Cluster Block Coordinator in Assam | YRG MERF

YRGMERF

Set up in 1993, YRGMERF is one of India's leading non-governmental organisations working to improve health outcomes. It brings together direct healthcare, partnerships with government and communities, and research that shapes what actually gets done on the ground. The organisation works on prevention, care, support and treatment, with deep experience in HIV and other infectious diseases. Its current work in Assam builds a community based surveillance model that lets Self Help Groups and Mahila Arogya Samitis spot and report early warning signals using the National Centre for Disease Control's IHIP tools, under the Integrated Disease Surveillance Programme framework. This role sits within YRGMERF's health security project team, which links block officials, district administration and village level workers so outbreaks are caught early and answered quickly.

Role

The Cluster Block Coordinator is the person who makes the project's operational plan happen at the block level. This is not a desk job. Around 70 to 80 percent of the time is spent in the field, in blocks, sub centres, villages and primary health centres, and the remaining 20 to 30 percent at the district headquarters for government meetings, data compilation and reporting. The role works closely with the district and state teams, and with officials from the human health, animal health, forestry, agriculture and environment departments.

Responsibilities

• Meet block level officials from the human health, animal health, forestry, agriculture and environment departments using a standard checklist, and support the preparation of the block landscaping report.
• Organise Block One Health Committee (BOHC) meetings: prepare the agenda, agree dates with members, write the minutes, get them approved by the chair, circulate them and archive them, then follow up action points with each department and support refresher orientation for participants.
• Ensure block level risk mapping is completed by department staff, share the analysed map with BOHC members for their feedback, and submit it to the district coordinator.
• Ensure simulation exercises are carried out on schedule and coordinate with the district and state teams so the logistics and resources reach the village level.
• Plan weekly skilling activities with master resource persons and block officers, and record every session in the performance tracker, including cascade training run by supervisors.
• Make sure the QR codes given out during training sessions are displayed where people will see them, so IHIP reporting improves.
• Work with district coordinators so that signals raised in the IHIP portal reach District Surveillance Officers and block officers begin investigation.
• Support ASHA workers, Pasu Sakhis and forest staff to start risk communication activities in their villages.
• Coordinate Joint Rapid Response Team visits for outbreak response across departments, and work with Block Medical Officers so doctors at primary health centres have IHIP access and understand their verification duties.
• Present progress updates at monthly review meetings and give the district coordinator informal weekly updates on project activity.
• Submit weekly data reports to the district coordinator covering BOHC activity, skilling, IHIP reporting, Joint Rapid Response Team work, closure of the reporting to response loop, and use of the alert log book.
• Maintain audit ready records at all times: attendance sheets with signatures, community meeting minutes, signal tracking registers, photograph logs, and a register of every government meeting attended with date, attendees, discussion points and action items.
• Support the State Data Quality Assurance Officer during data quality audits by making source documents available and arranging field visits to verify reported data.

Requirements

• Graduate degree in science, public health or animal husbandry.
• Post graduation in public health or community development is preferred.
• Minimum 2 years of field level experience in community health programmes.
• Experience as a Block Manager or District Coordinator with NHM, NRHM, an Animal Husbandry programme or an NGO run health programme is preferred.
• Must be from the region, or have lived and worked in Assam for at least two years.
• Fluency in Assamese is essential and not negotiable.
• Comfortable using a smartphone, WhatsApp and basic data entry in Excel or Google Sheets.
• Willing to spend 70 to 80 percent of working time in the field, in blocks, sub centres, villages and primary health centres.
• Willing to travel widely within the district, including remote blocks and villages with poor road access.
• Owning a two wheeler with a valid driving licence is strongly preferred.
• Able to build steady working relationships with government officials, including the Tehsildar, BDO or Assistant Commissioner rank officer who chairs the BOHC.
• Careful with records, minutes and reporting deadlines, since these documents are used as evidence in donor reporting and audits.

Benefits

• 24 days of annual leave, in addition to public holidays.
• Health insurance coverage.
• A collaborative and inclusive working environment.
• Room to learn and grow professionally.
• YRGMERF is an equal opportunity organisation and welcomes differences in ability, sexual orientation, ethnicity, faith and gender.

Apply

Interested candidates can apply through the link given below

Apply

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