DFO Sahibganj SRF JRF Working Plan Recruitment 2026

DFO Sahibganj SRF JRF Recruitment 2026: Overview

The Divisional Forest Office, Sahibganj Forest Division (DFO Sahibganj) in Jharkhand is building a small research and study team to prepare the division's new Working Plan under the National Working Plan Code (NWPC), 2023. The team will include a Senior Research Fellow, Junior Research Fellows and a Technical Trainer-cum-Field Team Leader. This is a temporary, project-linked engagement, not a regular forest department job. It suits you if you have studied forestry, ecology, botany, environmental science, sociology, statistics or economics and enjoy real fieldwork in forest villages.

The Working Plan covers a wide set of studies: socio-economic surveys of forest-dependent and Scheduled Tribe communities, soil and watershed assessment, biodiversity, Non-Timber Forest Produce including medicinal plants, bamboo, forest carbon stock, forest fire risk, water resources, wildlife corridors and human-wildlife conflict, and the impact of mining on forest land.

Posts and Disciplines

• Senior Research Fellow (SRF): the lead researcher, for postgraduates in Forestry, Ecology, Statistics, Wildlife Biology or allied subjects with research experience, or those pursuing a Ph.D.
• Junior Research Fellow (JRF): field researchers from Forestry, Ecology, Botany, Environmental Science, Sociology, Statistics, Watershed Management, Economics or allied disciplines.
• Technical Trainer-cum-Field Team Leader: a hands-on field role for graduates or diploma holders (completed or ongoing) who have experience in field-level data collection and ground-truthing for natural resource management or forest inventory.

Post-wise Duties

Senior Research Fellow

You will coordinate the field teams, design the studies and sampling plans, analyse field data and write the thematic reports under the guidance of the DFO and Working Plan Officer. You will also compile division-level datasets such as compartment histories, growing stock data and GIS layers.

Junior Research Fellow

You will carry out field surveys, talk to local communities for socio-economic and NTFP assessments, help with soil sampling and botanical enumeration, and enter and check the collected data. You will also help the SRF prepare reports and maps.

Technical Trainer-cum-Field Team Leader

You will lead and train the field teams, run socio-economic surveys in the set format, log field data systematically and do ground-truthing of watersheds, wetlands and other natural features.

Service Conditions and Caveats

• Tenure: The engagement lasts only as long as the Working Plan activities, most of which are scheduled for three to four months from the start, subject to good performance. An extension may be considered based on progress.
• No regularisation: The job is purely temporary and contractual and gives no claim to permanent employment.
• Stay in the field: You must stay and work within Sahibganj Forest Division, covering all ranges and beats, including interior forest areas.
• Consolidated pay: No TA/DA, HRA, accommodation, food or medical allowance is paid. Only field travel authorised in writing by the DFO is reimbursed.
• Monthly certificate: A monthly work-done certificate countersigned by the DFO is needed before pay is released, and a mid-project review will be held.
• Termination and exit: The DFO can end the engagement with one week's notice if timelines are missed; if you want to leave, you must give 15 days' written notice.
• Data ownership: All data, maps and reports belong to the Jharkhand Forest Department and cannot be published or used for academic work without written permission.
• Interview travel: No TA/DA is given for attending the walk-in interview.

Application Submission Notes

Fill the Annexure-A application form and send it with your CV, scanned certificates, email ID and mobile number to dfo-sahebganj@gov.in, or post it to The Divisional Forest Officer, Sahibganj Forest Division, Sahibganj, District Sahibganj, Jharkhand 816109. Clearly mention the post you are applying for. You can also walk in directly at the DFO office in Sahibganj with your original documents and one set of self-attested copies. Send questions to the same email during office hours.

• Conduct field surveys and data collection for the Working Plan as per NWPC 2023
• Carry out socio-economic and NTFP assessments with local and tribal communities
• Assist in soil sampling, botanical enumeration and biodiversity documentation
• Enter, compile and check field data and GIS layers
• Prepare study designs, thematic reports and maps
• Lead and train field teams for enumeration and ground-truthing work
• Maintain accurate records, registers and data repositories