Program Director

TANUH; Bengaluru; On-site; INR 4,000,000 - 6,500,000; Full time

Job summary

TANUH, an AI Centre of Excellence in Healthcare at IISc Bengaluru, seeks a Program Director to lead nationwide deployment of AI-enabled NCD screening tools. The role demands senior leadership, managing NGOs/consortia, and interfacing with state health departments to impact over a million individuals by 2027. Bengaluru-based with national travel.

Qualifications

• Master’s degree in Public Health (MPH), Epidemiology, Global Health, Health Systems Research, Public Policy, or a related field.
• Minimum of 15 years of progressive leadership experience in managing large-scale, donor-funded community health or public health programs in India.
• Stakeholder management with State/National Government health departments; experience with NGOs/consortia/PPPs.
• Experience designing or leading implementation research, mixed-methods, or operational evaluations in public health.
• Experience deploying digital health platforms and AI-enabled decision support tools in resource-constrained settings.

Responsibilities

• Lead workforce training strategy and scale delivery for frontline workers and clinicians on AI screening tools.
• Oversee implementation research, data governance, and evidence packaging for national-scale impact.
• Manage program governance, end-to-end execution, and multi-stakeholder coordination.
• Navigate public health stakeholders and develop state adoption strategies for sustainable ownership.
• Oversee partner performance, KPIs, milestones, and contractual deliverables.
• Drive product feedback loops and continuous improvement of digital health tools.
• Identify risks and lead mitigation strategies across operational, clinical, and regulatory domains.

Skills

Data governance

Public health leadership

Training design

Policy engagement

Implementation research

Education

Master’s degree in Public Health or related field

Tools

M&E dashboards

AI-enabled tools

Job description

Job Description: Program Director - AI-Enabled NCD Care Program

About the Organization

TANUH is an AI Centre of Excellence in Healthcare at IISc Bengaluru, funded by the Ministry of Education, Government of India. We develop and deploy AI-enabled screening tools for Non‑Communicable Diseases (NCDs)—currently covering oral cancer, breast cancer, gestational diabetes, and renal and vascular diseases. Designed to be used by frontline health workers (FLWs) in rural and remote settings without requiring specialist clinical presence, our tools bridge critical gaps in healthcare access. We are now seeking implementation partners to deploy these tools at population scale.

Position Overview

TANUH is seeking a visionary and experienced Program Director to spearhead our nationwide initiative to deploy, track, and measure the impact of AI‑enabled decision support tools for NCDs. This role requires an exceptional leader capable of managing complex implementation partners (NGOs and consortia), interfacing with state government health departments, and driving a massive population‑scale rollout targeting over one million individuals by 2027.

Location: Bengaluru (with national travel to deployment sites of roughly 35%).

Duration: Full‑time, critical leadership role.

