Programme Associate - Power Markets

CEEW seeks to hire a candidate for its programme on designing the next generation of electricity markets in India. The candidate is expected to front high-quality quantitative research using high-frequency electricity consumption data. The role will also involve extensive engagement with government, industry and civil society stakeholders to drive evidence-informed policies and regulations.

CEEW offers an intellectually challenging and conducive work environment focusing on research rigour, innovative thinking, and strategic outreach. We have an interdisciplinary research culture, and its value comes from adopting different methods and connecting the dots across policy and industry verticals to take research to action. We seek a proactive, detail-oriented individual who can interpret complex data and is enthusiastic about translating them into actionable policy recommendations.

Job duties and accountabilities

Research

• Carry out robust quantitative and qualitative research to generate evidence and inform strategies to help electricity utilities unlock the opportunities offered by digitalisation programmes, such as smart metering initiatives. This includes but is not limited to:
  1. Conducting systematic literature reviews,
  2. Identifying data needs, developing relationships with relevant government, private sector and civil society partners to assist data collection using suitable data collection tools/formats,
  3. Conducting analyses using appropriate quantitative and qualitative methods, and
  4. Summarising the arguments in a coherent narrative in presentations, memoranda and other documents.
• Study and apply new methodologies and techniques to analyse and visualise high-frequency data to identify new and meaningful use cases of such datasets.
• Regularly track, summarise and disseminate market and policy developments in the utility digitalisation space in India and internationally.
• Write high-quality research reports and generate other knowledge products such as presentations, memos, blogs, and policy briefs for different audiences.
• Build trusted relationships with key stakeholders, including discoms, industry players, and research institutions, for knowledge exchange and dissemination of research findings.

Programme assistance

• Frame research questions and write proposals and concept notes for original research.
• Participate in weekly team meetings and prepare / assist with preparing meeting minutes.
• Accompany other team members for meetings with stakeholders; prepare meeting minutes and assist with relevant follow up when needed.

Technical Understanding and Policy Translation

• Work closely with researchers to understand technical concepts (e.g., clean technologies, power grids, smart meters, industry processes, etc.) and translate them into clear, accessible insights.
• Track regulatory developments across states and sectors relevant to smart meters.

Stakeholder Engagement and Communication

• Prepare presentations and visual material for internal discussions and external engagements.
• Support organisation of stakeholder meetings, including background research and documentation.
• Maintain communication records and follow-up notes from consultations.

Selection Criteria

Education

Bachelor's or Master's in engineering disciplines (Computer Science, IT, Electrical, Electronics) with demonstrated interest in data analytics.

Work experience

• 3-4 years of relevant research experience, specifically in managing and analysing large, high-frequency data sets, preferably from the power sector
• Experience in data cleaning and analysis of large secondary or primary datasets
• Knowledge of emerging Machine Learning and AI techniques will be a bonus

Skills and Competencies

• Strong analytical and research skills, particularly quantitative research skills. Proficiency in Excel and any statistical software (R/Python/STATA) is a must. Experience with visualisation tools like Flourish, Datawrapper and Tableau would be a bonus.
• Strong writing skills with the ability to write coherent and concise emails, opinion pieces, policy briefs, and reports

Personality

• Willingness to learn new research and project management skills
• Willingness to travel for field visits and stakeholder interviews (if needed).
• Ability to effectively work in a team while driving research with minimum assistance, when time demands independently.
• 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 dig deeper into details, while also keeping a sense of the broader objectives and big picture.

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.