Head of Programmes

 

Location: Remote within India (Pune preferred, with travel to Maharashtra, Bihar, and Delhi)

Reports to: CEO

Team: Programme Team

Start Date: As soon as possible

Remuneration: We don't list a salary because we don't want it to be the primary motivator for applying to this position, nor do we want it to be a deterrent. 

Application deadline: We will review applications on an ongoing basis until the position is filled. To ensure consideration, please submit your application using this form.

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​About Suvita

Suvita is an impact-driven, evidence-based nonprofit focused on increasing uptake of routine childhood vaccinations in India. Over 4 million children born every year still miss their basic vaccinations in India, leading to far too many vaccine-preventable deaths. We run two rigorously tested, complementary programmes:

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1. Immunisation ambassadors: We identify and train local influencers to volunteer as advocates for vaccination with families in their communities.

2. SMS reminders: We send personalised SMS messages to caregivers to prompt timely attendance at government clinics.

 

Since our founding in 2019:

• We reach one in ten children born in India through our SMS vaccination reminders. In partnership with the governments of Bihar and Maharashtra, we’ve reached more than 6 million families with routine immunisation SMS reminders and more than 4 million pregnant women with antenatal care-related SMS reminders.

• We’ve enrolled almost 15,000 community influencers as local ambassadors in districts in Bihar and Maharashtra. 

• GiveWell estimates that our SMS reminders increase vaccination rates by approximately 2 percentage points at a current cost of $0.40 per child reached in Maharashtra and $1.71 per child reached in Bihar. The immunization ambassadors programme increases vaccination rates by around 7 percentage points and costs $1 to $2 per child reached.

• We are running learning sprints to test our immunisation ambassador model.

• We have been incubated and funded by sector leaders like The/Nudge Foundation, Ambitious Impact (formerly Charity Entrepreneurship), Mulago Foundation, GiveWell, D-Prize, Founders Pledge and Schmidt Futures.

• We have appeared in Vox, Giving What We Can and the 80,000 Hours Podcast.

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We are seeking someone to play a core role in exponentially scaling our programmes to reach their full potential. Now is a really exciting time to join the Suvita team.

• Your work will save lives. You’ll be part of a mission-driven, impact-focused organisation, delivering programmes grounded in evidence.

• We have just begun a multi-year phase of accelerated growth so it’s a high-leverage role in a fast-growing organisation, with plenty of opportunities for outsized personal impact. You’ll play a key role in shaping Suvita’s culture and trajectory.

• You will work at the intersection of programme delivery, innovation, tech and government partnerships, and you will help build programme systems capable of reaching millions of children

• We are an org with strong values and a mission-driven team focused on solving difficult problems in global health

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About the role

The Head of Programmes will lead Suvita’s programme function and will be responsible for ensuring that our interventions are executed well, continuously improved, and taken to scale. This is a role for someone who enjoys solving operational problems and building systems that work at scale.

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You will oversee programme delivery managers and field teams, supervise Suvita’s public health partnerships function, and ensure that insights from the Innovation and Monitoring & Evaluation teams translate into concrete improvements in programme delivery.

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The role requires both analytical thinking and operational leadership: diagnosing bottlenecks, prioritising improvements, and building programme systems capable of reaching millions of children.

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You will report to the CEO. You will manage the Senior Manager - Public Health Partnerships, who in turn manages Consultants in the Routine Immunisation cells in both the states we operate in. You’ll also manage Programme Delivery Managers (currently 2, expected to expand to a few more as our programmes grow), who in turn manage the programme teams in each state. 

 

You will work closely with the CEO for strategic decision-making. You will also need to frequently coordinate with other team members whose work interacts with and supports programmes (e.g., Tech, Innovation, and Monitoring & Evaluation).

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​Who are we looking for?

