Program Officer/Assistant Program Officer - Sexual, Reproductive, Maternal, and Newborn Health

Overview

WJCF is an Indian non-profit organisation committed to saving lives by reducing the burden of disease and strengthening government-owned, high-quality health systems. Since 2007, WJCF has combined data-driven approaches and deep public health expertise with strong government partnerships to design, implement, and scale solutions across India’s national and state health programmes. We work for and at the service of governments — supporting the Ministry of Health & Family Welfare and State Departments of Health to build systems that are strong, sustainable, and led by Indian institutions.

 

As an Indian organisation, WJCF brings an unmatched depth of contextual understanding of India’s health system architecture, policy landscape, and implementation realities across diverse geographies and population groups. This local institutional credibility, combined with global technical rigour, is central to WJCF’s effectiveness as a partner to governments and donors.

 

Our work is built around four complementary roles: as a Trusted Government Partner, co-designing programmes and strengthening health system architecture; as an Operational Partner, translating strategies into effective on-the-ground delivery; as a Market Shaper, improving the availability and affordability of health commodities; and as an Ecosystem Catalyst, convening governments, development partners, academia, and the private sector to drive solutions at scale.

 

WJCF’s programme portfolio spans thematic areas like hepatitis, HIV/AIDS, tuberculosis, vector-borne diseases, syphilis, cervical cancer, diabetes, maternal and childhood anaemia, immunisation, under-5 diarrhoea and pneumonia, sexual and reproductive health, Ayushman Bharat Pradhan Mantri – Jan Arogya Yojana (AB PM-JAY), Ayushman Bharat Digital Mission (ABDM), hypoxemia and oxygen, safe drinking water, sickle cell disease, presbyopia, lead poisoning, and cross cutting thematic areas like AI and Health, integrated disease surveillance and climate and health.

 

We currently support programmes across 19 states and union territories, with teams working at national, state, district, and sub-district levels. Our people are our greatest asset. WJCF brings together a talented, diverse team of professionals from public health, analytics, consulting, healthcare, the development sector, and academia, all united by a shared commitment to improving health outcomes for the people of India. We are entrepreneurial, action-oriented, and deeply grounded in the communities and systems we work in. Our field teams collectively bring hundreds of years of experience managing public health programmes across the country.

 

WJCF collaborates with a range of international and domestic partners and donors to advance its mission, including an affiliation with the Clinton Health Access Initiative (CHAI), a global health organisation with which WJCF shares a common mission and values.

 

Programme Overview:

WJCF seeks to strengthen maternal and newborn care across India by strengthening systems, innovating service delivery, and empowering communities. Our goal is to address the entire continuum of care, from reproductive health and family planning to safe pregnancy and newborn care, through evidence-driven strategies, collaborative partnerships, and sustainable solutions.

 

Since 2018, WJCF has partnered with national and state governments to strengthen Sexual, Reproductive, Maternal, and Newborn Health (SRMNH) services across India. Our work has focused on expanding access to comprehensive abortion care, improving family planning and contraceptive uptake, strengthening antenatal and newborn care, addressing anemia, and piloting innovative service delivery models. Between 2018 and 2023, we supported states in scaling CAC services, building provider capacity, improving iron and folic acid supplementation, enhancing readiness of maternal and newborn health facilities, and closing supply chain gaps for family planning commodities. We also introduced digital health interventions and tested new approaches to improve service delivery.

 

In 2024–2025, WJCF collaborated with state governments to develop multi-year strategies aimed at reducing maternal and neonatal mortality and broadening access to high-quality SRH services. These strategic roadmaps, endorsed by state leadership, lay the foundation for expanding contraceptive choice, including new methods such as long-acting reversible contraceptives, strengthening facility-level MNH care, and establishing robust monitoring and evaluation systems. During this period, WJCF also deepened programmatic support by strengthening access to intravenous iron for treatment of moderate and severe anemia in pregnancy, enhancing CAC service delivery, and expanding availability of modern contraceptive methods through both public and private-sector channels. Additionally, we designed and tested alternative service delivery models for reproductive health and family planning, including leveraging e-pharmacy platforms to reach populations with limited access to SRH products.

Across all years, WJCF has worked closely with government counterparts, development partners, private-sector innovators, and frontline providers to improve access, quality, and awareness across the SRMNH continuum. Our approach combines policy support, data and analytics, operational assistance, market shaping, and scalable implementation models to deliver sustainable impact for women, adolescents, newborns, and families across India.

