Job Opportunity: Research and Development Staff

Terms of Reference

Research and Development Staff 

Sangga Bumi Lestari (SBL) is an Indonesian non-profit sustainability research, strategy, and implementation organisation that protects and restores ecosystems, improves livelihoods, and strengthens governance. We implement projects to enhance community and civil society engagement in forest area management, encourage corporations to operate forestry and plantation concessions in line with sustainability criteria, and facilitate government support for sustainable development. We have improved the protection of several key wildlife habitats in West Kalimantan through the facilitation of multi-stakeholder collaboration and have demonstrated that well-managed forest areas can enhance community livelihoods and contribute to district-level development goals.

Sangga Bumi Lestari implements its projects from offices in Jakarta, Ketapang, Pontianak, and Kapuas Hulu. Our current work focuses on five main areas:

• Sangga Canopy: Promoting multi-stakeholder forest conservation and integrating forest management into village-level institutions.

• Sangga Farming: Improving farmer productivity and accelerating the adoption of climate-smart agriculture.

• Sangga Health: Strengthening community health by improving access to sustainable domestic protein sources and supporting data-driven, village-based health and nutrition systems.

• Sangga Stories: Preserving Dayak culture through technology-based documentation of traditional knowledge and local wisdom.

• Sangga Hub: Facilitating market partnerships to build local circular economies. 

Position:

Sangga Bumi Lestari is seeking a Research and Development Staff member to support our activities in the Bentarum and Mendawak landscapes.

Role:

This position supports the implementation of applied research activities, technical innovation testing, and strategic development for the Sangga Farming, Sangga Health, and Agricultural Economy programmes. Responsibilities include conducting field research, managing and analysing technical data, and producing programme recommendations to strengthen sustainable agricultural practices, improve food security and household economic resilience, and support improvements in community health in target areas.

Specific responsibilities include:

• Designing, leading the implementation of, and analysing field research, particularly (but not limited to) agricultural and livestock practices, food security, community nutrition consumption, and agricultural business and economic dynamics.

• Supporting the development and testing of sustainable cultivation models through demonstration plots and technical trials within the Sangga Farming programme, including analysis of production efficiency and farm business feasibility.

• Integrating food production and livestock model testing with improvements in household consumption quality and nutrition through the Sangga Health approach.

• Assessing value chains, market opportunities, and agricultural business challenges that can support the development of sustainable livelihood models.

• Collecting, managing, and analysing research data and producing data-driven recommendations to inform decision-making and programme development.

• Identifying field-level challenges and formulating technical innovation recommendations.

• Developing technical guidelines, learning materials, and documentation based on research outcomes and field-based learning.

• Conducting monitoring and evaluation of the implementation of cultivation practices and business models developed.

• Building external networks as required to support programme development.

• Reporting to and coordinating with the Sangga Farming and Sangga Health Programme Coordinators in implementation, analysis, activity reporting, and in developing periodic recommendations based on implementation results.

• Working collaboratively with the team to ensure that research-based innovations are implemented effectively and remain relevant.

Required Qualifications: 

• A minimum of a Bachelor’s degree (S1) in Agriculture, Agrotechnology, Agronomy, Soil Science, Data Science, Environmental Science, Animal Science, or other relevant fields.

• At least one year of experience in field research activities, agricultural/livestock extension or facilitation, or agricultural-based community development programmes.

• Proven ability to collect, manage, and analyse statistical data and to visualise technical, social, and economic data as a basis for programme recommendations.

• Technical understanding of crop and/or livestock cultivation practices, soil and environmental health, and basic plant and animal pest and disease management.

• Basic knowledge of livestock systems and integrated farming; experience in sustainable livestock systems is an asset.

• Understanding of regenerative agriculture, agroecology, food security, and sustainable land-use approaches.

• Ability to prepare systematic activity reports, learning analyses, and programme development recommendations.

• Strong field observation skills and the ability to identify technical challenges and formulate practical, applicable solutions.

• Proficiency in MS Excel and other data processing tools (e.g. SPSS, R) for data recording, monitoring, and analysis.

• Strong coordination and communication skills with Programme Coordinators, technical teams, and supported communities.

• Willingness to work and reside in field locations in Kapuas Hulu and Mendawak according to programme needs.

• High learning motivation and openness to innovation and the use of technology in research and programme development.

• Ability to work collaboratively in multidisciplinary and cross-programme teams.

• Experience working with or supporting rural communities or farmers is an additional advantage.

What We Offer:

• The opportunity to work with a passionate and highly experienced team, with offices located in Jakarta, Ketapang, Pontianak, and Kapuas Hulu.

• The Research and Development Staff will be based in the Bentarum and Mendawak landscapes, West Kalimantan, and may utilise Sangga Bumi Lestari offices in Pontianak and Kapuas Hulu as needed.

• This position requires the staff member to stay in target villages for approximately 15–20 days per month.

• A competitive salary.

Please contact:

Interested candidates should send a CV to hr@sanggabumilestari.org with copies to Muhammad Dani (dani@sanggabumilestari.org) and Juanisa Andiani (nisa@sanggabumilestari.org), with the subject line ‘Staff LitBang-Surname’.