VACANCIES at CUTS

JOB DESCRIPTION

ARE YOU
INTERESTED IN HEADING A TEAM OF YOUNG SOCIAL CHANGE ACTIVISTS? AND
DO IT WITH A GOOD COMPENSATION PACKAGE AND A PROFESSIONAL
ENVIRONMENT IN A CITY WHERE YOU AND YOUR FAMILY CAN LIVE
HAPPILY!

Consumer Unity
& Trust Society (CUTS) thanks you for being interested in this
vacancy and possible application. We are looking for people who
could join us by October 2001.

We are a premier
Non-Government Organisation for research, training and advocacy
operating out of three centres in India and one in Africa. The
centres are located in Jaipur (head office), Chittorgarh and
Calcutta in India and Lusaka, Zambia. Plans are afoot to set up
resource centres at various other places in India and
abroad.

CUTS has grown
from a zero budget organisation in 1983 to Rs. 20 Million in
2001-2002 and has been growing at the rate of 100% per annum during
the last 3 years.

Our work is
divided into four operational areas:

• Consumer
  protection, governance & accountability and regulatory
  reforms
• International
  trade, investment and competition issues
• Sustainable
  production and consumption, and issues related to consumer
  safety
• Rural
  consumer welfare, women’s empowerment and governance issues at the
  grassroot level.

CUTS also works with several national,
regional and international organisations, such as:

• Consumers
  International, London and Kuala Lumpur;
• International
  Centre for Trade and Sustainable Development, Geneva;
• South Asia
  Watch on Trade, Economics and Environment, Kathmandu;
• Consumer
  Co-ordination Council, New Delhi;
• UN Conference
  on Trade and Development (UNCTAD),
• United
  Nations Environment Programme, UN Commission on Sustainable
  Development etc.

It also
serves on various policy making bodies of the Government of India,
such as:

• National
  Advisory Committee on International Trade, Ministry of Commerce
  and Industry,
• Technical
  Committee on Ecomark, Ministry of Environment and
  Forests,
• Standing
  Committee on Textiles and Consumer Interest, Ministry of
  Textiles,
• Central
  Consumer Protection Council, Ministry of Consumer Affairs, among
  others.

Requirement

CUTS is looking
for an Executive Director, who should be able to manage its
activities. S/he should be well conversant with political economic
issues and have an analytical bent of mind.  S/he should have
excellent inter-personal skills and be a team worker.

S/he should have
good command over English (oral and written) and a skilled
communicator.  Good command over Hindi (oral & written)
would be an added qualification.

Ideally, the
person should be a senior executive from the corporate or
non-corporate sector in the age group of 35-45 years, having been in
a decision making position, in addition to managing various
functional areas. S/he should be willing to put in long hours and
travel frequently within India and abroad. In sum the attributes
required are:

• Self-starter
  with drive, imagination, energy and leadership qualities
• Excellent
  skills in analysis and communication
• A team
  worker
• Conversant
  with political economic issues, governance etc
• Hardworking,
  and
• A high level
  of commitment and integrity

We have intentionally not defined a
discipline so that persons from diverse backgrounds, who have a
strong sense of things happening, with a burning desire to change
the world will qualify. Good education with degrees in any
discipline: law, economics, political science, management. More
importantly we are looking for a person with experience of having
managed over 100 people and run a functional centre independently,
having a track record of successes (and non-successes before that,
if any) will be ideal.

The candidate
will be required to submit a statement of claims against the
criterion stated above, as well as three references.

Compensation

Compensation is
commensurate and will not be a limiting factor for the right person.
More importantly, the work offers huge amount of job satisfaction,
as our work aims at bringing about social change. The candidate may
inform the level of current and expected compensation, including a
willingness for accepting a lower compensation also, if his/her
existing package is very high. As an NGO we pay a very decent
salary, but not exorbitant salaries, which large companies do pay.
This is an important factor for candidates to consider when
applying.

HOW TO
APPLY
Send you
curriculum vitae, with two references and their coordinates (phone
number and e-mail address) to:

JOB DESCRIPTION

Trainee economists and lawyers

will be required to assist in doing research on international trade and economic
policy issues for the CUTS Centre for International Trade, Economics
& Environment. Responsibilities include collection and analyses
of primary as well as secondary data, assisting in preparing
research reports, writing briefing papers, discussion papers,
monographs, viewpoint papers, fact sheets etc. Subjects would mainly
relate to international trade and economic policy making, such as
the World Trade Organisation.

Fresh economists
and lawyers, with or without specialisation in international economics and
research
experience are encouraged to apply. Should be a
skilled communicator, both oral and written, with sound knowledge of
word processing packages.

