Programme Associate

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

Programme Associate- Energy Transitions

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 people who will challenge you and help you grow​

● You will learn faster than your peers in other organizations​

● 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

Team/Focus area:

Energy Transitions

Location:

New Delhi, India

Reporting to:

Programme Lead

Duration:

Full-time

Purpose

CEEW seeks to hire a Programme Associate for its Just Transitions Programme. This workstream is driven by the mission to work on policies that make India’s energy transition citizen-centric, especially its transition from fossil fuels. We will be examining and building evidence for this transition to be socially just through objective research and cutting-edge analytical approaches.

A successful applicant will work closely with the team to solve complex citizen-centric challenges in India’s energy transitions and the transitions of associated sectors like thermal power plants. These challenges include designing and deploying targeted skill development programmes for affected communities, governance mechanisms and financial estimations for a citizen-centric transition, identifying and estimating alternative livelihood opportunities in the form of green jobs.

We are looking for an experienced professional with hands-on experience of working in India’s- skill development sector, governance mechanisms including decentralised capacity building, energy landscape and in public policy. An ideal candidate should be excellent in quantitative research methods (qualitative research methods is a bonus), analysing various datasets such as the Periodic Labour Force Survey (PLFS), Annual Survey of Industries (ASI), the CMIE amongst others, significant field work experience amongst rural communities (field work in coal regions in a bonus), be excellent at stakeholder management and write research report articles. Details on the job duties and the key skills required are outlined below.

Job duties and accountabilities

Primary Responsibilities

Research

● Mentor research assistants on designing, collecting and analyzing quantitative data on the socio-economic impacts of the energy transition in the context of India (experience in qualitative research is a bonus).

● Mentor research assistants on analysing existing government datasets like the PLFS.

● Conceptualise and take ownership of research relevant for a just energy transition.

● Travel to project sites across multiple states for both primary research and state government engagement- ability and willingness to travel is desired.

● Co/lead on specific projects and overall plan of activities in CEEW’s just transition workstream.

● Regularly track important developments nationally and internationally (policy and technical) in the sector through rigorous literature review and share summaries with team members to promote mutual learning.

● Lead on writing high-quality research reports and co/lead on research dissemination activities such as seminars, roundtable discussions, webinars with support from the team.

● Proactively building knowledge leadership by working towards – blogs, reports, op-eds, and policy briefs in regular intervals.

● Prepare presentations, fact sheets, briefing notes and other research communication material.

Other responsibilities

● Mentor research assistants and interns to build them as public policy professionals over and above excellence in research methods.

● Participate in relevant conferences, workshops, and training programs as necessary to communicate research findings and gain insights on new research in focus areas.

● Assist in building strategic partnerships and collaborations with peer organizations and government departments for ensuring continued learning, growth, and impact at scale.

Selection Criteria

Educational Qualification

● A postgraduate degree in economics, development economics, energy economics, political science, governance, public policy, sociology or related disciplines is a prerequisite. A Bachelor’s degree in engineering combined with a postgraduate in any of the aforementioned disciplines is acceptable.

Work experience and requirements

● At least 3-5 years of relevant work experience in designing quantitative research (for instance through monitoring and evaluation of any social/ public policy) and working with government datasets. (experience in qualitative research is a bonus).

● Deep knowledge of India’s governance structures, capacity building mechanisms, political economy of livelihood generation, community engagement.

● A good foundation in socio-economic concepts, macroeconomics, fiscal reviews and the coal economy in India and globally is a bonus.

● Extensive experience in conducting high quality field work for primary data collection.

● Excellent and proven abilities for stakeholder engagement including government officials and donors.

● Prior experience in designing projects independently, managing teams and timely delivery of outputs.

● Proficiency in using advance statistical data tools like R, Python, STATA.

● Proficiency in using MS Excel, Powerpoint, and Word.

● Strong writing, networking and communication skills.

Key skills

● Sharp and analytical mind with a willingness to co-create new research areas, learn new research and project management skills.

● Ability to adapt and deliver under tight deadlines in a professional environment.

● Striving for rigor in research and quality in work output.

● Ability to effectively work in a team while being able to independently drive research if, and when, needed.

● Ability to dig deeper into details, while not losing sight of the broader objectives.

● Willingness to learn, grow and develop - both in personal and professional life - at a rapid pace with a steep learning curve.

● Ability to work in an interdisciplinary and multicultural environment.

● The candidate should be willing to travel.

If you possess a deep passion for high quality impactful research to improve people’s lives and livelihoods, we would like to speak to you. If you can conceptualise, lead and communicate research clearly with different stakeholders, then we would definitely consider hiring you! If you can combine these two aforementioned qualities with a collaborative spirit and ‘can-do’ attitude in a fast-developing external environment of energy transitions, you are probably the candidate we are looking for.

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

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.

Applications will be reviewed on a rolling basis. Interested applicants are advised to apply at the earliest possible.

Only shortlisted candidates will be notified by us. We appreciate your interest.