Associate, Lead Exposure

Lead poisoning is one of India's most significant and most solvable public health challenges. India bears the world's highest burden of childhood lead poisoning, with over 275 million children carry blood lead levels above 5 g/dL; the national average is 6.2 g/dL and 23 States exceed the threshold (NITI Aayog and CSIR review, 2022). Lead exposure causes irreversible neurological damage in children, contributes to an estimated one million cardiovascular deaths annually in adults (Larsen et al., 2023), and generates compounding intergenerational risks.

National Center for Disease Control, as the designated national focal agency under MoHFW, is establishing the National Biomonitoring Programme for Chemical Toxicants (NBPCT). WJCF is embedding a Technical Support Unit (TSU) to serve as the coordination backbone for India's lead mitigation response. This embedded model builds directly on WJCF's track record of high-impact TSU engagements across TB, vector-borne diseases, oxygen, surveillance, and health insurance.

We are seeking a motivated and analytically rigorous individual to serve as a core member of WJCF's embedded TSU. The incumbent will provide day-to-day technical, coordination, and secretariat support to government counterparts translating high-level intent into structured operational workplans, facilitating inter-ministerial coordination, and helping anchor governance architecture that outlasts individual donor cycles.

The role demands both policy acumen to navigate a complex multi-stakeholder environment and operational discipline to ensure consistent follow-through. The incumbent will report to the TSU Lead and will function under the programmatic guidance of NCDC for TSU activities.

Location: New Delhi (embedded at NCDC / MoHFW)

Travel: Domestic travel to programme states as required