Project Overview:

India continues to face significant challenges in improving maternal and newborn health outcomes, particularly in high-burden states. Chhattisgarh, with one of the higher neonatal mortality rates in the country, requires urgent and sustained interventions to address key drivers of neonatal morbidity and mortality, including prematurity and respiratory distress.

 

WJCF has a long-standing partnership with the Government of Chhattisgarh, supporting health systems strengthening across multiple domains. In the state, WJCF has supported initiatives related to medical oxygen systems strengthening, improving access to services for communicable diseases such as tuberculosis, immunization, and digital health. Building on this foundation, WJCF is planning to work with the state to further strengthen SRMNH services through evidence-based strategies, robust monitoring systems, and multi-stakeholder collaboration. This includes strengthening the management of neonatal respiratory distress syndrome across the continuum of care, from screening and diagnosis to referral and treatment, with the aim of reducing neonatal mortality and improving health outcomes for neonates and children.

Position Summary:

The Assistant Program Officer/ Program Officer will play a pivotal role in supporting the implementation of SRMNH interventions in Chhattisgarh. Working closely with government counterparts, health facility teams, and community stakeholders, the officer will ensure effective rollout of program activities aimed at reducing neonatal mortality through improved neonatal RDS management and strengthened newborn care. The Assistant Program Officer/ Program Office will coordinate field-level activities, monitor progress against targets, facilitate stakeholder engagement, and ensure timely reporting and documentation. Additionally, the officer will contribute to designing innovative service delivery models, supporting capacity-building initiatives, and driving data-driven decision-making through robust monitoring frameworks. WJCF seeks a proactive and resourceful professional with strong program management skills, field experience in public health, and the ability to work collaboratively with diverse stakeholders. The ideal candidate will have a postgraduate degree in public health or related fields, 5-7 years of relevant experience, and familiarity with maternal and child health programs. Fluency in Hindi and willingness to travel extensively within Chhattisgarh are essential.

Responsibilities

• Support the Program Manager in planning, executing, and monitoring SRMNH interventions across districts in Chhattisgarh.
• Facilitate implementation of neonatal health initiatives focused on reducing neonatal RDS, and other key drivers of neonatal mortality.
• Assist in capacity-building initiatives, including training of ASHAs, ANMs, Medical Officers, and facility staff on SRMNH protocols and service delivery models.
• Monitor field-level activities, conduct supportive supervision visits, and provide real-time feedback to improve program quality and coverage.
• Support documentation and reporting, including data collation, preparation of program reports, success stories, and meeting briefs.
• Facilitate stakeholder engagement at state and district levels, ensuring alignment with government priorities and WJCF objectives.
• Assist in piloting innovative service delivery models and digital health interventions to strengthen SRMNH systems.
• Ensure robust monitoring and evaluation by supporting data-driven decision-making through dashboards and field reporting tools.
• Respond promptly to operational challenges and critical situations with structured action plans and coordination across stakeholders.
• Mobilize community influencers and local leaders to improve awareness and uptake of maternal health and family planning services.
• Support timely availability of essential commodities and equipment  at facilities and community level.
• Ensure accuracy of field-level data collection and reporting; troubleshoot gaps in HMIS or other digital platforms.

Qualifications

• Bachelors or Postgraduate degree in Public Health, Health Management, Population Studies, or equivalent.
• Minimum 5-7 years of experience in public health or community-based programs, preferably in maternal and newborn health.
• Familiarity with SRMNH programs, health systems strengthening, and government health structures.
• Strong analytical and problem-solving skills with ability to interpret health data for decision-making.
• Proficient in MS Office tools and field-level data reporting.
• Excellent interpersonal and organizational skills with ability to work in challenging field environments.
• Fluency in Hindi (speaking, reading, writing) is mandatory; knowledge of local dialects is an advantage.
• Willingness to travel extensively within Chhattisgarh.

Advantages:

• Experience working with government on health systems strengthening at state and/or district level.
• Prior exposure to maternal and child health strengthening programs.
• Management consulting or pharmaceutical industry experience in relevant domains.
• Strategically minded, able to think creatively around long-term program objectives and implementation pathways.
• Demonstrated organizational and leadership skills.
• Ability to multi-task with high degree of ownership and commitment to excellence.

Last Date to Apply: 6th September, 2026