Senior Programme Officer - Research Management DELTAS Africa at The Science for Africa Foundation

PRINCIPAL DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES

Institutional Research Management Support

• Provide technical guidance to grantee institutions in research governance, grant administration, procurement, ethics, and reporting.
• Conduct assessments to identify capacity gaps and operational risks and develop improvement plans tailored to each institution.
• Collaborate with institutions to strengthen research enabling environments and governance structures.
• Lead the co-creation of research operations improvement strategies with institutional leaders, aligning with both programme and funder priorities.

GFGP Certification and Institutional Strengthening

• Support institutions in preparing for and maintaining Good Financial Grant Practice (GFGP) certification.
• Track institutional progress on assessment and certification milestones and coordinate access to technical assistance.
• Facilitate learning exchanges and technical sessions on best practices in research management.
• Provide strategic oversight of GFGP implementation and identify cross-cutting lessons to inform DELTAS Africa's institutional strengthening approach.

Capacity Building and Learning

• Design and deliver training sessions for research management staff on compliance, project lifecycle management, and policy alignment.
• Establish communities of practice and peer learning forums across DELTAS consortia.
• Develop guidance materials, toolkits, and frameworks that institutional staff can use beyond the life of the programme.

Programme Monitoring and Risk Management

• Monitor institutional performance and risks related to research operations.
• Support risk mitigation efforts in collaboration with internal SFA Foundation teams (programme, legal, finance).
• Track and report on institutional key performance indicators (KPIs) relevant to research management systems and delivery milestones.
• Support institutions to align internal M&E and risk systems with funder expectations and programme-level KPIs.

Stakeholder Engagement

• Liaise regularly with institutional leads (grants, finance, administration) to understand challenges and co-develop solutions.
• Represent SFA Foundation in technical working groups and external forums related to research management in Africa.
• Contribute to programme learning, reporting, and documentation of institutional success stories and lessons.
• Facilitate dialogue with institutional leadership and boards where necessary to embed research management improvements at governance level.
• Any other duties assigned.

PERSON SPECIFICATIONS

Academic Qualifications

• A Master’s degree in research administration, public health, development studies, or a related field.

Professional Qualifications

• Certification in research administration, project management (e.g., PMP, PRINCE2), or grants management (e.g., NCURA, ARMA) is an added advantage.

Experience

• At least 5 years of progressive experience in research management, institutional strengthening, or grants compliance.
• Experience supporting audits, quality assurance, or compliance frameworks (e.g., GFGP, ISO).
• Familiarity with African research institutions and funder requirements (e.g., Wellcome, FCDO, NIH, Gates Foundation).