Key Responsibilities

1. Workforce Training Strategy & Quality of Delivery at Scale
   • Design Scalable Training Frameworks: Oversee the development and execution of standardized, tech‑enabled training and certification protocols to rapidly upskill large, distributed networks of frontline workers and clinicians on AI screening tools and digital workflows.
   • Manage the "Go/No‑Go" Quality Gates: Lead the rigorous operational assessment during test deployments. Enforce strict benchmarks ensuring that full‑scale program delivery only commences in a geography once workforce proficiency and data‑collection infrastructure meet TANUH's quality standards.
   • Implement Continuous Quality Audits: Establish real‑time data monitoring and operational feedback loops to detect variations in delivery quality. Utilize program data to execute targeted retraining and immediate course corrections, mitigating field errors and safeguarding data integrity.
2. Implementation Research, Data & Evaluation
   • Establish Research Frameworks: Design and manage the implementation research framework to evaluate how AI tools integrate into existing rural workflows, identify systemic barriers, and gather evidence on cost‑effectiveness and clinical yield.
   • Oversee Measurement & Evaluation (M&E): Collaborate directly with TANUH’s appointed independent M&E partners to ensure airtight data collection, monitoring, and quality assurance protocols are executed by implementation partners.
   • Evidence Packaging & Dissemination: Synthesize programmatic data to validate the population‑level impact of AI‑driven NCD screening, leading the packaging and dissemination of research findings, policy briefs, and white papers to the global health community.
   • Lead the program's data governance strategy: Establish robust frameworks for data quality, privacy, security, consent management, and regulatory compliance (including the Digital Personal Data Protection Act, 2023, where applicable). Ensure standardized data collection, validation, reporting, and quality assurance across all implementation partners, working closely with technology and clinical teams to maintain the integrity and reliability of program data.
3. Programmatic Governance & Operations
   • Drive End‑to‑End Execution: Lead the program across all distinct phases: Partnership Development, Technology Integration, Test Deployments, and Scale Delivery.
   • Track the Care Cascade: Ensure implementation partners successfully map populations and complete the entire care cascade—guiding screen‑positive individuals from remote screening through to successful referral and clinical treatment initiation.
   • Financial Oversight: Manage and optimize multi‑million rupee budgets allocated across technology integration, training, and field delivery costs.
4. Stakeholder Navigation & Health Systems Integration & Sustainability
   • Navigate Public Health Stakeholders: Strategically support implementation partners as they navigate complex public health relationships and drive engagement with State Government Health Departments and district‑level authorities. Develop state‑specific adoption strategies that enable governments to transition from pilot implementations to sustainable institutional ownership.
   • Architect Sustainability Models: Devise a credible, strategic pathway and support additional fundraising activities to ensure the program continues effectively without relying solely on initial TANUH funding.
5. Partner Performance Management
   • Select and onboard implementation partners through structured readiness assessments.
   • Establish clear KPIs, milestones and contractual deliverables for each partner.
   • Monitor partner performance through dashboards and periodic reviews.
   • Identify underperforming partners early and implement corrective actions.
   • Ensure consistency of implementation quality across diverse geographies and organizations.
   • Build a community of practice to facilitate learning across implementation partners.
6. Product Feedback & Continuous Improvement
   • Create structured mechanisms for frontline workers and clinicians to provide feedback on AI tools and workflows.
   • Prioritize field issues with TANUH's product and engineering teams.
   • Drive continuous improvement of digital products based on implementation evidence.
   • Ensure technology evolves alongside program needs.
7. Program Risk Management
   • Identify operational, clinical, regulatory, reputational and technology risks.
   • Develop mitigation plans and escalation mechanisms.
   • Lead rapid response during implementation challenges.

Requirements

Education

• Minimum Requirement: Master’s degree in Public Health (MPH), Epidemiology, Global Health, Health Systems Research, Public Policy, or a related field.

Experience

• Minimum of 15 years of progressive leadership experience in managing large‑scale, donor‑funded community health or public health programs in India.
• Stakeholder Management Experience: Demonstrated experience working with State and/or National Government health departments in India. Experience managing NGOs, implementation partners, consortiums, or public‑private partnerships. Experience influencing senior policymakers and health system leaders without direct authority.
• Workforce Scaling Expertise: Demonstrated success in developing training architectures and quality‑assurance systems for extensive networks of Frontline Health Workers operating in rural and hard‑to‑reach communities.
• Proven Track Record in Implementation Research: Direct experience designing or leading mixed‑methods implementation research, clinical field trials, or rigorous operational evaluations in public health. Experience translating program evidence into operational improvements, publications, policy recommendations, or scale‑up strategies.
• Tech‑Health Convergence: Experience working alongside technology teams to deploy and integrate digital health solutions (mHealth apps, electronic registries, or decision‑support tools) into existing public health systems.
• Demonstrated success leading large, multi‑state public health or health systems strengthening programs involving multiple implementing partners.
• Experience managing complex programs with cross‑functional teams, multiple workstreams, budgets, timelines, risks, and dependencies.
• Proven ability to establish/run Program Management Offices (PMOs), governance mechanisms, and performance management systems.
• Experience managing large implementation budgets and ensuring delivery against agreed milestones and outcomes.
• Experience deploying digital health platforms, AI‑enabled decision support tools, electronic health records, mobile health applications, or digital public health solutions in resource‑constrained settings.
• Demonstrated ability to work effectively with multidisciplinary teams comprising clinicians, engineers, data scientists, product managers, and implementation partners.
• Experience driving adoption of digital tools among frontline health workers.

Competencies & Skills

• Analytical & Data Rigor: Deep familiarity with data auditing, monitoring systems, and using data to drive swift operational changes.
• Agility: The ability to pivot operational strategies and manage the pressure of strict "Go/No‑Go" integration checkpoints.
• Government & Partner Engagement: Exceptional communication skills, with a proven ability to interface effectively with elite academic researchers, technology developers, NGO leaders, and senior government health officials.

Benefits

• The unique opportunity to shape the national blueprint for how artificial intelligence transforms public health delivery at a population scale in India.
• A highly collaborative environment intersecting world‑class academic research (IISc Bengaluru) with real‑world grassroots health impact.
• Competitive compensation commensurate with senior‑level public health roles.