Programme Associate – Agricultural Water Management

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

Programme Associate – Agricultural Water Management

Terms of Reference

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

Programme Associate – Agricultural Water Management

Reporting to

Programme Lead

Location

New Delhi

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, how we produce and process our food, and how we process and distribute our food.

CEEW seeks to hire a suitable candidate for the Programme Associate position in the Sustainable Food Systems team 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 assist the team members in undertaking robust research and analysis and manage 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.

Job Duties and Responsibilities

Research

• Undertake qualitative and quantitative research for a project related to climate change and adaptation for food systems, with a focus on agricultural water management. Such workstreams include but are not limited to (i) undertaking a systematic review for evidence research and meta-analysis, (ii) analyse the evidence using quantitative methods, (iii) prepare questionnaires for key informant interviews, (iv) undertake literature review, (v) conducting stakeholder consultations (vi) conducting the relevant analyses using appropriate qualitative tools (eg. NVivo, Atlas.ti, SysRev etc.), (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, 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 water management in India
  
• Write high-quality research reports, publish in leading peer-reviewed journals and generate other knowledge products for the different audiences such as blogs, policy briefs in regular intervals
  
• Establishing and managing relationships with project counterparts from CEEW’s partners
  

Project Assistance:

• Assist senior researchers from inter-disciplinary teams in conceptualising new projects, development of high-impact research proposals, and applications for research and general donor funding
  
• Assist with programme and project implementation, including preparing presentations, factsheets and other communication materials.
  
• Assist 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
  
• Assist senior team members in 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 Agricultural Sciences or Engineering/Natural Resource Management/Water Resources Management/Impact Evaluation//Public Policy or any other relevant field relevant for food system transformation and agricultural water management.
  
• Four to five years of relevant work experience is expected.
  
• 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.
  
• Hand-on experience in using any water balance model will be an advantage
  
• Ability to work independently with minimal supervision
  
• Experience in working on projects having components on   water-energy-food security nexus, agricultural water productivity improvement, or climate-resilient agricultural systems is desirable
  
• Passion to drive impact and vision 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 application suite
  
• Other Desirables: Relevant publications in peer-reviewed journals/book chapters; and Knowledge of qualitative software like Nvivo, Atlas.ti; GIS and remote-sensing; R/Python
  

Personality

• Willingness to learn new (research and project management) skills
  
• Ability to adapt to 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 being able to independently drive research with minimum assistance when time demands
  
• 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 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 applicants are advised to apply at the earliest possible. Only shortlisted candidates will be contacted. We appreciate your interest.