The person
should have the ability to translate/demystify issues for the
layperson and trade negotiators, who are usually civil servants. The
job would also involve networking with civil society activists on
issues relating to international trade and concomitant domestic
policy issues.

We are NOT
looking for persons who are interested in pursuing theory or
primary research. Our person should have the inclination to apply
the research and have an interest in  political economy/international
affairs.

Overall
Requirements

The post is
based at the Jaipur office of the CUTS Centre for International
Trade, Economics & Environment. The job requires analytical bent
of mind, well conversant with the political economic aspects of
international trade and economic policy making issues,
reader-friendly writing skills, and willing to put in long hours and
travel frequently within India and abroad.

The Pink City of
India, Jaipur offers a friendly environment and a good quality of
life. It is the capital of Rajasthan with a population of about 3mn,
well connected to New Delhi by air, rail and road. It has direct
train and air services to most capital cities in India, and also
direct bus services to closer state capitals such as Bhopal,
Ahmedabad, and Chandigarh. Cost of living is lower than in New
Delhi, while rentals are certainly much lower than most metro
cities. Besides all this it also has good health care and other
facilities for a comfortable life.

Compensation

Compensation is
commensurate and will not be a limiting factor for the right person.
More importantly, the work offers huge amount of job satisfaction,
as our work aims at bringing about change. That is why our mission
reads: “To pursue social justice and economic equity within and
across borders by persuading governments and empowering
people.”

HOW TO
APPLY
Send you
curriculum vitae, with two references and their coordinates (phone
number and e-mail address) to:

ARE YOU INTERESTED IN DOING RESEARCH FOR
BRINGING CHANGE
(Part Time Consultants)

BACKGROUND
Established in 1983, Consumer Unity & Trust Society
(CUTS) is a non-profit, non-government rights advocacy group, whose
work is divided into four operational areas:

• Consumer protection, which
  includes accountability, regulatory reforms etc;
• Trade and development,
  which include investment and competition policies;
• Sustainable production and
  consumption, including consumer safety; and
• Rural consumers and women’s
  empowerment.

The
organisation, with its headquarters in Jaipur, Rajasthan, India has
offices in Calcutta and Chittorgarh in India and in Lusaka in
Zambia. It is accredited to the United Nations Conference on Trade
and Development, the United Nations Commission on Sustainable
Development and the United Nations Environment Programme.

CUTS has been engaged in
research and advocacy work on social, economic, environmental and
development issues at local, national, regional and international
levels, with a special focus on consumers.

Over the years, the
organisation has expanded its capacity and now conducts studies
through five specialised centres, which are:

• Centre for International
  Trade, Economics & Environment (CITEE),
• Centre for Consumer Action,
  Research & Training (CART),
• Centre for Human
  Development (CHD),
• Centre for Sustainable
  Production and Consumption, and
• Africa Resource
  Centre.

The
organisation believes that research is crucial for conducting
effective advocacy. Some of its research is sponsored or
commissioned, whereas some is funded from internal
sources.

Furthermore, it is the
organisation’s policy to engage outside researchers and consultants
for research activities. For this purpose, it maintains a database
of part time consultants, which is continuously updated. At present,
the database is being updated and we invite suitable persons in the
following areas.

• AREAS
  Trade and Competition Policy
  Trade and Investment
  Policy
  Trade and
  Environment
  Trade and
  Social Clause
  Trade
  in Agriculture
  Agriculture and Biotechnology
  Trade in Services
  Trade and Intellectual Property
  Rights
  Intellectual
  Property Rights and Biological Diversity
  Trade in Textiles and
  Clothing
  Regional
  Trade Agreements
  Non-tariff Barriers and Market Access
  Trade Law and Dispute
  Settlement
  Electronic
  Commerce and Information Technology Agreement
  Competition Policy and
  Law
  FDI and
  Investment Policy
  Consumer Policy and Law
  Consumer Issues (safety, education,
  redressal, representation etc)
  Economic Issues (regulatory reforms,
  budget analysis etc)
  Developmental Issues (employment, poverty, inequality,
  debt, micro-finance etc)
  Reproductive and Child Health
  Gender Issues (women’s rights,
  empowerment etc)
  Atmospheric Issues (climate change etc)
  Environmental Issues (pollution,
  water conservation, natural resources management
  etc)

QUALIFICATIONS
Masters Degree and at least two years work experience,
preferably in research or policy work.

We are NOT looking for a
person interested in doing theoretical
research.

REMUNERATION
Remuneration will commensurate with expertise, experience
and the level of involvement

HOW TO
APPLY
Send you
curriculum vitae, with two references and their coordinates (phone
number and e-mail address) to:

Consumer Unity & Trust Society (CUTS)

D–217, Bhaskar
Marg, Bani Park,