Systems Transformation Policy Lead

Systems Transformation Policy Lead, Food Land and Water Program

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

With Indonesia's new government setting an ambitious high-growth agenda, the country stands at a pivotal moment in redefining how land, food systems, natural resources, and the wider economy interact. Long-standing extractive economic structures, combined with population growth and uneven regional development, continue to place pressure on forests, peatlands, and ecologically sensitive landscapes, despite recent progress in reducing deforestation.

Climate-related disasters are also increasing in frequency and intensity, placing acute stress on agriculture, coastal systems, and rural livelihoods. This is critical for the agricultural sector, which contributes 14 percent of GDP and employs 29 percent of the national workforce. At the same time, food production has multifaceted impacts on emissions and competes directly with energy, mining, and infrastructure for land.

These dynamics reveal the increasingly complex interactions across economy, food, climate, and livelihood systems. They highlight the need for a more integrated and systems-based understanding of how these sectors interact and reinforce one another, and how governance, market, and non-market approaches must shift to catalyze sustainable and inclusive development. This is particularly important in Indonesia, where deep socio-cultural diversity and contrasting ecological landscapes create significant variation in how policies unfold on the ground. Approaches that succeed in certain eastern jurisdictions may not work in western regions, which underscores the need for context-specific and systems-oriented solutions.

Under its new flagship initiative, Indonesia's New Food Economy, WRI Indonesia is building a bottom-up evidence base for alternative food system models that, once adopted in their respective jurisdictions, can catalyze green and inclusive economic growth. These approaches are expected to generate wider benefits across community health, education outcomes, and broader social welfare, while protecting natural capital and sustaining local cultures.

The initiative focuses on two guiding questions: (1) How can the food sector serve as a lever for green and sustainable economic growth across diverse jurisdictions, considering their trade-offs and opportunities (2) How can polycentric governance arrangements, through the interactions of government, communities, and private actors at multiple levels, work together to achieve these objectives and support coherent policy and institutional transformation The work will help improve national and local policies and show how the food sector can be a powerful lever for building a more resilient and fair development path for communities across Indonesia.

Job Highlight

The Systems Transformation Policy Lead will advance WRI Indonesia's systems thinking, science, and policy nexus agenda under the Forest, Land and Water portfolio, with a strong focus on Indonesia's New Food Economy initiative. The role centres on connecting complex analytical work with practical policy design that reflects Indonesia's diverse socio-cultural and ecological contexts. A key responsibility is to serve as the bridge between modelers, field teams, technical researchers, and policy stakeholders, ensuring that modelling assumptions, evidence from the ground, and analytical outputs are translated into clear, actionable insights for communities and government institutions. The Policy Lead will synthesize bottom-up field evidence, modelling results, and governance analysis into integrated recommendations that support national and local decision making. This includes identifying leverage points within food, land, and economic systems and shaping policy pathways that strengthen food security, protect natural capital, and contribute to more resilient and fair development outcomes.

The Policy Lead will report to the Senior Lead for Economics Policy and Governance and will work closely with government partners, civil society, academia, and private sector actors. Based in Jakarta with office-flex working arrangement, the role includes periodic travel to provinces across Indonesia to support field validation and multi-stakeholder engagement. In support of WRI's DEI commitment, you will be responsible for integrating equity and inclusion into your work, your interactions, and your contributions to organizational culture.

What You Will Do

Research and Analytical Leadership (70%)

• Lead the conceptualization of modelling frameworks, assumptions, equations, sensitivities, and results into clear and actionable policy insights for government, communities, and scientific audiences.
• Produce high-quality research outputs, including policy briefs, technical reports, synthesis notes, and presentations, and ensure analytical rigor across all products.
• Support the analytical direction of the Forest, Land, and Water portfolio by conducting technical analysis, synthesizing evidence, and operationalizing the research framework set by senior leadership across food, land and economic sectors.
• Integrate bottom-up evidence, governance assessments, and socio-ecological data into analytical outputs, following the systems frameworks and methodological guidance provided by senior leadership.
• Ensure that research reflects polycentric governance perspectives, including the roles of local communities, customary institutions, private sector actors, and government agencies.
• Provide technical guidance to junior researchers on analytical methods, data processing, and evidence synthesis, ensuring consistency with the research standards and direction defined by senior leadership.
• Represent WRI Indonesia in expert forums to communicate analytical findings and contribute to national and international discourse on food, forest, and systems transformation.
  
