Programme Lead – Alternative pathways to development

Council on Energy, Environment and Water; New Delhi; On-site; INR 1,500,000 - 2,300,000; Full time

Job summary

Council on Energy, Environment and Water (CEEW) in New Delhi seeks a Programme Lead to anchor the transition toward alternative pathways for India's development. You will bridge high-level policy design with on-ground implementation, coordinating cross‑disciplinary teams and field research.

You will design research frameworks, oversee surveys, literature reviews, stakeholder consultations, and disseminate findings through reports, op-eds, and policy briefs.

Qualifications

• Master's degree or equivalent with related policy/research background.
• Minimum of five years' relevant research experience.
• Analytical skills across qualitative and quantitative methods.
• Experience in leading projects and managing stakeholders.

Responsibilities

• Lead in writing high-quality research reports and disseminate findings.
• Coordinate design of research questions, surveys, and literature reviews.
• Manage fieldwork, stakeholder consultations, and data analyses.
• Develop proposals and allocate budgets for research initiatives.

Skills

Building networks

Coalitions

Ecosystems of actors

Political economy

Macro-micro linkage

Literature review

Mixed methods

MS Office

Education

Master's degree in Sustainable Development/Public Policy/Economics/Development Studies

Tools

MS Office

Job description

Council on Energy, Environment and Water | Full time

Programme Lead – Alternative pathways to development

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

Programme Lead – Alternative pathways to development

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
• At CEEW, your life is your example for others

Designation offered : Programme Lead – Alternative pathways to development

Reporting to : Fellow and Team Lead

Job Summary

India stands at a critical juncture: it must achieve high-quality development for a massive population while navigating a volatile global economy and a rapidly changing climate. This challenge requires action beyond mere incremental shifts in current growth models. We need to evaluate the very foundational choices of our economy—from how we settle our cities and value our labour to how we manage our collective resources.

The metrics a system prioritizes dictate its behavior. For decades, a singular focus on conventional output as a primary KPI has often obscured the detrimental costs to environmental health, social cohesion, and individual dignity. To pave the way for a “Developed India by 2047,” our economic systems must adopt more holistic, indigenous indicators that account for human well-being, community agency, and ecological regeneration.

While alternative paradigms—ranging from decentralized “Rurban” clusters to community-led resource management—offer promising pathways, they often lack the rigorous data and “toolified” frameworks necessary for large-scale adoption. There is an urgent need to build a robust evidence base that deconstructs mainstream narratives and demonstrates the viability of these alternatives to the nation's decision‑makers.

The Role

CEEW seeks to hire a suitable candidate for the Programme Lead position to anchor this transition. We are looking for a strategic, systems-oriented changemaker who can navigate the space between deep‑seeded traditional resilience and modern policy design, connecting macro-level thinking with implementation on the ground. The successful applicant will contribute to a pioneering workstream that aims to shift the national discourse from “growth at any cost” to a model of prosperity that is equitable, sustainable, and rooted in India’s own knowledge systems and context.

The Programme Lead will work towards meeting the team’s objective of enabling concerted action by system leaders through data-driven evidence building, narrative mapping, and strategic consensus-building across stakeholders and institutions. In addition to the responsibilities outlined below, the candidate should be prepared to be agile—responding to emerging national developments and taking on additional responsibilities as this ambitious initiative evolves.

Responsibilities and Duties

Research and Evidence Building

• Support the design of comparative research frameworks that evaluate prevalent global systems against indigenous, design-led alternatives.
• Identify and track novel, non‑traditional metrics for success, such as "social capital," "community agency," and "resource circularity."
• Conduct deep‑dive analysis into "at‑risk" community institutions to understand their logic and identify pathways to modernize them using digital tools.
• Take lead on the allocated project(s) under the programme end‑to‑end. Such workstreams include but are not limited to (i) identification of optimal research question(s), (ii) designing the research approach/framework (iii) design 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 (ix) assessing the impact created, and (x) translating findings into ideas for new initiatives.
• Track the day‑to‑day regulatory, policy and market developments in the Indian states especially on the topics relevant to (but not limited to) the initiative.
• 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

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

Convene stakeholders and build partnerships/ecosystems 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/ Relevant work experience in Sustainable Development/ Public Policy/ Economics/ Development Studies/ Engineering/ Environmental Science/ Management/ any other relevant degree

At the minimum, five years of relevant research experience is expected.

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

Experience in

Building networks, coalitions/ ecosystems of actors

Understanding and navigating the political economy (actors, narratives, counternarratives, etc.) of sustainability issues

Connecting macroeconomic thinking with meso- and micro‑level realities on the ground

Literature review and synthesis

Grounding in India's grassroots-level development experience

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 and genuine interest in India's development thinking across macroeconomics, traditional and Indic knowledge systems, and public policy

Ability to work in an interdisciplinary and multicultural environment

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

Experience in managing engagements with stakeholders (grassroots workers, civil society organisations, government, stakeholders in the private space)

Experience in managing research analysts/consultants/interns

Ability to use MS Office application suite

Personality

Curiosity and genuine passion for India's development journey, and willingness to learn 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 and translating ideas into action with minimum assistance, when time demands independently.

Ability to dig deeper into details, while also keeping a sense of the broader, national‑level 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 think and work across disciplines, cultures, and domains

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.