Programme Associate

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 the 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.

The successful applicant will lead research using robust quantitative and qualitative analysis, develop stakeholder engagement strategies and manage multi-dimensional projects. In addition to the duties and responsibilities outlined below, the 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.

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, systematic literature reviews (iv) if required, conducting stakeholder consultations, (v) conducting the relevant analyses using appropriate qualitative and/or quantitative tools (e.g. MS Excel, STATA, etc.), and (vi) 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

● Supervise and mentor junior team members

● 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

Selection Criteria and Key skills

● Similar experience in any of these domains: Agriculture and Food Policy, FMCG sector or food processing industry, Nutrition Healthcare, Institutional Arrangements & Behavioural Economist.

● Master's/Bachelor’s degree in Public Policy, Climate Change, Development, food systems, consumer behaviour, sociology, anthropology or any other field relevant to food systems transformation

● 3-8 years of work experience is expected. Candidates who have developed relevant specialist skills* will be given a strong preference

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 organisations 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.

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.