Program Officer, Sankalp Initiative - SPS

About the Organisation:

Samaj Pragati Sahayog (SPS) is headquartered in a drought-prone, tribal area of Madhya Pradesh. It is one of India's largest non-government initiatives for water, livelihoods and women’s empowerment. SPS believes that to address India’s long-standing problems, we must graduate to an alternative development model based on the principles of equity, sustainability and people’s empowerment. SPS tries to address the crisis of Indian agriculture by evolving an alternative low-risk and low-cost approach, reducing dependence on chemical inputs. SPS invites applications from suitable candidates for the Program Officer of the organisation:

Project Overview:

Sankalp is an implementation research project that aims to reduce the Neonatal Mortality Rate (NMR) to less than 10 per 1000 live births. The project is being led by AIIMS, New Delhi through an ICMR-supported multicentric study, with Samaj Pragati Sahayog (SPS), Khargone and Dewas as field partners, and National Health Mission (NHM), Madhya Pradesh as the main collaborator.

The project has been operational since March 2024.

Dr Ramesh Agarwal, Professor and in-charge of NICU, AIIMS New Delhi is the PI and Prof Deepak Chawla of GMC, Chandigarh and Dr Yogesh Jain, Public health practitioner are the Co-PI.

Key Responsibilities:
• Work with health department of Khargone, development partners and state government counterparts to develop, implement, monitor, and report on different programs’ activities including work plans, budgets, activities, Monitoring & Evaluation (M&E) framework, and reports.
• Work with the supervisor to design work plans, develop activity budgets, submit timely expenditure reports, and ensure efficient use of available resources.
• Provide site-level technical support, develop, and organize clinical training, and support performance improvement processes, and systems within clinical sites, at the district and sub- district level.
• Organize and conduct training, workshops, and on-site coaching including planning training schedules, identifying trainers, monitoring training, and post-training follow-up.
• Coordinate technical input for smooth and consistent program implementation, support activities, and project designs, while ensuring the overall technical quality of Jhpiego processes and products. Ensure the state government has the necessary technical input and coordination to achieve desired results.
• Facilitate project activities including workshop planning, photocopies, travel arrangements, and other activity support to ensure smooth implementation of all projects.
• Conduct regular supportive supervision visits to identified facilities; coordinate with service providers, administrators, and program managers to ensure availability of logistics, adherence to protocols, and provision of quality MNH services.
• Regularly meet with all stakeholders of allotted clinical sites as well as district administration for smooth project management and respond in a timely manner for meetings, reports, and other requests
• In collaboration with Jhpiego staff, establish systems for tracking progress, indicators, and deliverables according to agreed work plans and prepare program reports to ensure donor reporting needs.
• Coordinate and collaborate with government officials, stakeholders, Jhpiego staff, and consultants for effective implementation of the programs as well as liaise with other partners working in the field of Maternal health, HMIS, and pre-service nursing education at district and state level.
• Coordinate field testing and implementation of technological innovations for Maternal and Child health.
• Coordinate with all stakeholders for adherence to evidence-based clinical protocols for maternal and child health in allotted sites along with providing support for ensuring the availability of supplies in the Labor room and provision of support in referral process.
• Work closely with the supervisor on setting program priorities and directions, and responding to requests for technical support from government and local counterparts.
• Assist the supervisor in developing periodic project reports from time to time, as required.
• Perform or assume other duties as assigned by the supervisor to achieve the organizational goals.

Qualifications and Experience:

Educational Qualification:
• Master’s degree in public health, Social Work, Rural Development, Health Administration, or a related field.
• Candidates with a medical, nursing, or paramedical background will be given preference.

Work Experience:
• Minimum 3–5 years of experience in public health programs, preferably in Maternal and Newborn Health (MNH) or Health Systems Strengthening.
• Experience working with government health departments, NHM, or development sector organizations is desirable.
• Strong skills in program management, coordination, training facilitation, monitoring & evaluation, and stakeholder engagement.

Other Competencies:
• Excellent verbal and written communication skills in English and Hindi.
• Proficiency in MS Office (Word, Excel, PowerPoint) and data management tools.
• Ability to travel extensively within the district and occasionally outside.

Remuneration: Up to Rs 18,00,000 per annum (CTC), based on qualifications and experience.

How to apply
Interested people can send their resumes to recruitments.sps@gmail.com & hr@samajpragatisahayog.org before October 31st, 2025.

Note: Only shortlisted candidate will be connected by us.