Council on Energy, Environment and Water (CEEW), New Delhi
Intern – Sustainable Food Systems

Terms of Reference

At CEEW, we are deliberate about what we stand for (and what we don’t stand for!) as an employer. So, if the below description strikes a chord, we would love to hear from you!

At CEEW, we build careers in public policy

• We offer strong visionary leadership – with emphasis on research and impact at scale​
• We actively promote leadership by initiative​
• We celebrate talent and ambition​
• You will be surrounded by smart ambitious people who will challenge you and help you grow​
• You will learn faster than your peers in other organisations​
• Curiosity and irreverence, as well as responsibility, come together at CEEW​
• You will get above-market remuneration​
• We provide a safe space for all​
• At CEEW, your life is your example for others​

Designation offered:  Intern – Sustainable Food Systems

Reporting to: Programme Lead

Location: New Delhi, India

Purpose

We seek to hire a Programme Lead to conceptualise, strategise, design, lead, and expand our work in the area of sustainable food systems. With their supervisor’s support, the individual would build on The Council’s existing work in this field and develop it into a full-fledged programme. She would identify our niche and strengths and would create and maintain our thought leadership in those areas. While building and leading a team, she would advance our research, policy engagement, and impact in the fields of sustainable agriculture, food systems, forestry, ecosystem services, landscapes restoration, and biodiversity.

Job Summary

India stands at a complex challenge of ensuring universal nutritional security for an increasing yet largely deprived population in a rapidly changing climate. This needs action beyond producing more food – we need to evolve what we eat and how we produce, process and distribute our food.

CEEW seeks to hire a suitable candidate for an Intern position in the Sustainable Food Systems team to expand its capacity to conduct research and drive change. We are looking for a detail-oriented researcher with a hunger for impact and the ambition to make our food system sustainable.

The successful applicant will assist the team members in undertaking robust quantitative and qualitative analysis. In addition to the duties and responsibilities outlined below, the candidate should be prepared, as and when necessary, to take on additional responsibilities and respond to events and developments that cannot be anticipated easily.

Responsibilities and Duties

Research

• Independently manage allocated work-streams on quantitative and quantitative applied research on varied food system issues. Such workstreams include but are not limited to (i) identification of optimal research question(s), (ii) designing the research approach/framework (iii) if required, development and execution of primary surveys (this includes designing the questionnaires, survey monitoring, coordinating with field staffs and analysis of the survey data), (iv) if required, systematic literature reviews (v) if required, conducting stakeholder consultations, (vi) conducting the relevant analyses using appropriate qualitative and/or quantitative tools (e.g. MS Excel, STATA, etc.), and (vii) presenting the analyses in a coherent narrative in different formats.
• Travel to field sites, whenever necessary, to conduct fieldwork including focus group discussions, interviews, meetings, training or gather primary information.
• Proactively supporting team in effectively operationalizing the CEEW’s Arc of Learning.
• Regularly track policy measures taken by the government and its implementation status related to sustainable agriculture and sustainable food systems in India.
• Write high-quality research reports, publish in leading peer-reviewed journals and generate other knowledge products for the different audience such as blogs, policy briefs in regular intervals.
• Establishing and managing relationships with project counterparts from CEEW’s partners.

Project/Programme Assistance

• Support the senior researchers in conceptualising new projects, development of high-impact research proposals, and applications for research and general donor funding.
• Support effective outreach of research outputs through coordination with the outreach team, engagement with a broader network of stakeholders, and concerned policymakers.
• Participate in relevant conferences, workshops, training programmes for a comprehensive understanding of developments relevant to sustainable agriculture.
• Support senior team members for important meetings and sessions, prepare notes, and conduct follow-ups, as required.
• Participate in weekly team meetings and assist with preparing minutes and chairing the weekly meetings.

Shortlisting Criteria and Key skills

• Master's degree in agriculture/agroecology/natural resource management/impact evaluation/agricultural economics/ecological economics/complexity science/ system dynamics/food systems/nutrition/econometrics/consumer behaviour or any other relevant field relevant for food system transformation. Candidates who have developed relevant specialist skills* will be given a strong preference.
• Analytical skills and knowledge of mixed methods – qualitative and quantitative research methods, relevant for impact evaluation, food system analysis, political economy analysis etc.
• Project management skills to independently manage research workstreams.
• Familiarity with food and agriculture issues, policy areas and consumer trends.
• Strong communication skills for effective, efficient, and adaptive verbal and written communication, and active listening.
• Experience in dealing with stakeholders (farmers, grassroots workers, government, etc.) preferred.
• Ability to use MS Office application suite.
• Desirable: Relevant publications in peer-reviewed journals/book chapters.
• Desirable: Knowledge of GIS and remote-sensing for applications in sustainable agriculture; R/Python.

Personality

• Willingness to learn new (research and project management) skills.
• Ability to adapt to a new environment and deliver under tight deadlines in a professional environment.
• Striving for rigour in research and quality in work output.
• Ability to effectively work in a team while driving research with minimum assistance, when time demands independently.
• Ability to dig deeper into details, while also keeping a sense of the broader objectives and big picture.
• Willingness to learn, grow and develop at personal and professional front, at a rapid pace with a steep learning curve.
• Ability to work in an interdisciplinary and multicultural environment.

CEEW operates in a dynamic environment, and the candidate will be required to show flexibility in undertaking a variety of tasks.

Compensation

Competitive compensation – commensurate to the experience and matching the best of standards adopted by industry or other similar organizations for similar roles.

Application Process

CEEW is an equal opportunity employer, and the selection process does not discriminate on the basis of age, gender, caste, ethnicity, religion, or sexuality. Female candidates are encouraged to apply.

We review applications on a rolling basis. Interested applicants are advised to apply at the earliest possible.

Only shortlisted candidates will be contacted. We appreciate your interest.

*Example of specialist skills: Impact evaluation expertise, system mapping and system dynamics modelling, environmental and land-use modelling, life cycle assessment, consumer behaviour analysis, etc.