Programme Lead – Alternative pathways to development

Council on Energy, Environment and Water (CEEW); New Delhi; On-site; INR 1,800,000 - 2,400,000; Full time

Job summary

Council on Energy, Environment and Water (CEEW) in New Delhi invites applications for a Programme Lead to anchor a transition toward Indigenous knowledge and sustainable policy frameworks. The role combines strategic, systems thinking with data-driven evidence building and cross-stakeholder coordination.

The candidate will lead end-to-end research projects, manage field activities, and mentor a team of researchers while shaping the programme strategy and donor engagement.

Qualifications

• Master's degree or equivalent with relevant research experience.
• Experience in impact evaluation, systems analysis, or political economy analysis.
• Strong communication and stakeholder engagement skills.

Responsibilities

• Support the design of comparative research frameworks that evaluate global systems against indigenous, design-led options.
• Identify and track novel metrics such as social capital, community agency, and resource circularity.
• Conduct deep-dive analysis into at-risk community institutions to understand their logic and modernization paths using digital tools.
• Lead allocated projects end-to-end: framing questions, research design, surveys, literature reviews, stakeholder consultations, analyses, and dissemination.
• Track day-to-day regulatory, policy and market developments in Indian states relevant to the initiative.
• Travel to field sites to manage fieldwork and gather primary information.
• Write briefs and issue notes for industry bodies and government officials.
• Lead in writing high-quality research reports and knowledge products.
• Establish and manage relationships with partner organizations and institutions.
• Work with senior researchers on new projects and conceptualize proposals.
• Support leadership in operationalising CEEW’s Arc of Learning.
• Lead development of overall programme strategy and its implementation.
• Convene stakeholders and build partnerships with existing and potential partners.
• Prepare project proposals for research and donor funding.
• Lead strategic outreach of research outputs to policymakers, industry and stakeholders.
• Mentor research analysts, consultants and interns.

Skills

Sustainable Development

Public Policy

Economics

Development Studies

Engineering

Environmental Science

Management

MS Office

Education

Master's degree or equivalent

Tools

MS Office

Job description

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‑seated 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 operationalising 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