District Coordinator Karnataka Assam

YRG; Kamrup Metropolitan; On-site; INR 420,000 - 640,000; Full time

Job summary

YR Gaitonde Medical Educational & Research Foundation (YRGMERF) seeks a District Coordinator to implement decentralised community-based surveillance in Karnataka and Assam. The role requires hands-on field work across blocks, SHG/MAS engagement, and real-time signal follow-up with MO involvement.

The candidate will train sentinel reporters, maintain logbooks, coordinate with health authorities, and ensure timely verification and reporting to strengthen local public health response.

Qualifications

• Graduate degree in science or public health; public health postgraduate preferred.
• Minimum 3 years of field-level experience in community health programmes.
• Regional residency or long stay in the state; local language fluency is non-negotiable.
• Comfort using smartphones, WhatsApp, and basic data entry in Excel or Google Sheets.
• Willingness to travel extensively within the district.
• Own two-wheeler preferred for Karnataka; familiarity with riverine transport for Assam.

Responsibilities

• Identify and map existing community platforms in every block of the district.
• Meet with SHG and MAS leadership to secure participation and select sentinel reporters.
• Conduct sentinel training and distribute job aids and laminated reference cards.
• Establish communication channels (WhatsApp groups/phone trees) for real-time updates.
• Conduct monthly community health meetings to review signals and feedback.

Skills

Field-level experience

Local language fluency

Smartphone usage

Willingness to travel

Education

Graduate degree in science/public health

Tools

Excel

Google Sheets

WhatsApp

Job description

Job Description:

PositionTitle: District Coordinator (Karnataka, Assam)

Location: 4 (two in Karnataka, two in Assam) – Shivamogga,Chikkamangalore, Dibrugarh & Nalbari

Organisation: YR Gaitonde Medical Educational & ResearchFoundation (YRGMERF)

Project: JSI CBS

ExperienceRequired: Minimum 3 years of field-level experience incommunity health programmes

Compensation: Remuneration will reflect the candidate’sexperience and skills, subject to the approved budget

About YRG MERF

Established in 1993, YRGMERF is a leadingnon-governmental organisation in India dedicated to improving health outcomesthrough integrated healthcare, inclusive partnerships, and research-driveninterventions. Guided by the principles of integrity and sustainability, theorganisation addresses both immediate and emerging public health challenges,with a strong focus on prevention, care, support, and treatment—particularly inthe area of HIV and other infectious diseases.

In India, the TIFA project aims to strengthennational health security through coordinated action across government systemsand community stakeholders. This approach is designed to build a resilientecosystem capable of detecting, preventing, and responding to emerginginfectious disease threats.

As part of this initiative, a decentralisedcommunity-based surveillance model will be implemented, aligned with theNational Centre for Disease Control (NCDC)’s Integrated Health InformationPlatform (IHIP) and the Integrated Disease Surveillance Programme (IDSP)framework. The model enables community platforms such as Self-Help Groups(SHGs) and Mahila Arogya Samitis (MAS) to identify and report early warningsignals using IHIP tools, thereby strengthening community ownership, improvingearly detection, and enabling timely public health response.

Role Overview

TheDistrict Coordinator is the person who makes this project work on the ground.Every block visit, every community meeting, every training session, everyinteraction with the PHC Medical Officer, every IHIP signal follow-up – iteither happens through the District Coordinator or because the DistrictCoordinator made it happen. This is not a desk role. The District Coordinatorspends 70–80% of the time in the field (blocks, sub-centres, villages, PHCs)and 20–30% at the district headquarters (government meetings, data compilation,reporting).

