Senior Program Officer (Nursing Reforms)

Overview

Jhpiego is an international, non-profit health organization and an affiliate of Johns Hopkins University, dedicated to improving the health of women and families in developing countries. For over 50 years, it has focused on providing high-quality, low-cost health care solutions, training health workers, and strengthening health systems.

 Jhpiego has been working in India since the 1980s in close partnership with national and state governments. With deep technical expertise and strong on-the-ground execution, Jhpiego helps design, test, and scale practical solutions and innovations that fit real-world systems across 11 thematic domains (Maternal and Newborn Health, Reproductive Health, Nutrition, Immunization, Comprehensive Primary Health Care, Human Resources for Health, TB and Infectious Diseases, Global Health Security, Women's Cancers, Non-Communicable Diseases, Digital Health).

The NNMC project will support reform in nursing by working closely with the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, nursing regulators, State Governments and other key stakeholders to facilitate coordinated action across departments and institutions for operationalization of priority activities. Through collaborative planning, co-creation, and consensus building, the project will support the design and implementation of innovative interventions, including competency-based reforms across pre-service education and in-service professional development. The project will also generate, document, and scale evidence-based learnings from priority states, enabling adaptation and replication of successful models through a nationally driven approach to strengthen nursing education, regulation, and workforce systems.The Senior Program Officer (Nursing Reforms) will support implementation of a strategic initiative aimed at strengthening the nursing ecosystem in India through reforms in nursing education, workforce planning, leadership development, quality assurance, regulation, and digital transformation. The role will provide technical and programmatic support for design, coordination, implementation, and scale-up of key reform initiatives while working closely with government agencies, regulatory bodies, academic institutions, and development partners. The incumbent will support stakeholder engagement, technical documentation, program monitoring, and timely execution of project deliverables, and will report to the Program Manager – Health Workforce

Responsibilities

• Coordinate with internal and external stakeholders to support the design, implementation, and scale-up of transformative initiatives across nursing education, workforce planning, leadership development, quality assurance, regulation, and digital transformation.
• Support development and operationalization of strategies, implementation frameworks, and action plans related to nursing workforce strengthening and education reforms aligned with national priorities.
• Assist in planning and implementation of initiatives related to competency-based education, faculty development, clinical teaching, simulation-based learning, and academic capacity strengthening.
• Support activities related to nursing workforce planning, labour market analysis, workforce data systems, deployment planning, and evidence generation for informed decision-making.
• Facilitate development and implementation of quality assurance and quality improvement initiatives for nursing education institutions, including academic standards, monitoring frameworks, and institutional strengthening efforts.
• Support integration of digital technologies and unified digital ecosystems for nursing education, learning management, workforce tracking, data management, communication, and regulatory processes.
• Coordinate consultations, workshops, technical working groups, policy dialogues, and stakeholder engagements with government agencies, nursing councils, academic institutions, healthcare providers, and development partners.
• Maintain strong working relationships with stakeholders to ensure collaborative, inclusive, and coordinated implementation of nursing reforms and program activities.
• Support development of technical documents, concept notes, proposals, operational guidance, reports, presentations, and implementation frameworks related to nursing and Human Resources for Health (HRH).
• Assist in program management functions including work planning, monitoring, reporting, documentation, coordination with technical teams, and tracking progress against program objectives and deliverables.
• Perform other duties as assigned by the supervisor to support project objectives and strengthen nursing workforce and education systems.

Required Qualifications

• Graduate in Nursing with Advanced degree in Nursing/Public Health Administration, or a related field.
• Minimum of 5-8 years of experience in Nursing ecosystem/Regulatory frameworks etc. with about 2-3 years of experience in Nursing education/Program management and implementation.
• Strong analytical, research, and writing skills, with proven experience in policy development.
• Ability to manage stakeholder relationships and navigate complex regulatory environments.
• Knowledge of the NNMC Act and its implications for Nursing Workforce governance is highly desirable
• Knowledge of international standards in Nursing will be desirable

Preferred Qualifications

Skills and Competencies

• Strong coordination and communication skills for engagement with government counterparts and development sector stakeholders.
• Excellent documentation, reporting, and data management capabilities.
• Demonstrated skills in problem-solving, operational planning, and multi-stakeholder engagement.
• Proficiency in MS Office and digital communication tools; familiarity with digital health tools is an added advantage.
• Strong organizational and multitasking abilities, with effective written and verbal communication skills in English, Hindi. Proficiency in regional language (Odia) will be desirable.
• Ability to work under tight deadlines, manage competing priorities, and adapt to evolving project needs.
• Proven capacity to build and maintain productive working relationships with government agencies, technical partners, and other stakeholders.
• Ability to work collaboratively with diverse technical teams.
• Strong technical and project management skills relevant to the position.
• Flexibility to handle a wide range of tasks and willingness to travel up to 30% of the time.