Entomologist - Entomology Support Unit

Entomologist - Entomology Support Unit CountryIndiaCityNew DelhiTypeFull TimeProgram (Division)Country Programs - India Overview WJCF is an Indian non-profit organisation committed to saving lives by reducing the burden of disease and strengthening government-owned, high-quality health systems. Since 2007, WJCF has combined data-driven approaches and deep public health expertise with strong government partnerships to design, implement, and scale solutions across India’s national and state health programmes. We work for and at the service of governments — supporting the Ministry of Health & Family Welfare and State Departments of Health to build systems that are strong, sustainable, and led by Indian institutions. As an Indian organisation, WJCF brings an unmatched depth of contextual understanding of India’s health system architecture, policy landscape, and implementation realities across diverse geographies and population groups. This local institutional credibility, combined with global technical rigour, is central to WJCF’s effectiveness as a partner to governments and donors. Our work is built around four complementary roles: as a Trusted Government Partner, co-designing programmes and strengthening health system architecture; as an Operational Partner, translating strategies into effective on-the-ground delivery; as a Market Shaper, improving the availability and affordability of health commodities; and as an Ecosystem Catalyst, convening governments, development partners, academia, and the private sector to drive solutions at scale. WJCF’s programme portfolio spans thematic areas like hepatitis, HIV/AIDS, tuberculosis, vector-borne diseases, syphilis, cervical cancer, diabetes, maternal and childhood anaemia, immunisation, under-5 diarrhoea and pneumonia, sexual and reproductive health, Ayushman Bharat Pradhan Mantri – Jan Arogya Yojana (AB PM-JAY), Ayushman Bharat Digital Mission (ABDM), hypoxemia and oxygen, safe drinking water, sickle cell disease, presbyopia, lead poisoning, and cross cutting thematic areas like AI and Health, integrated disease surveillance and climate and health. We currently support programmes across 19 states and union territories, with teams working at national, state, district, and sub-district levels. Our people are our greatest asset. WJCF brings together a talented, diverse team of professionals from public health, analytics, consulting, healthcare, the development sector, and academia, all united by a shared commitment to improving health outcomes for the people of India. We are entrepreneurial, action-oriented, and deeply grounded in the communities and systems we work in. Our field teams collectively bring hundreds of years of experience managing public health programmes across the country. WJCF collaborates with a range of international and domestic partners and donors to advance its mission, including an affiliation with the Clinton Health Access Initiative (CHAI), a global health organisation with which WJCF shares a common mission and values. Programme Overview: Vector Borne Diseases (VBDs) such as malaria, visceral leishmaniasis (VL, also called kala-azar), lymphatic filariasis (LF), dengue, chikungunya, and Japanese encephalitis remain major public health concerns in India. India has achieved remarkable reductions in VBD cases and deaths over recent decades. Malaria cases have reduced from 75 million at the time of India’s independence to ~200,00 in 2023-24, while deaths have reduced from 800,000 to 83 during the same period. For LF, though active transmission and infection rates have declined, the chronic manifestations remain significant. India reported about ~600,00 lymphoedema cases and ~125,000 hydrocele cases caused by filarial worms in 2023. For VL, cases have reduced to ~500 in 2023. The Government of India has committed to the elimination of several VBDs within defined timelines- for example, eliminating malaria by 2030 and lymphatic filariasis and kala-azar ahead of global targets. Despite these gains, these illnesses continue to contribute substantially to disease burden, morbidity, mortality and disability, particularly among populations living in rural, remote, or otherwise underserved areas. Climate change, urbanization, migration, environmental factors, and gaps in vector control and surveillance continue to challenge disease elimination efforts. The National Center for Vector Borne Diseases Control (NCVBDC) is the nodal agency under the National Vector Borne Disease Control Programme (NVBDCP) responsible for orchestrating the government’s response to VBDs. Its roles include policy formulation, standard setting, strategic planning (including disease elimination timelines), surveillance strengthening, capacity building, coordinating multi-sectoral and inter-governmental efforts, and deploying innovations in vector control, diagnostics, and community engagement. Project Background: Vector control is the most effective strategy for reducing vector-borne disease (VBD) transmission in endemic regions. To be successful, it must be guided by comprehensive knowledge of local vector species, their population dynamics, breeding habitats, feeding and resting behaviours, and insecticide resistance. This information should be systematically collected, analysed, and integrated into a robust entomological surveillance program. To strengthen entomological units across the country, including the National Reference Laboratory, the National Center for Vector Borne Diseases Control (NCVBDC) has requested the establishment of an Entomological Support Unit (ESU) within the existing Technical Support Unit (TSU) at NCVBDC. The ESU is envisioned to work in close coordination with key NCVBDC officials and state-level entomological teams to enhance entomological surveillance, with the overarching objective of generating evidence and providing strategic guidance to support vector-borne disease (VBD) programs. Position Summary: The Entomologist embedded within the Entomology Support Unit will lead and facilitate entomological surveillance and vector control activities with an objective to strengthen the overall entomological capacity. The role is essential in generating entomological evidence for the VBD program, guiding targeted vector control interventions, and strengthening integrated vector management (IVM) at the National and sub national level.The Entomologist will report to the Lead of the VBD TSU. Responsibilities 1. Vector Surveillance - Facilitate the National and sub national entomologist in regular surveillance of vectors using standardized methods. - Conduct and capacitate existing entomologist in regular resistance testing (e.g., WHO susceptibility assays, molecular diagnostics). - Ensure morphological identification of species and manage preserved samples for molecular analysis. - Facilitate and mentor the states/districts to report data on vector density, species composition, biting/resting behaviour, and seasonal trends. - Support and participate in conducting entomological monitoring to evaluate the impact of IRS and LLINs on vector populations. 2. Data Management and Reporting - Facilitate in Collection, compilation, and analysis of entomological data. Analyze entomological and epidemiological data to guide interventions. - Produce timely monthly and quarterly reports for the VBD program and share data with the national/state vector surveillance system. - Maintain and operationalize a comprehensive entomological database (electronic/IHIP). - Regularly share the analysed data during National, state and district/block level review meetings. - Facilitate periodic stakeholder and expert group consultation meetings with NCVBDC and review of existing entomological parameters/datasets at NCVBDC. - Provide risk assessments and advise policymakers on outbreak preparedness. 3. Capacity Building and Supervision - Standardize training modules are developed after reviewing the existing modu