Hazaribagh Forest SRF JRF Working Plan Recruitment 2026

Hazaribagh West Forest Division SRF and JRF Recruitment 2026: Overview

The Office of the Divisional Forest Officer, Hazaribagh West Forest Division in Jharkhand is putting together a small research and study team made up of a Senior Research Fellow (SRF) and Junior Research Fellows (JRF). The team will do the groundwork for the division's new Working Plan, the long-term forest management plan that is being prepared under the National Working Plan Code (NWPC), 2023.

This is a short, temporary contract tied to the project. The study activities are scheduled to finish within one to four months of starting, and the selection happens at a walk-in interview in Hazaribagh. Postgraduates in forestry, ecology, botany, environmental science, statistics, economics or sociology who enjoy fieldwork will find this a good first step into forest research.

Posts and Disciplines

• Senior Research Fellow (SRF): the team lead, open to postgraduates in Forestry, Ecology, Statistics, Wildlife Biology or an allied subject who either have research experience or are pursuing a Ph.D. in a relevant field.
• Junior Research Fellow (JRF): field researchers drawn from a wider range of subjects, including Botany, Environmental Science, Sociology, Watershed Management and Economics.

Post-wise Duties

Senior Research Fellow (SRF)

You will coordinate and supervise the field teams, design the studies, sampling frameworks and data-collection protocols, and analyse the field data into 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, and keep the records and data repositories in order.

Junior Research Fellow (JRF)

You will run field surveys and data collection in the approved format, talk to local communities and stakeholders for the socio-economic and NTFP (non-timber forest produce) assessments, and carry out soil sampling, plant and animal enumeration and biodiversity documentation. You will also enter and check field data and help the SRF prepare reports and maps.

Service Conditions and Caveats

• Study scope: The team covers socio-economic, soil, biodiversity, NTFP, bamboo and rattan, forest carbon stock, soil erosion, ecosystem services, forest fire and human-wildlife conflict assessments, plus stakeholder consultation meetings.
• Area of work: Fieldwork spans the whole division, which covers Hazaribagh district and part of Chatra district, and can extend to the peripheral area just outside the forest boundary for trees-outside-forests assessment.
• Contract only: The engagement is purely temporary and ends with the project; it gives no right to regularisation or a permanent job.
• All-inclusive pay: The consolidated pay comes with no TA/DA, HRA, accommodation, food or medical allowance. Only field travel that the DFO approves in writing is reimbursed.
• Reporting: The Working Plan Officer-cum-DFO supervises the team, and every fellow submits a fortnightly progress report.
• Data ownership: All data, maps and reports belong to the Jharkhand Forest Department. You cannot publish or use any of it, even for academic work, without the DFO's written permission.
• Termination: The DFO can end the engagement with one week's notice if you miss timelines or do not perform; if you want to leave, you must give 15 days' written notice.
• One post only: You may apply for both SRF and JRF, but you will be engaged for only one post.
• Undertaking: Selected candidates sign a prescribed undertaking before the engagement order is issued.
• Changes: The DFO can increase or reduce the number of posts, or modify or cancel the process, at any stage.

Application Submission Notes

• Fill in the Annexure-A application form attached to the notice and email it with your CV, scanned certificates, email ID and mobile number to dfohazaribaghwest1@rediffmail.com, naming the post in your mail. The cut-off is 10:30 A.M. on the last day.
• You can also send the form by post or hand it in at the Office of the Divisional Forest Officer, Hazaribagh West Forest Division, Van Bhawan, Hazaribagh, Jharkhand 825301.
• The walk-in interview is on 24 October 2026 at 11:00 A.M. at the same Van Bhawan office; eligible candidates may also turn up directly on that day with original documents or self-attested copies.
• For queries, call Mr. Bhupendra Chaudhary on 8083182424 during office hours.