Careers 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).

go to method of application »

PRINCIPAL DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES

Programme Management

• Manage the day-to-day operations of the programme portfolio assigned by overseeing the planning and implementation of impactful programmes, working closely across teams to ensure set requirements are met.
• Develop and manage programmatic activities for the Programme in consultation with the programme lead and co-applicants and in line with budgetary guidelines to achieve the set mandate.
• Propose long and short-term objectives for the initiative aligned to building human capacity, infrastructure and lasting research networks on the continent.
• Manage the Programme budget in liaison with the Finance team to ensure efficient utilization of funds, smooth operational flow, and, maximizing the scope and magnitude of the short and long-term Programme goals.
• Contribute to the overall development of the SFA Foundation programme strategy, including actively identifying opportunities for collaboration with other programme areas.
• Work as part of the Management team to share ideas and improve operation, recommending, supporting and implementing continuous improvement activities and process and procedure improvements to optimise results and improve quality of programmes delivery.
• Lead and manage the Programme team, including setting performance expectations, conducting timely evaluations, workload allocation, and resolving team issues to maintain high levels of productivity and engagement.
• Mentor and coach staff to build their capacity to perform the roles assigned to them. Set performance expectations and conduct performance management evaluations in a timely manner to ensure superior levels of performance are maintained.

Grants Management

• Manage Programme activities as the point person for the Programme, engaging with sub-studies and partners, including providing guidance and feedback on inquiries.
• Manage operations surrounding the entire process of grant management for the Programme in collaboration with the Grants Officer. Ensure adherence to the call standards during the application, review, shortlisting and grant awarding process.
• Oversee the grant scheme development by highlights key funder requirements at proposal development stage and aim to improve knowledge and access to this information for grant applicants.
• Conduct due diligence of potential applicants and applicant institutions. This involves desktop reviews and physical site visits to potential applicant institutions, and preparation of reports or recommendations which inform specific grant terms and conditions for successful grant applicants.
• Manage the grant award processes by providing and monitoring systems, processes and procedures to ensure fairness and openness in awarding grants to applicants.
• Manage the post-award processes to ensure proper implementation, monitoring and performance. This will also include ensuring proper grant close out.

Monitoring and Reporting

• Manage performance of the Programme team in partnership with the Monitoring and Evaluation Manager by setting measurable performance indicators to ensure projects are executed in line with the contract and within agreed timelines.
• Develop monitoring reports for funders developed by the fundraising and programmes teams.
• Develop and disseminate monthly programme highlight reports for the management, staff and committees as necessary.
• Communicate with senior management on Programme status, risks and issues in an appropriate and timely manner.
• Ensure regular and timely communication between project team members.
• Review, implement and update programme records e.g. training matrices, performance reviews, risk assessments.
• Identify and mitigate operational risks within Programme implementation.

Advocacy and Relationship Management

• Forge collaborations with science-based communities which share the same vision as the Programme and other genomics projects within the African continent and globally to build a sustainable Programme.
• Engage in discussions with institutions of similar element, which can help promote the vision of the Programme through activities that foster added value and future potential initiatives.
• Participate in occasional cross-functional meetings to support other departments in achieving their mandate, including representing SFA Foundation in consortium meetings.
• Ensure the values of participation, partnership, sustainability, social responsibility, cost-effectiveness, transparency and accountability are reflected in your work.
• Attend external meetings as a representative of SFA Foundation as assigned.

The duties and responsibilities described are not exhaustive. The role may evolve in line with organisational needs, and the postholder may be required to undertake tasks that are consistent with the overall purpose of the position.

PERSON SPECIFICATIONS

Academic Qualifications

• Master’s/PhD degree in a relevant Science research field/international development/Social Sciences/ Public Administration or an MD with proven research leadership qualities and experience carrying out key research work for priority health agendas.

Experience

• At least seven (7) years of managerial experience relevant experience.