Program Officer

PATH is a global nonprofit dedicated to achieving health equity. With more than 40 years of experience forging multisector partnerships and with expertise in science, economics, technology, advocacy, and dozens of other specialties, PATH develops and scales up innovative solutions to the world’s most pressing heath challenges.

Position Summary

PATH is currently seeking to hire a _Program Officer on Third Party Payroll
- Randstad_. The Program Officer will be responsible for supporting the liasoning with the Centre of Competence for Hemoglobinopathies in Maharashtra. This position focuses on coordinating with the Center of Competence for building Health Systems capacities to provide diagnosis, treatment, referral linkages, and counselling services for hemoglobinopathies with focus on Thalassemia. The role involves close coordination with CoC leadership, state health departments, and technical partners. This is a full-time, contractual position for an initial period of 18 months.

Key Responsibilities- Provide technical assistance and coordination support to the State Health Administration and the Centre of Competence for Hemoglobinopathies in planning and implementing operational strategies for Thalassemia prevention, screening, diagnosis, and comprehensive care, in alignment with national and state guidelines.- Coordinate the development of Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs), patient pathways and clinical protocols for hemoglobinopathies with support from CoC.- Prepare and monitor phase-wise screening and service delivery plans across districts for identification and management of individuals with trait and disease, with a focus on high-burden populations.- Support the development and rollout of capacity-building plans, including preparation of training materials and facilitation of training sessions for Medical Officers, Laboratory Technicians, Counsellors, Nurses, ANMs, and CHOs involved in Thalassemia care.- Coordinate the establishment of robust referral linkages from peripheral health facilities to district-level and state-level institutions, ensuring seamless Continuum of Care.- Provide technical support for periodic gap assessments of diagnostics and management services at facility levels, and coordinate with state authorities to streamline supply chains.-
- Facilitate interdepartmental coordination at the state level, including collaboration with the State NHM, RBSK, Blood Cell and Medical Education departments for integrated and synergistic program implementation.- Assist in organizing and facilitating CoC-level workshops, review meetings, and trainings involving district health authorities, program managers, and clinical experts.- Provide technical support for community engagement activities for Thalassemia care at various levels.- Document best practices, success stories, and innovations emerging from the CoC and field implementation for dissemination among stakeholders and donor agencies.- Engage in day-to-day liaison with state-level health administration for smooth program implementation and timely resolution of operational challenges.

Required Skills and Experience- Any medical graduate (MBBS/BAMS/BHMS/BDS) with the Master’s in Public Health or Master’s in Healthcare Management from recognized university.- Minimum 6 years of experience in the field of public health preferably working with district/state governments, in demanding, results-oriented environments in the public sector. Experience of working with a project on sickle cell/blood diseases is desirable.- Prior work experience with district or state governments. Experience of working with tertiary care technical institutions will be desirable.- Deep understanding of the National Health Mission and other related public health programs.- Strong collaboration skills and ability to work in cross-functional teams.- Strong command of English and local language (Marathi for Maharashtra and Hindi for Madhya Pradesh) is preferred.- Strong communication skills, including the development of compelling presentations with the ability to translate technical content and results in formats suitable for various audiences.- Ability to work in a fast-paced, collaborative environment with frequent travel within the state.

Travel: Occasional travel to districts and project sites for monitoring and coordination.

Reporting To: State Program officer (Hemoglobinopathies project)

Project: Strengthening Prevention and Management of Hemoglobinopathies with a Focus on Thalassemia

Location: Nagpur, Maharashtra