Research Associate – Self-Employed Women’s Association (SEWA)

Self-Employed Women’s Association (SEWA) Cooperative Federation works as an support system for women-led, women-owned collective enterprises. Our members are spread across 6 sectors: agriculture & allied activities, handicrafts, services, social security, finance and vending. We provide services in the form of capacity building & training, business development & marketing, research & advocacy, communications, financial diagnostics and digital inclusion. Working since 1992, we have 106 member collective enterprises, with 300,000 informal women workers.

Self-Employed Women’s Association (SEWA) is a movement of women workers in the informal economy, working towards the economic empowerment of these workers. Over 50 years, 2.1 million women in India across 18 states have become members of this decentralized, grassroots movement.

SEWA Cooperative Federation, works to support women’s collective enterprises (WCEs), across sectors, enabling them to become viable, to innovate and to scale. Over 30 years, we have promoted 100+ women’s cooperatives, reaching 300,000 informal women workers, across sectors of work: agriculture and allied activities, handicrafts, services, social security, finance and vending.

We offer specialized services, such as capacity building, governance, working capital, finance and compliance, research, marketing and communications to these WCEs, and work with them closely, as mentors, to enable growth. This package of services and handholding is offered as a Women’s Enterprise Support System.

To achieve these goals, SEWA Cooperative Federation comprises of a team of experts, both for organizational guidance and for sector-specific knowledge in:

• Business development and strategy
• Marketing and PR
• Capacity building
• HR and Administration
• Research and advocacy
• Finance
• Compliance to Regulations
• Communications

Designation: Research Associate

Scope of Work: Research is an important component of the support system. The team works on action-based research projects, market research projects, and research for advocacy. The Research team works closely with the Managing-Director and Sr Research Associate(s) to develop and implement a strong research team strategy and vision within the larger vision of SEWA Cooperative Federation to enable women workers and their enterprises to achieve full employment and self-reliance.

Location: Ahmedabad

Experience:

• 0-2 relevant experience in related field
• Experience in Development Sector with been an advantage

Qualification:

● Master’s degree in Economics, Development Studies, Gender Studies or related field

● Knowledge of qualitative and quantitative research techniques and analytical software such as SPSS, R, STATA or Python

Skills:

● Excellent oral and written communication skills. Gujarati speaking and reading skills would be a plus.

● Strong conceptual as well as quantitative and qualitative analytical abilities

● Flair for finding action-oriented solutions to real-life problems

● Proficiency with spreadsheets, databases, word processing, and slide presentation software

● Strategic thinking outlook and an eye for detail and knowledge about Policy Advocacy

● Self-driven, motivated and Ability to work under minimum guidance

● Good interpersonal skills and ability to work with team members from diverse backgrounds

● Keenness to travel when needed

● Demonstrated ability to put together presentations and infographics.

Notes:

● Writing Sample / Reports / Proposal shall be evaluated along with resume

Application Process Interested candidates can email their CV to hr@sewafederation.org with the job title as the subject line. The file name for the CV should follow this format: Job Title Applicant First

Name. Women candidates will be preferred for all positions. In your email, please mention why you are interested in this opportunity and how you think you can contribute to the work of SEWA Cooperative Federation