Engagement Lead Maharashtra

Council on Energy, Environment and Water (CEEW); India; On-site; INR 1,500,000 - 2,300,000; Full time

Job summary

Council on Energy, Environment and Water (CEEW) seeks an Engagement Lead for its Climate Resilience Programme to serve as on-ground presence in Maharashtra.

The EL will bridge government engagement and policy research, interfacing with state institutions, urban local bodies and planning departments while contributing to budget analyses, climate risk assessment and adaptation planning for districts and cities.

Qualifications

• Postgraduate qualification in public policy or related field.
• Minimum 5 years of experience in government, policy research, or development organisations.
• Experience with state or sub-national government and policy processes.
• Working proficiency in Marathi, plus fluency in English and Hindi.
• Clear policy-grade written English and ability to translate analysis for government use.
• Strong quantitative and analytical skills, including MS Office and AI tools/visualisation.

Responsibilities

• Stakeholder engagement with Maharashtra government and partners.
• Coordinate with planning, finance, disaster management and local bodies.
• Prepare briefing notes, minutes and follow-up actions.
• Identify funding opportunities and support proposals and donor reporting.
• Contribute to climate resilience project design, budgeting and fund allocation.
• Draft policy briefs and government-facing notes translating analysis for decision makers.

Skills

Marathi

English

Hindi

Data analysis

Policy writing

Education

Postgraduate qualification in public policy

Postgraduate qualification in sustainable development

Postgraduate qualification in environmental science

Postgraduate qualification in economics

Postgraduate qualification in urban planning

Tools

Power BI

Tableau

MS Office

Job description

Job Description:

Council on Energy, Environment and Water (CEEW)

Engagement Lead Maharashtra (Climate Resilience)

Terms of Reference

At CEEW, we are deliberate about what we stand for(and what we dont stand for!) as an employer. So, if the description belowstrikes 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 researchand impact at scale
• We actively promote leadership through 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 organisations
• Curiosity and irreverence, as well as responsibility, cometogether 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

Engagement Lead (Maharashtra)

Team/Focus area

Climate Resilience

Location

New Delhi, India

Reporting to

Senior Programme Lead

Purpose

CEEW is seeking an Engagement Lead (EL) for its Climate Resilience Programme to serve as the Councils on-ground presence in Maharashtra.

The role sits at the intersection of government engagement and policy research. The EL will be CEEWs primary interface with the states institutions while contributing analytical inputs to the Climate Resilience team’s work on climate action planning, climate and adaptation finance, and sectoral adaptation strategies at the state, district and city levels.

CEEW operates in a dynamic environment, and the consultant will be required to show flexibility in undertaking a variety of tasks beyond those listed below.

Qualificationsand experience

Essential

• A postgraduate qualification in public policy,sustainable development, environmental science, economics, urban planning, or a closely related discipline.
• Minimum 5 years of demonstrated experience across government, policy research institutions, or development organisations. Substantive experience gained through structured internships, fellowships or traineeships embedded within a government department or policy institution will be counted toward this requirement.
• Demonstrated experience of working directly with, or inside, a state or sub-national government — including navigating departmental processes, preparing government-facing documentation, and coordinating across line departments.
• Working proficiency in Marathi, in addition to fluency in English and Hindi.
• Clear, policy-grade written English and the ability to translate technical analysis into material usable by government audiences.
• Strong quantitative and analytical skills, including proficiency in advanced MS Office, AI Tools visualisation tool (Power BI, Tableau or equivalent).

Desirable

• Familiarity with Maharashtra's climate policy architecture, including the State Action Plan on Climate Change (SAPCC) and flagship state environmental programmes.
• Exposure to climate risk assessment frameworks and adaptation planning approaches.
• Exposure to climate or adaptation finance — including development finance instruments, state climate budgeting, CSR or philanthropic resource mobilisation, or ESG and sustainability disclosure frameworks.

Jobduties and accountabilities

1. Stakeholder engagement and government partnership

• Serve as CEEWs point of contact for Maharashtra, and lead strategic engagement with government and non-government stakeholders and partners in the state.
• Establish and strengthen relationships with sub-national government bodies, planning and finance departments, disaster management authorities, urban local bodies and municipal corporations — as well as policy and research agencies working in Maharashtra.
• Represent CEEW in state-level consultations, working groups and technical committees; prepare briefing notes, minutes and follow-up actions.
• Maintain a live stakeholder responsibility matrix and a map of the key governmental processes, approval pathways and budget cycles that CEEWs Maharashtra work depends on.
• Co-ordinate and provide operational direction to junior colleagues working on government engagements in Maharashtra through a well structured feedback mechanism.
• Adhere to project timelines and ensure the timely delivery of objectives; adapt to shifting project priorities.

2. Resource mobilisation

• Identify and pursue funding opportunities for ongoing and upcoming programmes under the Climate Resilience team, spanning philanthropic, CSR, bilateral and development finance sources.
• Contribute to concept notes, proposals and budget narratives, and support donor reporting and relationship management.

3. Research and analysis

• Contribute to the design and implementation of climate resilience projects across Maharashtra's state, district and city levels.
• Support the development of robust methodologies to inform disaster and adaptation fund allocation, drawing on analysis of state budgets, centrally sponsored schemes and existing fund flow mechanisms.
• Conduct data mining, policy and regulatory analysis, and literature review to support the core research team.
• Track emerging trends in climate adaptation, disaster management and climate finance, including SAPCC implementation, state climate budgeting, city climate action plans and heat action plans.
• Collaborate with team members to identify research gaps and improvement opportunities.

4. Knowledge products and outreach

• Draft policy briefs, issue briefs, presentations and government-facing notes translating technical analysis into decision-ready material.
• Contribute to overall programme delivery, helping to identify new research opportunities and emerging areas of interest.

Compensation

Competitive compensation – commensurate with the experience and matching the best of standards adopted by industry or other similar organisations for similar roles.