Cluster Block Coordinator

Position Title:  Cluster Block Coordinator

Location:  Assam

Organisation:  YR Gaitonde Medical Educational & Research Foundation (YRGMERF)

Project: JSI IS

Experience Required:  5 years

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

About YRG MERF

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

In India, the TIFA project aims to strengthen national health security through coordinated action across government systems and community stakeholders. This approach is designed to build a resilient ecosystem capable of detecting, preventing, and responding to emerging infectious disease threats.

Role Overview

The Cluster Block Coordinator (CBC) is the person who works closely with the district and State team to get the project work done as per the operational plan. This is not a desk role. The CBC spends 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

Community Mobilisation

• Conducts interactions with block level officials from the departments of human health, animal health, forestry, agriculture and environment department using standard checklist to collect necessary information about current status of One Health activities in the block. Supports in preparation of block level landscaping report.
  
• Ensures preparation of agenda, coordination among BOHC members to fianlise the date of BOHC meetings, prepares minutes and discusses with the members to finalise the minutes. Once approved by the chair of the BOHC committee - shares among the BOHC members and archives in the project folder.
  
• Ensures follow-up of action points with various departments and supports in skilling, refresher orientation of the participants.
  
• Ensures block level risk mapping by the block level staff from the above mentioned departments are carried out, those information are analysed by the State DQA officers, feedbacks are shared. Once the risk map is ready share with BOHC members and seek their feedback before submission to the District coordinators.
  
• Ensures block level officers carry simulation exercises as per the schedule, mobilise required resources for the simulation exercise at the village level. Coordinate with district and State team to ensure necessary logistics support is provided for the simulation exercises.
  
• Supports in organising block level skilling activities by master resource persons. In consultation with block level officers of above mentioned departments, prepares a weekly skilling plan and ensure
  
• coordination to adhere to the timeline for completing the skilling activities. Ensure the skilling activities details - date, name and designation of participants are updated in the performance trackers.
  
• Cascade skilling activities should be carried out by the supervisors who received on the job skilling in the above point. Ensure that those ground level staff skilling activities are also entered in the performance tracker. Share any particular issue with district coordinator for resolution.
  
• Ensure that the QR code shared with participants during the skilling sessions are displayed at strategic locations so that IHIP reporting is improved. Works closely with district coordinators so that they coordinate with DSOs to process the signals received in IHIP portal - instructing the Block level officers to initiate investigation.
  
• Ensures risk communication activities are initiated on ground by the participants i.e. ASHA, Pasu Sakhi, Forest staffs.
  
• Ensure JRRT visits for outbreak response are well coordinated among the department officials.
  
• Prepare and present progress updates during the monthly review meetings. These meetings should align with the project priorities.
  
• Help in documentation and field supervisory visits, record the minutes of the meetings and share the final documents with block and district level officials.
  
• Establish a working relationship with the BOHC members and Tehsildar, BDO or Assistant Commissioner rank official who chairs the BOHC. Provide weekly informal updates to the district coordinator on progress of project activity in the district
  
• Coordinate with Block Medical Officers to ensure that MOs at PHCs are aware of their verification responsibilities and have the IHIP access and skilling needed to perform them
  
• Maintain a register of all government meetings attended, with date, attendees, discussion points, and action items. This register serves as evidence of government engagement for donor reporting.
  
• Submit weekly data reports to the district coordinator covering: BOHC activities, skilling activities,
  
• IHIP reporting and JRRT activities, reporting to response loop closure, use of alert log book.
  
• Maintain all source documents: skilling attendance sheets with signatures, community meeting minutes, signal tracking registers, photograph logs, and government meeting records. These are audit-ready documents and must be kept current and complete at all times
  
• Support the State Data Quality Assurance Officer during data quality audits by making all source documents available and facilitating field visits to verify reported data.
  

Requirements

Qualifications and Experience

• Graduate degree in science, public health, animal husbandry. Post-graduation in public health, or community development is preferred
  
•  Minimum 2 years of field-level experience in community health programmes. Candidates who have worked as Block Managers or District Coordinators in NHM, NRHM, Animal Husbandry Program or NGO-implemented health programmes will be preferred
  
• The candidate must be from the region or must have lived and worked in the state for at least 2 years. Local language fluency is non-negotiable: Kannada for Karnataka positions, Assamese for Assam positions and Hindi for Rajasthan positions
  
• Comfort using smartphones, WhatsApp, and basic data entry in Excel or Google Sheet.
  
• 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 strongly preferred.
  

Benefits

• 24 days of annual leave, in addition to public holidays.
  
• Health insurance coverage
  
• Opportunity to work in a collaborative and inclusive environment.
  
• ​Scope for learning and professional development