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Field
Officer

Location: Odisha (Cuttack / Puri / Khordha districts; final district TBD) Field-based role with regular village travel.

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Employment: ​Full-time; 12 months with possible extension based on programme continuation and performance.

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Salary: ₹30,000–45,000 per month.

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Application Deadline: February 2, 2026

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Apply here.​

About Fish Welfare Initiative India Foundation

Fish Welfare Initiative India Foundation works to improve the welfare of farmed fishes in India by deeply understanding the realities of fish farming and directly supporting farmers. We aim to do this by delivering hands-on services to smallholder aquaculture farmers to enable practical, welfare-focused improvements.

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About the Role

As a Field Officer, you will be the primary point of contact for smallholder fish farmers in your designated district, responsible for establishing and operating one of two village-level aquaculture advisory centres that form the core of FWI India Foundation's independent programme implementation in Odisha. 

 

You will balance routine advisory services with structured data collection, contributing to both immediate farmer support and longer-term research outputs, including a 200-farmer state/district survey and welfare impact assessment. This is a field-intensive role requiring approximately 80% of your time in villages and on farms, with the remaining time dedicated to documentation, coordination, and professional development.
 

Key Responsibilities

1. Field Implementation & Advisory Support

  • Manage and operate a village-level aquaculture advisory centre that serves local fish farmers.

  • Conduct regular water quality testing—including dissolved oxygen, pH, ammonia, and temperature—and communicate results and recommendations to farmers in practical, actionable terms.

  • Offer on-site and remote advisory support to help farmers adopt welfare-focused practices.

  • Conduct routine farm visits to observe conditions, diagnose issues, and track progress.

 

2. Farmer Engagement & Relationship Building

  • Recruit, onboard, and maintain strong relationships with participating smallholder farmers.

  • Communicate clearly in local language(s) during consultations and follow-ups.

  • Support farmer learning through hands-on demonstrations, group training sessions, and individual coaching tailored to each farmer's existing knowledge and constraints.

 

3. Data & Documentation

  • Record water quality data, recommendations, and adoption outcomes.

  • Support ongoing monitoring and evaluation by collecting accurate field data for internal reports and program assessment.

  • Contribute to programme learning by documenting implementation challenges, farmer feedback, and adaptation opportunities, enabling evidence-based programme refinement.

 

4. Support to Programs & Research

  • Support other activities such as surveys and data collection initiatives, workshops, training sessions, and capacity-building events

  • Help translate field findings into practical insights for program improvement.

 

5. Performance Monitoring & Target Achievement

  • Meet targets for farmer recruitment/onboarding, service utilisation (e.g., number of water tests and advisory consultations), and verified practice adoption among participating farmers.

  • Maintain accurate, transparent progress tracking and participate in regular performance reviews.

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6. Welfare Outcome Documentation

  • Document welfare-relevant changes adopted by farmers (e.g., improved aeration timing, reduced stocking densities, pre-stocking pond preparation, disease prevention)
     

Ideal Candidate Profile

Education

  • Bachelor's degree in Aquaculture, Fisheries Science, Animal Science, Biology, Environmental Science, or a related field. 

  • Candidates with backgrounds in social sciences (such as rural development, agricultural economics, or sociology) who have relevant field experience will also be considered, particularly given the survey research and farmer engagement components of this role. Master's degree holders are welcome but not required.

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Experience

  • 1–3 years of experience in field-based agriculture or aquaculture work, extension services, community development, or applied research involving primary data collection.

  • Experience working directly with smallholder farmers is strongly preferred.

  • Candidates who have conducted structured surveys, baseline assessments, or monitoring and evaluation activities will have a distinct advantage, as this role involves leading data collection for a 200-farmer state survey and contributing to baseline and endline assessments for the advisory centre programme.

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Skills & Competencies

  • Strong field advisory and interpersonal communication skills, with the ability to explain technical concepts in accessible terms.

  • Familiarity with basic water quality testing tools and indicators—including dissolved oxygen meters, pH testing, and ammonia measurement—is expected.

  • Candidates should be comfortable learning to operate portable testing equipment, whether digital meters or chemical titration methods, and interpreting results for farmer guidance.

  • Digital literacy is required, including proficiency with mobile applications for data entry, WhatsApp-based farmer communication, GPS-tagged documentation, and basic spreadsheet management for service logs and water quality records.

  • You should be comfortable working independently in rural settings with frequent travel across your designated district, sometimes at short notice in response to farmer emergencies such as sudden mortality events or water quality crises.

  • Fluency in Odia is essential; working knowledge of Hindi is preferred, and English proficiency sufficient for internal reporting and documentation is required.

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Personal Attributes

  • Self-motivated and reliable, with the capacity to manage your own schedule and priorities in a dynamic field environment where unexpected challenges arise regularly.​

  • Strong interpersonal skills with respect, patience, and genuine curiosity about the lives and constraints facing the farming communities you serve.

  • Empathy for farmers and a sincere interest in animal welfare—you should care about whether the advice you provide actually improves conditions for fish, not just about meeting activity targets.

  • Comfort with ambiguity and willingness to contribute to programme learning, including honest reporting when things are not working as planned.
     

What Success Looks Like

By the end of your first year, a successful Field Officer will have:

  • Established and operating a fully functional advisory centre serving 20-25 farmers with regular water quality testing and consultation services

  • Built trusted relationships with participating farmers, demonstrated through repeat service utilisation and positive feedback

  • Contributed to the successful completion of the 200-farmer Odisha state survey with high-quality data

  • Maintained accurate and complete documentation of all services delivered, recommendations made, and practice changes observed

  • Responded effectively to farmer emergencies and urgent consultations

  • Demonstrated measurable practice adoption among at least 50% of engaged farmers on key welfare-relevant behaviours

  • Contributed honest and constructive feedback on programme implementation challenges to inform adaptive management

 

We will assess your performance through quarterly reviews examining farmer engagement metrics, service delivery quality, data completeness, and documented welfare outcomes. This is a learning programme, and we value Field Officers who help us understand what works and what does not.

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Working Conditions & Compensation

Working Conditions

  • Full-time, field-based role; must live in/near assigned district in Odisha (Cuttack, Puri, or Khordha—final district TBD).

  • 2–3 days/week based at a fixed village advisory centre; remaining days for farm visits, surveys, documentation, and coordination.

  • Significant in-district travel, primarily by two-wheeler.

  • Outdoor work in varied weather; regular interaction with fish ponds and aquaculture systems.

  • Reporting to the Managing Director, with day-to-day operational coordination through FWI India Foundation leadership.

 

Compensation

  • Salary: ₹30,000–45,000 per month.

  • Travel allowance provided for field work.

  • Contract: 12 months (February 2026–January 2027), with possible extension based on programme continuation and performance.
     

Application Details

Interested candidates should apply here by February 2, 2026.

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