You 

• have previously demonstrated the ability to manage and execute through a team

  • 8+ years of work experience, with 4 to 5 years in leading and managing a team

• are a data-driven decision-maker. This means you have strong analytical thinking and enjoys solving operational problems, AND you can translate insights from data or research into practical programme improvements

• are excellent at planning and project management

• are motivated by the opportunity to save and improve lives

• are comfortable working with government systems and partners, and

• are organised, proactive, and comfortable operating in a fast-moving environment

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Additional requirements:

• Fluent in Hindi & English

• Must be based in India and committed to staying in the country and in this role for at least 2 years.

• Available for programme-related travel

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Key Responsibilities

Lead programme delivery: Ensure Suvita’s programmes are delivered effectively across geographies and operate with high reliability. This includes:

• Overseeing the delivery of Suvita’s SMS reminders programme and other programme activities

• Supporting the expansion of programmes into additional districts or states where appropriate

• Ensuring programme teams have clear priorities and strong execution systems

• Maintaining high operational quality across programme delivery

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Improve programme efficiency and effectiveness: Continuously identify opportunities to improve how Suvita’s programmes operate. This includes:

• Identifying operational bottlenecks and prioritising improvements

  • These can range from marginal improvements on existing processes (e.g. “rework a survey form to make it easier to fill in”) to larger innovations (e.g. “revamp our data collection model in Bihar so that a key step, currently responsible for 40% of the cost, is completely outsourced to government partners”). You will need to work closely with the CEO to strategically prioritise the top ideas.

• Strengthening programme cost-effectiveness and operational efficiency

• Using programme data to guide operational decisions

• Supporting programme managers in diagnosing delivery challenges and implementing improvements

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Build systems that support scale. Help ensure that Suvita’s programmes can grow without losing quality or efficiency. This includes:

• Developing playbooks, processes, and operational systems that support programme scale

• Strengthening performance monitoring systems for programme delivery

• Ensuring programme teams have clear benchmarks and feedback loops

• Translating successful pilots into scalable programme models

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Translate evidence into programme improvements. Work closely with Suvita’s Innovation, Tech, and Monitoring & Evaluation teams to ensure insights from experiments and programme data lead to concrete operational changes. This includes:

• Supporting the implementation of innovation pilots within programme teams

• Working with the Tech and M&E team to interpret programme data and identify improvements

• Ensuring programme teams can implement evidence-informed changes effectively

• Helping determine when programme approaches are ready to scale

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Lead and develop the programme team. Manage and support the people responsible for delivering Suvita’s programmes. This includes:

• Supervising programme delivery managers and supporting their professional development

• Ensuring strong coordination between programme teams and other functions

• Supporting recruitment and onboarding of programme staff as Suvita grows

• Building a culture of ownership, learning, and continuous improvement

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Oversee government partnerships. Provide strategic oversight of Suvita’s government partnerships function. This includes:

• Managing the Senior Manager – Public Health Partnerships

• Ensuring partnership opportunities align with programme priorities

• Supporting engagement with government stakeholders when appropriate

• Ensuring partnerships translate into effective programme implementation

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What success in this role might look like after one year

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While priorities will evolve, examples of success in the first year could include:

• Strengthened operational systems for Suvita’s SMS reminders programme

• Identified and implemented improvements that increase programme cost-effectiveness

• Built strong coordination between programme teams, tech,  innovation, and M&E functions

• Supported the successful implementation of the ambassador programme pilots

• Developed programme systems that allow interventions to expand into additional geographies​​

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If this all sounds exciting, please apply by following the link here 👉Application form

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Application Process

Our hiring process typically includes a combination of test tasks and interviews to assess relevant skills and ways of working.

The exact steps and number of rounds may vary depending on the role and stage of hiring. We aim to move as quickly as possible and hope to share an offer within ~6 weeks of a candidate entering the final stages, though timelines may vary.

We will keep candidates informed at each stage.

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For any issues, please email careers@suvita.org.

 

All the best! 🚀​