Key Responsibilities

CommunityMobilisation

• Identify and map existing community platforms in every blockof the district: Self-Help Groups, Mahila Arogya Samitis, Resident WelfareAssociations, VHSNC members, Panchayat health committee members, and othercommunity structures that can serve as sentinel reporters
• Meet with SHG and MAS leadership to explain the sentinelsurveillance concept, secure their participation, and jointly select memberswho will serve as community sentinels. Selection criteria include: regularpresence in the community, basic literacy, willingness to report, and access toa mobile phone (feature phone or smartphone)
• Conduct the initial sentinel training in each block: translationof NCDC trigger list into observable community language, IHIP CBR tooldemonstration, practice reporting exercises, and distribution of job aids andlaminated reference cards
• Establish WhatsApp groups (or phone tree systems wheresmartphones are not available) for each block, connecting sentinels with theDistrict Coordinator and the assigned Medical Officer for real-timecommunication
• Conduct monthly community health meetings in each blockwhere sentinels share observations, discuss borderline cases, and receivefeedback on signals they reported. These meetings are the primary retentionmechanism – sentinels who feel their reports are taken seriously continuereporting; those who feel ignored stop

SurveillanceSystem Operationalisation

• Ensure that every IHIP signal reported by communitysentinels in the district is tracked through to verification. Maintain a signaltracking register (physical notebook and digital spreadsheet) recording: dateof signal, reporter identity, signal description, MO assigned, verificationstatus, time taken, verification outcome, and follow-up actions
• Follow up with Medical Officers when verification is pendingbeyond 12 hours. The 24-hour verification window is a hard commitment – theDistrict Coordinator’s job is to make sure it is met. Where MOs areconsistently unresponsive, elevate to the Block Medical Officer or DSO throughthe State Coordinator
• Support Medical Officers during field verification visitswhen requested. Some MOs, particularly those new to community surveillance,benefit from having the District Coordinator accompany them during the firstfew verifications to facilitate community interaction
• Ensure that sentinel reporters receive feedback on everysignal they report. Even if a signal turns out to be a non-event afterverification, the reporter must know the outcome. Feedback closure is whatkeeps the reporting chain alive

GovernmentCoordination at District Level

• Establish a working relationship with the DistrictSurveillance Officer and DSO staff from the first week of deployment. AttendIDSP review meetings at the district level. Provide weekly informal updates tothe DSO on community surveillance activity in the district
• Coordinate with Block Medical Officers to ensure that MOs atPHCs are aware of their verification responsibilities and have the IHIP accessand training needed to perform them
• Maintain a register of all government meetings attended,with date, attendees, discussion points, and action items. This register servesas evidence of government engagement for donor reporting

DataCollection and Reporting

• Submit fortnightly data reports to the State Coordinatorcovering: number of active sentinels, signals reported, signals verified,verification time, training sessions conducted, community meetings held,government meetings attended, and any operational challenges
• Maintain all source documents: training attendance sheetswith signatures, community meeting minutes, signal tracking registers,photograph logs, and government meeting records. These are audit-readydocuments and must be kept current and complete at all times
• Support the DATA QUALITY CONTROL Officer during data qualityaudits by making all source documents available and facilitating field visitsto verify reported data

Requirements

Qualifications& Experience

• Graduate degree in science, public health, animal husbandry.Post-graduation in public health, or community development is preferred
• Minimum 3 years of field-level experience in communityhealth programmes. Candidates who have worked as Block Coordinators or DistrictCoordinators or District Managers in NHM, NRHM, Animal Husbandry Program orNGO-implemented health programmes will be preferred
• The candidate must be from the region or must have lived andworked in the state for at least 2 years. Local language fluency isnon-negotiable: Kannada for Karnataka positions, Assamese for Assam positions
• Comfort using smartphones, WhatsApp, and basic data entry inExcel or Google Sheets
• Willingness to travel extensively within the district,including to remote blocks and villages with limited road access
• Own two-wheeler with valid driving licence is stronglypreferred for Karnataka positions. For Assam positions, familiarity with localtransport options including boat transport for riverine areas is important

YRG is anequal-opportunity organisation. At YRG, we are committed to supportinginclusion and diversity as part of our values. We celebrate employee’sdifferences in abilities, sexual orientation, ethnicity, faith, and gender. Ourteam are people with different strengths, experiences, and backgrounds, whoshare a passion for improving peoples lives.

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