(This will also provide an opportunity to work on the WHO-TDR research project on community engagement in RATIONS project in Jharkhand (TB and Nutrition RCT) and TeaLeaf (Mental health in school children) in Darjeeling.)
Title of the position: Program Assistant
1. Qualification and Experience:
Graduate in recognised disciplines including social sciences, humanities, public health, epidemiology, or Graduate in Medicine, or other professional disciplines with at least two years of relevant experience. The candidate must have (a) good writing and communication skills, and proficiency in English as a working language, (b) capacity to handle independently a project/program/initiative or component of it depending upon the scale of the program, (c) good grasp of the field of bioethics and/or health and allied themes, and (d) interest and experience in research.
Experience of having worked with academic institutes, government organisations, or civil society-based organisations in research, training, evaluation, advocacy, and policy analysis is welcome but not essential. We welcome talented professionals who are interested to learn and contribute to programmatic development at the institute.
2. Responsibilities
2.1 General responsibilities of Program Assistant
a. The individual is responsible to contribute to and assist the development of the organisation and fulfilment of its objectives.
b. Should be able to provide critical inputs to various initiatives/activities of the institute.
2.2 Specific Job Profile
Working closely with the Director and other colleagues at the institute, the person holding this position will be responsible for contributing to the following activities:
a. Developing and organising the existing training institute in various sub-fields of bioethics in consultation with subject experts and the director of the institute.
b. Supporting research activities, and supporting overall coordination of research initiatives; developing concepts for webinars, application preparation for ethics review boards, developing data collection tools, and other related materials; correspondence, coordination with collaborating partn
2.3 Organizational Development
a. Work closely with the Director, FMES’ Heal Institute and FMES Trustees to build a strategy and implementation plan for its various initiatives.
b. Contribute to developing strong partnership with academic institutions, civil society organisations and government for the initiatives of the Centre.
3. Competencies for this specific position
a. Ability to conduct research, primarily qualitative research, independently under supervision
b. Hands-on experience coordinating multiple activities with NGOs or academic institutions.
c. Adequate organizational skills with the ability to handle multiple assignments
d. Strong communication skills.
e. Ability to work responsibly and collaboratively in an academic setting.
f. Ability to work effectively with a wide range of individuals and constituencies in a diverse professional environment required.
g. Ability to effectively manage a heavy workload, competing priorities, and tight timelines required.
h. A quick, self-learner with ability to initiate, organize, prioritize and complete multiple activities/tasks; meet tight deadlines; and work effectively with minimal supervision in a fast-paced environment required.
i. Ability to work independently and in a team environment required.
j. Demonstrated proficiency using software such as the Microsoft Office suite (Word, Excel, PowerPoint, and Outlook) in addition to Tally is required.
4. Position type: Full-time or part time [Note: mid-career aspirants are also encouraged to apply for part time engagement]
5. Duration: Six months, extendable
6. Remuneration
Consolidated honorarium will range between INR 18,000 and Rs 25,000/- per month commensurate with candidate’s overall professional profile and in its alignment with current requirements at the organisation.
7. Location: Virtual, some travel might be involved which will be covered by the organization.
8. Number of positions: One
9. Last date for application submission and screening: We will be receiving and screening the applications on rolling basis.
10. Joining date: Immediate
11. To Apply: Please send an email with a cover letter and CV to [email protected] with the subject line “FMES’ Heal Institute – Program Assistant Application”
12. About FMES
The Forum for Medical Ethics Society was set up in 1989 by a group of activists and health professionals concerned about the gross erosion of medical ethics and patients’ rights; the dysfunctional medical councils; inequities in access to healthcare and the rapid decline in the public health system. Initially, the members assisted aggrieved patients in public interest litigation against medical malpractice and then contested elections to the Maharashtra Medical Council (MMC) in 1992. It was formally registered in 1995. The group also resolved to work for the development of bioethics as a discipline in the medical and humanities curricula.
Towards this, in the late 1990’s, we set up a peer-reviewed bioethics journal – the Indian Journal of Medical Ethics – encouraging publication of research in the neglected areas of healthcare ethics and human rights. From 2005, FMES also established a platform for reflection, debate and the coming together of people interested in the improvement of the healthcare system through the National Bioethics Conferences held every two years. And finally in 2018, the collective decided to set up its programmatic platform – Health, Ethics and Law Institute for Training, Research and Advocacy (HEaL Institute).
FMES has been involved in range of other activities focused on bioethics conceived in broader sense. These include training in bioethics, advocacy and campaigns on health and allied matters, research with focus on ethics, justice and equity, and public engagement centre-staging ethics matters relating to contemporary issues from the broader domain of health and allied themes. FMES remained deeply engaged with various issues during the pandemic in these spaces.
13. About the Program at FMES through HEaL Institute
The program has four-fold objective of strengthening networks of associations in the field of healthcare by: institutionalizing bioethics teaching in collaboration with academic entities, and universities; systematic engagement with various concerned multi-disciplinary constituencies to deliberate existing and emerging bioethics issues in changing contexts; establishing a first-of-its-kind e-repository in bioethics with a focus on India and South Asia; and strengthening the digital platform of Indian Journal of Medical Ethics, for discussion and debates in healthcare and bioethics. Currently the program also is engaged with a collaborative research initiative involving two sites for empirical research in the area of community engagement in implementation science. Organizing webinars on contemporary themes of relevance and initiating campaigns and on health-related matters and/or joining with other like-minded groups/networks is part of our programmatic work.
Grant writing for securing support to pursue our work in the areas of relevance to the overall mandate of FMES is an ongoing activity as part of developing programmatic themes at HEaL Institute.
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