Website Care India

Position:
State Program Manager- Communicable Disease

Grade/Level

Project/Unit

LF Project

Reports to:

State Program Manager- VL

Location:

Ranchi, Jharkhand

Project Duration

October 2021 – September 2024

Project Background

Lymphatic Filariasis (LF) and Visceral leishmaniasis (VL) are two serious public health problems on the Indian subcontinent, causing high morbidity and mortality. The governments in the region have launched elimination initiative for both these diseases. The Govt of India (GOI) goal is to eliminate LF and VL, i.e. Reduce annual incidence of the disease to less than threshold levels at the sub district (block) level.

CARE, through generous funding from BMGF, is providing strategic leadership and on-ground implementation support to the overall VL control activities in Bihar and Jharkhand in close partnership with respective departments of State Government and the National Vector Borne Disease Control Program (NVBDCP).

This is the third phase of the Visceral Leishmaniasis (VL, or kala azar) program, this phase grant aims to consolidate the work of strengthening systems to accelerate progress towards elimination and to support sustaining it thereafter, building on the current momentum in the program to aim for “elimination of VL as a public health problem”, reaching an annual incidence of below 1/10000 in all blocks by 2020 as presently defined.

With Generous support of Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, CARE’s is starting a project on elimination of Lymphatic Filariasis in the states of Bihar and Jharkhand. The two key strategies for the elimination of lymphatic filariasis (LF) are: Mass Drug Administration (MDA) and Morbidity Management & Disability Prevention (MMDP).

The strategic goal and primary outcome of the project is to support the Government of Bihar and Government of Jharkhand to attain sustainable elimination of LF in the two states. The project started in October 2021 and will continue till September 2024.

Job Summary

She/he will be the key person to oversee field operations of the CARE team in support of VL & LF elimination in Jharkhand and will ensure quality delivery of program interventions in the state. She/he will work in close coordination with the communicable disease team and CML team to ensure the technical integrity of interventions and promote data driven effective management within the program and in government systems. She/he will liaise with Government functionaries, other stakeholders, and development agencies other key players at the Program Area level towards ensuring quality support to the elimination program of GoJ.

Contract/Key Relationships

Will be closely working with other cells of CARE Bihar/Jharkhand team and key counterparts in GoJ and development partners.

Authority

District Program Officers, District Coordinators, Admin/Program Coordinators and others in Jharkhand.

Key Responsibilities

Provide overall leadership and operational support to the communicable disease program in the state of Jharkhand. Oversee the effective implementation of field activities of the CARE team in support of LF and VL elimination program in the state. Specifically:

Ensure effective support to the district teams for planning, execution, monitoring as per strategy.
Ensure the deployment and use of online / offline documentation system across the state for VL as well as LF.
Ensure establishment of effective IRS, surveillance and outbreak investigation by the CARE district teams, as planned for VL elimination program.
Ensure establishment of effective Mass Drug Administration, Morbidity management and disability prevention (MMDP), Line listing of LF cases, Night Blood Survey and TAS for the LF elimination program.
Monitor and ensure high level of fidelity of data generated by CARE field teams.
Support to the establishment and high-quality implementation of any new activities as planned from time to time
Help maintain high levels of motivation and energy in CARE field teams
Maintain close liaison with key State and district level leadership of the Government of Jharkhand and ensure that the concerned CARE District Coordinators and DPOs are adequately supported in their efforts to leverage the attention of such leadership in monitoring and executing implementation of VL and LF elimination activities.
Liaise with Principal Secretary (Health), MD-NHM and other State Government officials and share regular updates.
Support the strategic visioning, on-going mentoring and techno-managerial support in the areas of planning, budgeting and fund flow, logistics and supplies, human resources and information systems for GoJ from block till divisional level
Plan and ensure the smooth transition of all key activities to the government counterpart.
Ensure effective and cordial relationships with field teams of partner organizations also engaged in supporting VL elimination specifically and supporting reform of health systems and programs more generally in the state.
Identify gaps in CARE team’s capacities and performance on an ongoing basis and act to ensure that such gaps are filled in time.
Work closely with the state level CARE team members to maintain seamless two- way communication between state and district teams
Work closely with CARE’s leadership to keep them apprised of the status of the program interventions on the ground and seek support for strengthening any intervention or rectifying issues that cannot be resolved locally.
Support HR and admin functions related to the DPOs, DCs including but not limited to recruitment, training and management of Block Coordinators, budgeting and financial approvals of program activities, approvals of field movements and leaves, etc
Ensure high levels of integrity in the discharge of all functions; particularly, ensure sound control, full compliance, best practice and effective and efficient management of all financial resources.
Periodically reviews program progress and interim results to ensure alignment with organizational GED framework.
Produce good quality documentation of the lessons learned.
Support in other project activities as per requirement.

Qualification & Experience

Essential:

Master’s in social work / Social Science / Public Health with over 5 years of Public Health experience.
Minimum 5 years of progressively responsible professional experience in managing and implementing healthcare programs at the District/field levels.
Experience in leading disease elimination related activities in the field
Demonstrated experience of efficiently managing a large and diverse team.
Excellent knowledge of local language (Hindi)
Strong familiarity with field operational detail of disease elimination program
Experience of working in close collaboration with Government functionaries.

Skills & Competencies

Functional Skills and Competencies

Proven ability to identify problem areas, analyze, plan, innovate and execute ideas, as well as impart knowledge and skills
Demonstrated ability to mobilize Government systems to strengthen national programs
Ability to train/mentor program managers in technical and operational aspects VL interventions, and to mentor subordinates to be good mentors in turn Excellent negotiation skills
Demonstrated ability to establish collaborative relationship with formal and informal stakeholder groups to achieve program impact
Demonstrated ability to identify programmatic issues that require immediate attention, prioritize and take appropriate and timely action
Demonstrates efficient decision making and problem solving skills vii. Ability to represent program as a brand at the various levels
Ability to travel extensively to districts / blocks and villages

Managerial and Leadership Skills & Competencies

Demonstrated ability to lead, manage and mentor a large and diverse team
Demonstrated ability to plan, implement and monitor Program Operations across large geographies
Excellent interpersonal, communication and presentation skills
Demonstrated learning agility, pro-activeness and openness to embrace new technologies at work.
Ability to function effectively as a team member and respect diversity in a team
Accountability and Managing Performance
Effective Multi-tasking capabilities
Fluency in Hindi and English is essential

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