Program Associate

1. POSITION VACANT: Program Associate, Pure Earth India, Chennai (Tamil Nadu)

2. ORGANIZATION BACKGROUND:

Pure Earth is a global leader in improving public health and development outcomes by reducing exposure to lead and other toxic pollutants. The organisation works closely with governments to embed evidence-based, sustainable solutions into public systems at national scale.

Pure Earth partners with governments, public health institutions, researchers, and local organisations to identify sources of toxic exposure, generate actionable evidence, and implement interventions that reduce poisoning risks, strengthen public systems, and improve long-term health outcomes.

Lead poisoning is one of the world’s most significant yet solvable environmental health challenges, disproportionately affecting children and vulnerable communities. Pure Earth is internationally recognised for its leadership in preventing lead exposure and supporting durable government-led systems for long-term lead poisoning prevention.

Pure Earth India (registered as PE Lead India Pvt. Ltd.) leads the organisation’s India portfolio, working closely with national and state governments to identify, reduce, and prevent toxic lead exposure and related environmental health risks.

Pure Earth India is currently in a phase of significant growth and expansion, supported by strategic partnerships with governments, philanthropies, and development institutions. This includes major multi-year support from Bloomberg Philanthropies and The Audacious Project to accelerate and scale lead poisoning prevention efforts in India and globally. Pure Earth India currently partners with state governments including Tamil Nadu, Maharashtra, and Bihar, with emerging engagements across additional states.

Pure Earth India’s work is inherently cross-sectoral, requiring engagement across public health, environment, pollution control, manufacturing, industry, consumer safety, and regulatory ecosystems. Its work directly contributes to reducing toxic exposure, particularly among children, improving long-term developmental and health outcomes, and enabling safer, healthier communities.

Please visit https://www.pureearth.org/india/ to learn more about Pure Earth India.

3. JOB DESCRIPTION / RESPONSIBILITIES:

Pure Earth India is seeking a Program Associate to support implementation of lead exposure prevention initiatives in Tamil Nadu.

The role reports to the Senior Manager and will work closely with cross-functional teams, partner organisations, and relevant government departments.

The Program Associate will coordinate closely with the Senior Manager, government stakeholders, implementation partners, and internal technical teams to ensure effective coordination, implementation, monitoring, and reporting of programme activities.

This is a field-oriented implementation role requiring strong coordination capability, stakeholder engagement skills, and the ability to support programme execution across multiple workstreams.

The position offers an opportunity to contribute to high-impact environmental health interventions focused on reducing lead exposure and strengthening public health systems within the state.

(A) Programme Implementation

(1) Support implementation of lead exposure mitigation initiatives within the state, ensuring activities are delivered in a timely and effective manner;

(2) Develop and maintain detailed work plans, activity trackers, and timelines for programme activities;

(3) Coordinate with partner organisations and government departments at the state and district levels to support programme implementation;

(4) Conduct regular field visits to monitor progress, identify implementation bottlenecks, and document observations;

(5) Support field research, data collection, and programme implementation activities as required.

(B) Government & Stakeholder Engagement

(1) Build and sustain working relationships with government counterparts across relevant departments at the state and district levels;

(2) Support coordination with government partners through regular follow-ups, updates, and action tracking;

(3) Facilitate stakeholder consultations, workshops, trainings, and review meetings;

(4) Ensure effective coordination between implementation partners and programme leadership teams.

(C) Monitoring, Documentation & Reporting

(1) Maintain programme documentation including activity reports, field visit notes, meeting minutes, and indicator tracking;

(2) Prepare periodic progress reports, presentations, briefs, and case studies for internal and external stakeholders;

(3) Contribute to technical documentation and literature reviews related to lead exposure and environmental health;

(4) Support monitoring and evaluation activities through data collection, tracking, and reporting.

(D) Administrative & Coordination Support

(1) Manage logistical coordination for meetings, trainings, workshops, and field visits within the state;

(2) Maintain records of programme activities, deliverables, and partner communications;

(3) Support budget tracking and financial documentation processes.

4. QUALIFICATIONS, EXPERIENCE, AND COMPETENCIES:

Qualifications

Bachelor’s degree in Environmental Science, Public Health, Social Sciences, or a related field. Master’s degree preferred.

Experience

Essential:

(1) Minimum four to six years of experience in programme implementation, preferably in public health/ environment, or other relevant sectors;

(2) Demonstrated experience engaging with government stakeholders at state and district levels;

(3) Experience supporting field research, data collection, stakeholder coordination, or programme implementation;

(4) Strong coordination, documentation, and reporting capability.

Preferred:

(1) Understanding of environmental pollution, toxic metals, or public health programmes;

(2) Prior experience working in Tamil Nadu;

(3) Experience working with multi-stakeholder implementation environments.

Skills and Competencies

(1) Strong organisational and coordination skills;

(2) Excellent written and verbal communication skills in English;

(3) Ability to work collaboratively with diverse stakeholders including government agencies and technical partners;

(4) Strong documentation and reporting capability;

(5) Fluency in Tamil and English required;

(6) Willingness to travel frequently within the state.

5. IDEAL CANDIDATE PROFILE:

The ideal candidate is a field-oriented programme professional with experience supporting implementation of public health, environmental health, or development programmes in multi-stakeholder environments.

The candidate should possess strong coordination and documentation skills, demonstrate comfort engaging with government systems and implementation partners, and be capable of supporting programme execution across multiple operational workstreams.

Candidates with purely academic backgrounds and limited implementation exposure are unlikely to be suitable.

6. COMPENSATION OFFERED:

Gross compensation budgeted for the position is in the range of Rs 12 to18 lacs per annum. The offer made to the selected candidate shall be commensurate with experience, suitability, and salary history.

7. NUMBER OF VACANCIES: One

8. LOCATION: Chennai, Tamil Nadu

9. REFERENCE: PA-PEI-TN

10. CONTACT INFORMATION:

Team SAMS
Strategic Alliance Management Services Pvt. Ltd.
1/1B, Choudhary Hetram House, Bharat Nagar,
New Friends Colony, New Delhi – 110025

Tel: 011-4081 9900; 4081 9926

11. APPLICATION PROCESS:

Eligible candidates interested in this position are requested to apply online at https://www.samsstc.com/Jobs/job-description/program-associate-pure-earth-india-chennai/572 by or before June 09, 2026.

Applications will be reviewed on a rolling basis.

Pure Earth India provides equal opportunity for all qualified persons and does not discriminate against any employee or applicant for employment because of race, color, religion, sex, gender or gender identity, age, national origin, veteran status, disability, sexual orientation or any other protected status.