Council on Energy, Environment and Water (CEEW), New Delhi

Research Analyst / Programme Associate – Climate Smart Agriculture

Terms of Reference

Council on Energy, Environment and Water (CEEW) has been Great Place to Work-Certified™.

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!

We are proud to build careers in public policy and social impact.

• 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 Research Analyst / Programme Associate – Climate Smart Agriculture

Reporting to Programme Lead – Sustainable Food Systems

Location New Delhi, India

Purpose

India’s food system is faced with a complex challenge of ensuring nutritional security for all, improving livelihoods of those associated with food production, while adapting to a changing climate and reducing the ecological impacts of conventional agriculture on our environment. Our food system needs to collectively evolve on all fronts – how we produce food, how it travels from farm to fork, and what food choices we make as consumers. 
The Sustainable Food Systems (SFS) Programme at CEEW consists of a young and vibrant team of food policy professionals who are passionate about defining and solving the food crisis in a 360-degree approach. Systems thinking is at the core of how we look at issues in the food system.

We want to hire a suitable candidate for the Research Analyst / Programme Associate position. An appropriate offer will be made based on the candidate’s passion, experience and relevance to the programme. We are happy to discuss both consulting and full-time positions.

For the first year, the candidate will work on a project assessing the state of climate-smart agriculture in India. Accordingly, prior understanding of the context specific, knowledge intensive nature of climate-smart agriculture, and the challenges in driving the adaptation agenda serving small scale producers including women will be highly preferred.

As part of this project, the candidate will be involved in, but not limited to, the following primary activities:

• Policy and investment analysis – The candidate should be well-versed with finding, reading and summarising policy documents, government websites and whitepapers. Prior experience in carrying out capacity assessment and gap assessment, and knowledge of assessment frameworks will be preferred.
• Institutional capacity assessment – The candidate should possess good understanding of the organisation of the government bodies and government officials, especially in relevant departments like agriculture, animal husbandry etc. Prior experience in carrying out capacity assessment and gap assessment, and knowledge of assessment frameworks will be preferred.

The roles and responsibilities from the second year onwards will shape in line with other ongoing projects requirements and the interest and skill areas of the candidate.

General Responsibilities and Duties

Research

• Undertake qualitative and quantitative research for a project on the assessment of the state of climate smart agriculture. Workstreams include but are not limited to (i) undertaking a systematic review for evidence research and meta-analysis, (ii) analysing the evidence using quantitative methods, (iii) preparing questionnaires for key informant interviews, (iv) undertaking literature review, (v) conducting stakeholder consultations (vi) conducting the relevant analyses using appropriate qualitative tools (e.g. Nvivo, Atlas.ti etc.), and (viii) presenting the analyses in a coherent narrative in different formats.
• Travel to field sites, whenever necessary and if feasible, to conduct fieldwork including focus group discussions, interviews, meetings, trainings
• Proactively support team in effectively operationalizing the CEEW’s Arc of Learning
• Regularly track policy measures taken by the government and their implementation status related to sustainable food system in India
• Write high-quality research reports, publish in leading peer-reviewed journals and generate other knowledge products such as blogs, policy briefs for different audiences at regular intervals
• Establish and manage relationships with project counterparts from CEEW’s network of partners

Project/Programme Assistance

• Support 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 output 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 food systems
• 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

Selection Criteria

Education and Key Skills

• Master's degree in Agriculture/Natural Resource Management/Water Resources Management/Impact Evaluation/Development Studies/Public Policy or any other field relevant for food system transformation. Social Sciences (for Bachelor studies) background is desirable but not necessary.
• At least two years of relevant work experience that includes policy research and report writing
• Analytical skills and prior experience of working with qualitative research methods like systematic reviews and meta-analysis, and basic quantitative methods relevant for impact evaluation and evidence research
• Ability to work independently with minimal supervision
• Familiarity with sustainable food systems, natural resource management, climate change, food and agriculture issues and policies
• Passion to drive impact for small scale producers and women in agriculture
• Strong communication skills for effective, efficient, and adaptive verbal and written communication, and active listening
• Good organisational skills are desirable
• Experience in dealing with stakeholders (farmers, grassroots workers, government, etc.) preferred
• Ability to use MS Office and Google Workspace application suites, Notion, Slack
• Relevant publications in peer-reviewed journals/book chapters are desirable
• Knowledge of qualitative software like Nvivo, Atlas.ti; GIS and remote-sensing; R/Python desirable

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 on personal and professional fronts 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, ethnicity, religion, or caste. Female candidates are encouraged to apply.

The last date to send applications is 15 June 2022.  Interested applicants are advised to apply at the earliest possible since applications will be reviewed on a rolling basis. Only shortlisted candidates will be contacted. We appreciate your interest.