Partnership Battery Action, Research and Methods Lead

Partnership for Battery Action, Research and Methods Lead

The Partnership for Battery Action (Pb Action) is a nonprofit working to eliminate lead poisoning from unsafe recycling of used‑lead‑acid batteries. The Research & Methods Lead will own the scientific foundation of the Battery Index, the tool used by buyers, investors, and regulators to assess recycler safety worldwide in low‑resource settings.

• Design and standardize the methodology for evaluating recycler safety, including air, soil, and blood lead sampling protocols.
• Refine existing air and soil sampling protocols to balance data reliability with feasible field application, determine partner capacity‑building strategies, and support joint learning with local civil society and government entities.
• Define the approach to worker and community blood lead sampling, ensuring data reliability, ethical review and informed consent, and community engagement.
• Build a rigorous, standardized process for converting multiple data streams into a recommended recycler classification, working with Pb Action leadership on final decisions.
• Manage in‑country execution of soil, air, and blood sampling in multiple geographies, train and oversee enumerators and field consultants, coordinate laboratory analysis, and support day‑to‑day field execution.
• Maintain clean, auditable datasets and clearly documented protocols that allow the Index to scale consistently across markets.
• Collaborate with the lead pollution research community to identify partnerships, bring in relevant research and technology, and build the evidence base in this emerging field.

• 5+ years of post‑graduate experience in environmental research with a track record of leading research in low‑resource environments.
• Graduate degree in environmental engineering, environmental science, environmental chemistry, epidemiology, public health, or a related field, or equivalent applied experience.
• Deep understanding of high‑quality environmental research and exposure assessment or environmental sampling.
• Quantitative skills: comfortable analyzing environmental and health datasets with R, Python, or Stata and designing data collection to support rigorous analysis.
• Strong project management: manage simultaneous work streams across countries and ensure timely delivery of high‑quality outputs.
• Excellent science communication: effectively convey research objectives, protocols, and findings to field teams, implementers, regulators, funders, and the research community.
• Entrepreneurial mindset: thrive in a startup environment, take initiative, and continuously improve processes and learning without being prompted.
• Collaborative: enjoy working with diverse teams, contribute to collective goals, and have examples of achieving results through partnership.
• Preferred: experience with heavy‑metal exposure or lead specifically; familiarity with human subjects research and IRB processes; work experience in West Africa, South Asia, or Southeast Asia.

GDI Is An Equal Opportunity Employer And Welcomes Candidates From All Regions.