Programme Associate - Econometrics

Council on Energy, Environment and Water

(CEEW), New Delhi

Programme

Associate (Econometrics) - 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. 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:

Programme Associate
(Econometrics)

 

• Focus Area:

Sustainable Food Systems

• Reporting
  to:

 

Programme
Lead/Senior Programme Lead

• Location:

New Delhi, India

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.  

Re-shaping
Agricultural Productivity for Resilient Farms and Landscapes

What KPIs the system chase decides the
behaviour of the system. India’s food production system’s  chase of yield as a KPI has come at a
detrimental cost for livelihood, environment, nutrition, and social outcomes.
India’s food systems need to adopt better, holistic indicators, and pave the
way for more sustainable systems.

Natural Farming as a Sustainable Agriculture
Practice has received political traction in India in the recent years, and
could be a potential pathway for India to transition at scale to sustainable
agriculture practice adoption. However, the evidence on the impact of natural
farming in insufficient and weak on many environmental, economic and social
aspects. In order to bridge this gap, CEEW has undertaken a-of-its-kind,
large-scale longitudinal impact assessment of the Community-managed Natural
Farming Programme in Andhra Pradesh (APCNF). The data and evidence generated on
natural farming from this study will inform policy makers and other
stakeholders towards a ‘considered approach’ of scaling natural farming and
agroecology in India. The evidence base will hold lessons for the larger
agroecology transition in India, and the learnings from the study will shape
the necessary narratives for India’s food systems, particularly on the goals
and the KPIs the latter needs to chase.

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 works towards
meeting the Sustainable Food Systems team’s programmatic objective of enabling
timely, concerted action of system leaders through data and evidence-building,
shaping narrative and informing strategy. In particular, the successful
applicant will lead team members to undertake robust quantitative and
qualitative analyses. 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

·       Take lead on the
allocated project(s) under the programme end-to-end. This includes, but is not
limited to independently projects using 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) development and execution of primary surveys (this includes designing the
questionnaires, survey monitoring, coordinating with field staffs and analysis
of the survey data), (iv) systematic literature reviews (v) conducting stakeholder
consultations, (vi) conducting the relevant analyses using appropriate
qualitative and/or quantitative (econometric/statistical) tools , and (vii)
presenting the analyses in a coherent narrative in different formats such as
journal publications, reports, op-ed articles, dissemination and consultation
meetings (viii) developing an outreach strategy,
(viii) dissemination of the research and (ix) assessing the impact created.

·       Track the day-to-day
regulatory, policy and market developments in the Indian states especially on
the topics relevant to (but not limited to) natural farming, agroecology, dairy
sector, sustainable food systems.

·       Travel to field sites, whenever
necessary, to manage fieldwork including surveys, focus group discussions,
interviews, meetings, training or gather primary information

·       Travel to states to meet with
government and external stakeholders, whenever necessary, to conduct meetings
or collect primary information.

·       To write briefs and issue notes
which could be circulated among industry bodies, state and central government
officials and other stakeholders.

·       Lead in writing high-quality
research reports, publishing in leading peer-reviewed journals and generating
other knowledge products for the different audience such as blogs, policy briefs
in regular intervals

·       Establishing and managing
relationships with project counterparts at CEEW’s partnering/collaborating
organizations and institutions

·       To work with senior
researchers on conceptualising new projects (as and when needed).

·       Proactively supporting team in
effectively operationalizing the CEEW’s Arc of Learning

 

Project/Programme Assistance

·       Support the leadership in
conceptualising new projects, development of high-impact research proposals,
and applications for research and general donor funding

·       Lead the development of overall
programme strategy and its effective implementation

·       Establish, manage, and promote
relationship with existing and potential partners

·       Prepare project
proposals/applications for research and general donor funding

·       Lead the strategic outreach of
the research outputs through engagement with a broader network of policymakers,
industry and other stakeholders

·       Mentor the research analysts/consultants/interns
as required

 

Selection Criteria and Key skills

·      

Master's degree in Economics (any stream)/Econometrics/Statistics)

(a non-negotiable)

·       At the minimum, three
years of relevant research experience is expected (as research analyst),
specifically in carrying out econometric analyses using primary and secondary
datasets. Research experience in the domain of agriculture, nutrition, food
system, livestock, dairy is strongly preferred.

·       Analytical
skills and knowledge of mixed methods – qualitative and quantitative research
methods, relevant for impact evaluation, food system analysis, political
economy analysis etc

·       Knowledge of
econometric modelling (mandatory), in particular impact evaluations (preferred)

·       Experience in
using statistical software - R/Stata/Python  (mandatory)

·       Experience in
GIS based analysis using QGIS/ArcGIS, etc (preferred)

·       Experience in
designing primary studies (mandatory)  –
study design, design of survey tools, survey execution, training of survey
teams

o   Experience
in designing studies

o   Experience
in designing survey tools

o   Experience
in survey execution, managing engagement with survey agency, training survey
teams

o   Experience in data cleaning and analysis of large secondary
or primary datasets

o   Experience in engaging on field activities, for data
collection/training of enumerators/sampling of households/pilot
testing/monitoring activities

·       Experience in
leading and managing projects (or aspects of some projects) independently

·       Experience in
making budgets for projects, designing concept notes and full proposals (or
aspects of the same) for donors

·       Knowledge of issues pertaining to
sustainable food systems, policy areas and consumer trends

·       Strong
communication skills for effective, efficient, and adaptive verbal and written
communication, and active listening

·       Experience in managing
engagements with stakeholders (farmers, grassroots workers, government, stakeholders
in the private space)

·       Experience in managing research
analysts/consultants/interns

·       Ability to use
MS Office application suite

·       Mandatory:
Relevant publication(s) in peer-reviewed journals or as book chapters /
publication of reports, issue briefs, policy briefs, op-eds, 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 

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.

Interested candidates may send their CV and cover letter (in
pdf) along with a recent report/publication (to which the candidate made a
major contribution in analysis and writing) 

_

Applications

will be reviewed on a rolling basis.

_

Interested applicants are

advised to apply at the earliest possible.

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