  

Program Management (10%)

• Support the planning, implementation, and monitoring of the New Food Economy program to ensure alignment across research, modelling, governance analysis, and policy engagement.
• Coordinate workstreams involving interdisciplinary teams and ensure that analytical outputs are integrated into broader program strategies.
• Manage timelines, deliverables, and risk identification for analytical and policy-focused activities within the program.
• Support the development and refinement of internal work plans, budgets, and documentation for ongoing monitoring and evaluation.
• Provide guidance to junior researchers, consultants, and partners to ensure consistent quality and coherence across analytical outputs.
• Contribute to internal learning processes and knowledge exchange across WRI Indonesia's Food, Land, and Water cluster.
  
  

Fundraising, Outreach, and Stakeholder Management (20%)

• Engage national and subnational governments, communities, civil society, private sector actors, researchers, and development partners to advance systems transformation insights and policy recommendations.
• Serve as a focal point for communicating modelling insights and systems-level evidence to diverse audiences in accessible and actionable ways.
• Support the development of proposals, concept notes, and donor engagement materials that reflect the program's analytical vision and policy objectives.
• Maintain and strengthen partnerships with existing and prospective donors, research collaborators, and policy institutions.
• Facilitate multi-stakeholder dialogues and consultations that support evidence-informed policy processes.
  
  

What You Will Need

• A bachelor's degree in public policy, development studies, economics, environmental science, systems science, or a related interdisciplinary field. Master is preferred
• Minimum of (five) years of relevant professional experience in project leadership with focus on policy analysis and design, system thinking, and cross-sectoral coordination.
• Demonstrated experience working with international academic partners or research institutions, including participation in collaborative research projects.
• A strong track record of producing high-quality research outputs, such as peer-reviewed journal articles, working papers, policy briefs, and technical reports.
• Demonstrated expertise in navigating and analyzing Indonesia's multi-layered governance framework (national, provincial, and district levels), encompassing both vertical and horizontal policy dimensions. This includes a proven ability to:
• Understand the flow and implementation of policies from global agreements and national mandates down to local development outcomes, particularly within the food economy and natural resource management sectors.
• Analyze cross-sectoral dependencies and trade-offs (e.g., the interplay between agricultural policy, land-use planning, public finance, and trade regulations) to diagnose systemic issues.
• Experience with economic and fiscal policy topics related to natural resources, food systems, land use, climate finance, or public finance.
• Extensive knowledge of systems thinking and proven experience with systems dynamics modelling for development or sustainability scenarios.
• Willingness and ability to expand modelling skills into other economic and systems approaches, including computable general equilibrium models, inputoutput analysis, and other macroeconomic or sectoral modelling frameworks.
• Ability to translate complex analytical and modelling findings into clear and accessible insights for policymakers, scientific communities, and local stakeholders.
• Strong verbal and written communication skills in English and Indonesian, with the ability to present research to both technical and non-technical audiences.
• Willingness and ability to travel to remote areas of Indonesia as needed.
• Legally able to work in Indonesia.
  
  

Performance Standard

• Demonstrate strong understanding of systems thinking, economic and policy analysis, and the forestpeoplelivelihoods agenda, and apply this knowledge to advance program outcomes.
• Communicate progress, risks, and emerging insights clearly to managers and partners to ensure shared understanding and alignment.
• Support a collaborative and inclusive work culture that values both individual initiative and collective achievement.
• Uphold WRI's values and commitments to equity, integrity, and high-quality research and engagement.
  
  

Contract Arrangement

Full-time with fixed-term employment agreement up to 31 December 2026 with 3 (three) months of consultancy will be in place prior to the start of the fixed-term employment.

How To Apply

• Please submit a resume with a cover letter by 15 January 2026. You mustapply 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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