Research Analyst/ Programme Associate - Food Systems Transformation

Follow us@ngobox

About the Organization

The Council on Energy, Environment and Water is one of Asia’s leading not-for-profit policy research institutions. CEEW uses data, integrated analysis, and strategic outreach to explain – and change – the use, reuse, and misuse of resources.

Job Description

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 Responsibilities

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

Education Qualification/Required Skills & Experience

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

For more information please check the Link

Tags Jobs in Delhi Jobs in New Delhi Jobs in Research Jobs in Project Management Jobs in Sustainability