ABOUT NATIONAL CANCER GRID (NCG)
The National Cancer Grid is a network of major cancer centres, research institutes, patient groups and charitable institutions across India with the mandate of establishing uniform standards of cancer care with initiatives for prevention, diagnosis, and treatment of cancer, providing specialized training and education in oncology and facilitating collaborative basic, translational, and clinical research in cancer with commitment for data sharing. Currently, NCG has more than 380 member centres, including some of the largest cancer hospitals in the country. Together, NCG hospitals support over 60% of cancer patients across India. (https://www.ncgindia.org)
ABOUT THE PROGRAM
NCG is promoting many new AI & Digital Solutions across the NCG network of hospitals. These include solutions nominated and awarded for the CATCH Grant. The CATCH Grant is a flagship initiative implemented in collaboration with the National Cancer Grid and supported by the India AI Mission. The program supports AI-driven healthcare innovations through structured funding (Initail commitment of Rs 5 crore), clinical validation, and scale-up pathways across leading cancer care institutions in India.
Please
KCDO BACKGROUND AND CONTEXT
Cancer care is changing rapidly worldwide, and the use of digital tools and technologies is key in driving this change – improving quality, access, and cost of care. Digital technologies are being used across the entire patient journey – screening, diagnostics, treatment, home care, and survivorship. Digital technologies are being used for cancer care to:
- Provide tools for clinicians (incl. clinical decision support, evidence-based guidelines, image analytics & AI/ML, personalized medicine)
- Enable integrated care for patients (incl. cancer screening, telemedicine, remote monitoring, medication adherence, patient engagement, and patient education)
- Track quality of care delivery (clinical quality metrics, patient-reported outcomes)
- Share data, patient care, and best practices across health facilities (incl. data interoperability, and disease registries)
- Engage with companies to build/test new solutions (incl. research, clinical trial automation, patient matching, real-world evidence, AI/ML)
- Collaborate with insurance companies and government (incl. health policy, reimbursements)
NCG and Koita Foundation (https://www.koitafoundation.org) created a long-term partnership to establish the Koita Centre for Digital Oncology - KCDO (https://www.kcdo.in), to use Digital Health & AI tools to improve cancer care across NCG and NCG hospitals.
EXPECTED ROLE
The Senior Program Manager will be responsible for end-to-end program operations including coordination with AI & Digital solutions companies, committee members, grant disbursement management, milestone tracking, implementation oversight, and coordination with startups, clinical partners, and internal stakeholders.
This is a high-ownership role requiring strong program management, financial coordination, stakeholder engagement, and execution skills.
Key Responsibilities
Grant Disbursement & Financial Oversight
- Manage end-to-end grant disbursement process (documentation verification, tranche release tracking, compliance checks).
- Coordinate with finance teams to ensure timely and milestone-linked disbursements.
- Maintain accurate records of MoUs, bank details, utilization certificates, and partner consents.
- Track budget utilization against approved project plans.
Milestone Tracking & Reporting
- Develop and maintain milestone tracking dashboards for all awarded projects.
- Monitor progress against project planners and agreed implementation timelines.
- Ensure submission of monthly updates and quarterly reports (as per template).
- Identify delays/risks and proactively escalate or resolve bottlenecks.
- Prepare consolidated progress summaries for leadership and funders.
Implementation Management
- Facilitate review calls for project planner alignment.
- Oversee on-ground deployment progress at clinical partner institutions.
- Support scheduling and execution of site visits for validation and feedback.
- Ensure regulatory compliance (IEC approvals where applicable).
Stakeholder Coordination
- Act as primary point of contact for grant applicants, winners/startups.
- Coordinate with technical, clinical, finance, and leadership teams.
- Ensure smooth communication across all stakeholders.
- Support preparation for annual reviews and scale-up decisions.
Overall Operations & Quality Management
- Identify operational, regulatory, or implementation risks early.
- Track corrective action plans.
- Ensure adherence to timelines and program governance standards.
DESIRED PROFILE
- Master’s degree in Public Health, Healthcare Management, Business Administration or equivalent
- 5–8 years of experience in program management, grants management, healthcare implementation, or startup ecosystem roles.
- Experience managing milestone-based funding programs preferred.
- Strong understanding of healthcare innovation, clinical environments, or digital health solutions is preferred.
NEXT STEPS FOR CANDIDATES
Please send your CV to [email protected] if you wish to apply for the position.
