ, ethnic minorities, and come from diverse social and educational backgrounds