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Purpose

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

The role sits at the intersection of government engagement and policy research. The EL will be CEEW's primary interface with the state's 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.

Qualifications and 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 towards 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.

Job duties and accountabilities

1. Stakeholder engagement and government partnership

  • Serve as CEEW's 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 CEEW's 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.


Application Process

CEEW is an equal opportunity employer, and the selection process does not discriminate based on age, gender, caste, ethnicity, religion, or sexuality. Female candidates are encouraged to apply.

Applications will be reviewed on a rolling basis. Interested applicants are advised to apply at the earliest possible time.

Only shortlisted candidates will be notified by us. We appreciate your interest.

CEEW operates in a dynamic environment, and the candidate will be required to show flexibility in undertaking a variety of tasks.