Fish Welfare Initiative is hiring a Welfare Measurement Lead to answer one of the hardest and most important questions in our work: what is life actually like for a farmed fish, and how much do our interventions change that?

 

If you're drawn to rigorously quantifying suffering despite deep uncertainty, can turn messy field data into clear conclusions, and are excited to spend real time on farms in Andhra Pradesh doing it, this could be a great role for you.

Notes

• You'll need to be based at our headquarters in Eluru, Andhra Pradesh for at least 6 months (not continuous) of your first year, with more flexibility after that. The rest of the time, you can work remotely from anywhere in India.

• This role is open to Indian nationals only.

• We review applications on a rolling basis and will keep the role open until we find the right person. Apply early at the link below.
   

About Fish Welfare Initiative (FWI)

Fish Welfare Initiative (FWI) is an animal welfare organization that focuses on one of the most numerous and neglected groups of farmed animals: farmed fishes.

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We work to improve fish welfare by developing and implementing scalable, cost-effective, and evidence-based interventions. Our main program, the Alliance for Responsible Aquaculture (ARA), collaborates with fish farmers in Andhra Pradesh to improve water quality and reduce stocking densities. Alongside this, our Research & Development department explores new interventions to identify the most effective ways to help fishes. 

One of the key research questions we have is how good (or bad) the average welfare is of a fish on a farm. Answering this question, via our Welfare Assessment Protocol (WAP), will be your job.

 

You can learn more about our work on our blog and website.

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How You Will Make a Difference

As our Welfare Measurement Lead, you'll be FWI's go-to authority on what the lives of farmed fishes are actually like. To do this, you'll develop our Welfare Assessment Protocol from a field assessment tool into a rigorous welfare measurement framework, drawing on approaches like the Welfare Footprint Framework to estimate what fishes experience across different farming systems and regions. We hope to then build a streamlined Monitoring & Evaluation (M&E) system around it, so that every FWI intervention—from our ARA water quality program to new R&D work like feed fortification—is judged against the same evidence.

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You'll spend significant time on farms yourself, and lead 1-2 local staff who will carry out assessments day-to-day. You'll design the studies, conduct the analysis, and draw the conclusions. Those conclusions will inform our biggest decisions: which programs to scale or modify, and where in India to expand next. 

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Over time, we hope this grows into a small M&E department that you lead. Prior formal M&E experience isn't required—if you don’t already have them, we will support you in building those skills.​

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Key Responsibilities

The Welfare Measurement Lead will be responsible for the following:

 

1 - Measuring Fish Welfare

A. Further development of the WAP: Continue utilizing and refining the Welfare Assessment Protocol, particularly so that it may be applicable across different types of interventions.

 

B. Conducting various studies with the WAP, including: running the WAP on ARA vs non-ARA farms; running the WAP on ARA farms pre- and post-joining; completing needs assessments for new areas; and running the WAP on new interventions (e.g., feed fortification).

 

 C. Manage data collection, entry, and analysis related to WAP studies, ensuring accuracy and quality.

 

2 - Leading Field Assessments

A. Manage and train a small team of local associates who carry out assessments on farms.

 

B. Oversee the quality of data collection, entry, and analysis, and spend regular time in the field yourself so the assessments stay grounded in what's happening on farms.​

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3 - Informing Strategy and Sharing What We Learn

A. Report findings directly to the team, with clear recommendations on which programs to scale, adjust, or stop, and where in India to expand.

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B. Communicate what we learn about fish welfare to our team and the wider world through reports, blog posts, and presentations.

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Key Skills and Past Experience

 

​Required Criteria

• A rigorous, philosophical mind. You're comfortable reasoning through questions without clean answers, like how bad an hour of low oxygen is for a fish compared to an injury.

• Exceptional attention to detail. FWI will make decisions based on your work, so it needs to be right. You catch errors others miss and think carefully before drawing conclusions.

• Strong data skills. You can build, fully understand, and own complex spreadsheets, and you're comfortable with basic statistical analysis.

• Clear communication. You can explain complex, uncertain findings in plain language, in writing and in person, to both our team and outside audiences.

• Ability to lead a team. You can manage, train, and motivate local staff and hold them to high standards for data quality.

• Enthusiasm for fieldwork. You're excited to spend real time on fish farms in rural Andhra Pradesh.

• Fluency in English.

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Ideal Criteria

• Involvement in effective altruism, or familiarity with ways of quantifying and comparing animal welfare (e.g., the Welfare Footprint Framework or welfare range estimates).

• Formal M&E or research experience, especially in the field.

• Experience managing people.

• A background in animal welfare science, aquaculture, or a quantitative field.

• Fluency in Telugu.

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Qualifications: No specific degree or minimum years of experience required. We care more about what you can do and how you think about evidence than about credentials. That said, this is a senior role, and we expect most successful candidates to have several years of relevant work experience.

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The Fine Print

• Position Status: Full-time, permanent. 6-month probationary period.

• Start Date: ASAP, with some flexibility.

• Location: Based in Eluru, Andhra Pradesh for at least 6 months of your first year, with regular farm visits. After that, field time decreases. The rest of the time, you can work remotely from anywhere in India.

• Salary range: INR 1.3 – 2.7 lakh per month, depending on experience.

• Benefits: Apart from working with an extremely dedicated team on a vastly neglected field, FWI offers several employee benefits:

  • Accommodation: Paid accommodation, or an accommodation allowance, while you're based in the field.

  • Travel: Work travel, including travel to and from Eluru, is covered.

  • Reimbursement of up to 25,000 INR annually to purchase health insurance.

  • Free weekday lunch at our field offices.

  • Generous paid time off: up to 40 days of personal and compassionate leave and ~25 Indian holidays.

  • Parental leave.

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​How to Apply

Complete this application and mini test task, which should take about 2 hours. Note that you will need to be signed in with a Google account in order to complete it.​

 

Candidates who pass the mini test task will be informed about future hiring stages. We expect to update all candidates no later than four weeks after they apply.