Professional Experience:
Over 16 years of progressive experience in behaviour change communication and development programme management, working across Assam and the wider Northeast India region in sectors including health, forest and biodiversity conservation and public service delivery.
Currently working as an independent Development Consultant since January 2026, providing advisory services to social sector organisations and NGOs on programme design, funding proposal development and communication strategy and supporting corporate and social sector clients on stakeholder engagement and programme visibility.
Served as Communication Specialist and Team Leader on the Assam Project on Forest and Biodiversity Conservation, a Government of Assam initiative supported by AFD, from November 2022 to December 2025. Led design and implementation of a state-wide multimedia communication plan covering all districts of Assam, including inception reporting, communication needs assessment and a comprehensive communication plan tailored to conservation and community outreach goals. Applied human-centred design principles to pretest IEC materials with forest-fringe communities, addressed conservation-linked behaviours such as firewood dependency and wildlife conflict through targeted messaging and supervised a multidisciplinary team producing print and audio-visual content. Engaged Joint Forest Management Committees and Eco-Development Committees across Assam and conducted zone-wise workshops with civil society partners and youth groups to build community ownership of conservation outreach.
Held the same role on the Assam Citizen Centric Service Delivery Project under ARIAS Society, Government of Assam, a World Bank-supported initiative, from February 2019 to September 2022. Led state-wide planning of a citizen awareness campaign on the Assam Right to Public Services Act, coordinating with multiple line departments and government structures to align messaging with service entitlements and grievance redressal mechanisms. Designed communication interventions addressing demand-side barriers to service uptake, including low awareness and low trust in public systems and led impact assessment of campaign effectiveness through structured learning briefs.
Earlier served with the National Health Mission, Assam as State Media Expert covering all 33 districts and as District Media Expert in Kamrup, Dhubri and Bongaigaon districts, leading state-wide and district-wide SBCC design and implementation under RMNCH+A programming.
Worked as Senior Programme Assistant and Consultant with the Public Health Foundation of India/ Indian Institute of Public Health, Shillong, from February 2017 to November 2018, supporting a 3ie-funded impact evaluation of a community engagement and immunisation improvement intervention. Facilitated the SALT approach under the Community Life Competence Process methodology, coordinated with ASHAs and ASHA Facilitators and conducted structured qualitative research to generate evidence for adaptive programme design.
Across these roles, developed core strengths in behavioural diagnostics, human-centred content design, SBC action planning, government and multi-stakeholder coordination and evidence-based adaptive management, with professional fluency in English, Hindi, Assamese and Bengali supporting effective engagement across Northeast India.