Project Coordinator Natural History Project

Job Description: Project Coordinator Natural History Project

Location: Delhi NCR

Position Type: Full-time

Experience: 6-10 years; Master's degree required

Tenure: 12 months, renewed based on performance

We seek a capable professional to coordinate a national effort to identify, document, collate, and acquire natural history collections, with a particular focus on fossil collections held by institutions, repositories and private palaeontologists across India for our upcoming natural history gallery. The role requires building relationships with researchers, institutions, and curators of regional collections to locate significant material, assess its importance, and facilitate its transfer and acquisition. The successful candidate will combine a strong scientific background, preferably in earth sciences. Knowledge of palaeontology or geology will be an asset. The candidate must have excellent communication skills and a commitment to lead initiatives.

To identify and lead the process of acquisition of fossils, and support conservation of natural history material for a forthcoming natural history initiative.

1. Conduct a nationwide survey and mapping of individual fossil collections.

2. Establish communication channels with palaeontologists, institutions, and retired researchers.

3. Document collection provenance, scientific value, condition, and conservation needs.

4. Develop and maintain a digital catalogue and standardized documentation system.

5. Coordinate logistics for the safe transfer, temporary storage, or long-term housing of collections.

6. Ensure ethical, traceable, and legal handling of fossils in accordance with national norms.

7. Map nationally available fossil resources, and in particular identify, collate, assess, and document orphan fossil collections across India and integrate them into a coherent, publicly accessible scientific repository.

8. Prepare monthly progress reports.

9. Support outreach, exhibitions, and educational programming.

- Comprehensive database of fossil collections across India.

- Develop a standardized cataloguing and documentation protocol.

- Acquisition of key fossils for the natural history gallery

- Full-time position based in Delhi NCR.

- Requires extensive travel across India and coordination with museums, institutions and individual fossil collectors.

- Scientific rigour and attention to detail.

- Strong interpersonal and communication abilities.

- Capacity to work with diverse linguistic, cultural, and institutional contexts.

- Ethical integrity and commitment to excellence.

- Willingness to learn quickly

- Academic qualifications (earth sciences, conservation and museum studies) and work experience.

- Strength of writing, communication, and networking abilities.

- Commitment to conservation and related issues

- Experience in fossil curation, fieldwork, or collection management is desirable.

- Required Master's degree in Palaeontology (priority) or Geology/closely related Earth Science discipline (second priority).

- Strong written and oral communication skills.

- Fluency in English and Hindi; proficiency in one additional Indian language is desirable.

- Experience using collection management systems or digital databases is an advantage.

- Passion for natural sciences.

- Enthusiasm for science communication and public outreach.

- Strong networking skills with scientists, academic institutions, and research organizations.

- Ability to work independently and collaboratively with diverse stakeholders.

- Willingness to travel extensively across India to visit collectors and institutions.

- The project associate/lead will report to the Project Director.

- They will work closely with partner museums, universities, and fossil conservation specialists.