Digital Pulmonary Rehabilitation Physiotherapist

Background

Location: Remote in India. Based in Maharashtra a plus.

Contract: Full-time with shared weekend cover, 12 month initial term, with potential for extension. Part-time considered.

Salary: Competitive, commensurate with experience (₹25,000 - ₹30,000 /month).

About Respira Health

Respira Health is a nonprofit tackling chronic respiratory disease in India by providing free-of-cost, accessible pulmonary rehabilitation (PR) via WhatsApp. PR is a proven treatment that can reduce mortality risk and improve quality of life, yet fewer than 3% of patients in India have access. Our programme combines an 8-week WhatsApp chatbot-delivered exercise and education intervention with physiotherapist oversight.

We're aiming to enrol 1,000+ participants by March 2027, with a longer-term ambition of reaching 100,000+ annually through government-embedded delivery. Our current priority is building evidence that our programme delivers real health improvements, at a cost per participant that supports future scale.

Role Overview

Respira Health currently enrols participants into our 8-week PR programme largely by advertising on Facebook. We're looking for a physiotherapist to support the participant journey end to end. This involves:

• Conducting baseline and endline video assessments with participants to measure their progress over the course of the programme
• Screening programme applicants who require a clinical judgement on their suitability
• Engaging with participants throughout the programme (eg. for support, motivation, user research)
• Providing clinical input to shape and improve the design and delivery of the programme

This is an opportunity to shape both the participant experience and the evidence base for a first-of-its-kind digital PR programme in India, working closely with our existing physiotherapy team.

Key Responsibilities

• Video assessments (primary role)

Conduct video call assessments with participants at baseline and endline, focused on our most clinically meaningful objective measures: likely the 1-minute sit-to-stand and breath hold test.

Ensure assessments are conducted consistently and rigorously enough to support credible pre/post comparison.

• Programme oversight & escalation

Provide physiotherapist oversight for the WhatsApp PR programme, motivating participants, answering queries and following established escalation pathways.

• Eligibility screening support

Support chat-based eligibility screening for participants flagged by our automated and AI-assisted screening flows.

Scope to support with the following as you build experience with the programme:

• Program improvements, consistency & data quality

Work closely with our existing physiotherapists and medical advisor to keep assessment protocols consistent and drive program improvements. Ensure accurate, well-documented data collection to support our evidence generation and cost-effectiveness analysis. Identification and reporting of bugs, issues or feedback from participants.

• In-person testing at partner facilities

Support investigations into in-person testing and research for more robust data collection in future.

Help develop in-person protocols that sit alongside our current online-first model.

These responsibilities are completed via. Email, Whatsapp, Turn.io and use of Google Forms, Docs and Sheets. A laptop is required at all times during working hours.

Qualifications & Experience

• Strong communication, documentation and patient follow-up skills. This is a patient facing role.
• Bachelor of Physiotherapy (BPT) required; Masters or additional certification in Cardio-Pulmonary Physiotherapy is a plus but not necessary.
• Some exposure to cardio-pulmonary or respiratory patients during clinical training
• Familiarity with or willingness to learn our standardised PR assessment protocols and validated outcome measures (6MWD, mMRC, CAAT, sit-to-stand, breath hold test)
• Active professional registration required (IAP, RCI, or state-level equivalent).
• Comfortable with digital tools, remote patient communication and conducting assessments over video call.
• Hindi and English proficiency required; additional regional languages a plus.

Attributes

• Comfortable working independently in a remote, digital-first role with a small team.
• Detail-oriented, with a strong sense of the importance of consistent, credible data collection.
• Patient-centred approach with empathy and cultural sensitivity.
• Ability to manage ambiguity and adapt as our assessment approach evolves.
• Some flexibility in working hours

What We Offer

• Competitive pay commensurate with experience.
• The opportunity to conduct research that directly shapes the evidence base for a first-of-its-kind digital PR programme in India.
• Collaborative environment with international and local health experts.
• Certificate of contribution / work experience letter.
• Potential for extension and more senior involvement as the programme scales.
• Remote work