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

Research Analyst/ Programme Associate - Food Systems Transformation 

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 - Food Systems Transformation 

Reporting to Programme Associate / Program Lead

Location New Delhi, India

Purpose

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 the Research Analyst / Programme Associate 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.

For the first year, the successful candidate will predominantly manage and conduct research work on different parts of the food system - looking at environmental, social, and economic outcomes, identify key leverage points for food system transformation applying systems thinking tools, co-create strategies/pathways to act on them, and contribute to narrative-building around the food system transformation needed (writing op-eds and articles regularly, engaging with leaders in the sector, facilitating coalition-building). Prior experience and expertise in System Dynamics methods will be a big plus.

They will also assist other team members in undertaking robust quantitative and qualitative analysis. In addition to the duties and responsibilities outlined below, the Research Analyst/ Programme Associate should be prepared, as and when necessary, to take on additional responsibilities and respond to events and developments that cannot be anticipated easily.

Job Duties and Accountabilities

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
• For Programme Associate: Manage and guide junior researchers with quantitative and qualitative research, achieving project deliverables, professional development
• 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

Selection Criteria

Education and Key Skills

• Master's degree in environmental management/ complexity science/food systems/sustainable engineering/ agricultural or ecological economics/econometrics/ behavioural economics or any other relevant field relevant for food system transformation.
• At the minimum, two years of relevant work experience in sustainable agriculture and food systems research is expected. 
• Analytical skills and knowledge of mixed methods – qualitative and quantitative research methods, relevant for food systems analysis, GHG accounting from AFOLU sector, political economy analysis, stakeholder engagement, impact evaluation, etc.
• Familiarity with IPCC Guidelines on GHG inventory calculations, food and agriculture issues, policy areas and consumer trends
• Project management skills to independently manage research workstreams
• Strong communication skills for effective, efficient, and adaptive verbal and written communication, and active listening
• Experience of working with or having significant engagement with some of all of the food system stakeholders (various government departments, farmer communities, grassroots CSOs etc.)
• Ability to use MS Office and Google Workspace application suite, Notion, STATA, R/Python
• Desirable: Relevant publications in peer-reviewed journals/book chapters
• Desirable skills:  Systems mapping and system dynamics modelling, environmental and land-use modelling, life cycle assessment, consumer behaviour analysis, impact evaluation expertise, etc.

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 

Main skills 

• Project management and stakeholder management skills 
• Strong proficiency with various quantitative and qualitative research methods
• Strong analytic skills and quantitative research skills, including proficiency in R, Stata, SPSS, Python, GIS or other relevant software
• Ability to apply technical knowledge to varied socio-cultural, ecological and political contexts
• Strong writing skills with the ability to write coherently and concisely emails, opinion pieces, policy briefs, and reports
• Strong oral communication skills as well as an interest in public speaking
• Strong interpersonal skills, and confidence to engage with political and business leaders
• Strong interest and ability to lead teams, to empathise with younger researcher, and to guide them

Personality

• Ambitious. Curious. Adaptive. Proactive.
• Leader. Comfortable with uncertainty. Strategic and deliberate.
• Striving for rigour and impact at scale
• Detail-oriented, while always keeping the larger picture in mind
• Ability to work in an interdisciplinary and multicultural environment
• Strong interest and flexibility to travel and be on the ground
• Flexibility towards long work hours when the situation demands

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. Interested candidates may send their CV and cover letter (in one pdf) to [email protected] with 'Application: Research Analyst – Sustainable Food System’ as the subject line. Applications will be reviewed on a rolling basis.

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