Manager, Community Engagement at IAVI

Reports to: Associate Director, Community Engagement 

POSITION SUMMARY: 

IAVI is seeking a highly qualified Manager, Community Engagement who will be responsible for coordinating and monitoring the implementation of the Community Engagement Program and providing operational support to ensure program objectives are achieved. The successful candidate will support the implementation of Good Participatory Practice (GPP) at clinical research centers (CRCs) involved in IAVI research studies across TB, HIV, and other emerging infectious diseases. 

 KEY RESPONSIBILITIES:

• Develop trial specific GPP plans for clinical trials.
• Train and support community liaison officers (CLOs) and other CE staff at CRCs on GPP, research and vaccine literacy, and other related concepts.
• Facilitate networking and cross learnings of CLOs and other CE staff across partner CRCs through quarterly calls and annual meetings
• Provide technical support to CRC staff in writing and strengthening implementation of GPP plans. 
• Coordinate monitoring, evaluation, and reporting of activities within the community engagement portfolio according to IAVI and donor requirements.  
• Support the development of and reporting on IAVI’s community engagement budgets.
• Facilitate two-way communication between community CRC and IAVI and the escalation of concerns/issues raised by CLOs and CABs to study team and management as appropriate.
• Develop research literacy materials for the specific indication/trial/population to support effective GPP implementation.
• Support CRC partners in study results dissemination to study volunteers and communities as needed, working closely with the IAVI study team. 
• Provide community engagement updates to project team meetings and donor reports. 
• Provide input on the protocol management plans (PMP) relevant to GPP implementation for the study. 
• Develop community engagement related processes, including SOPs, work instructions, and tools/templates under the direction of the Associate Director, Community Engagement.
• Work with IAVI and CRC staff to write abstracts, reports, publications, and newsletters on GPP and Community Engagement for internal IAVI and external purposes. 
• Stay up to date on required trainings, including identification of changes in of applicable regulations and best practices with regards to clinical trial conduct. 
• Support the process of onboarding and training new hires. 
• Perform other duties as assigned by the manager.

EDUCATION AND WORK EXPERIENCE: 

• Bachelor’s degree in relevant field is required. 
• Minimum 6 years of experience in clinical trials with 5 years’ experience in community engagement and GPP support of clinical trials is required.

OTHER KNOWLEDGE, SKILLS AND ABILITIES:

• Certificate of training in GPP is required. 
• Expert knowledge of community engagement and Good Participatory Practices is required. 
• Outstanding verbal, written, and presentation skills, including PowerPoint and use of other presentation tools is required.
• Ability to translate key scientific and research concepts into layman’s terms is required.
• Ability to deliver on assigned tasks within assigned deadline is required.
• Ability to work independently, under minimum supervision and take initiatives is required.
• Ability to adapt to diverse educational and cultural backgrounds and maintain a high standard of professional conduct as a representative of IAVI is required.
• Travel 15-30% is required.
• Strong organizational skills are required.
• Track record of project management is highly desirable.Experience in vaccine or infectious disease clinical trials in Africa is highly desirable. 

Organizational Overview:

IAVI is a nonprofit scientific research organization dedicated to addressing urgent, unmet global health challenges including HIV and tuberculosis. Our mission is to translate scientific discoveries into affordable, globally accessible public health solutions. Through scientific and clinical research in Africa, India, Europe, and the U.S., IAVI is pioneering the development of biomedical innovations designed for broad global access. We develop vaccines and antibodies in and for the developing world and seek to accelerate their introduction in low-income countries. IAVI programs and partnerships are grounded in the regions of the world where the disease burden is the greatest, and our approach emphasizes sustainability. Our network of clinical research center partners in Africa and India helps strengthen in-country research capacity and supports the training and education of the next generation of scientists. The global impact of our science includes fundamental contributions to understanding the biology of HIV infection, which IAVI and others are applying toward advancing vaccine science and immunology. IAVI accelerates scientific discovery and development by fostering unique collaborations among academia, industry, local communities, governments, and funders to explore new and better ways to address public health threats that disproportionately affect people living in poverty. Our global reach, including a clinical research network in five countries in sub-Saharan Africa and in India, has allowed us to make fundamental contributions to understanding the epidemiology, transmission, virology, and immunology of HIV. This work played a key role in facilitating the design of promising HIV vaccine candidates, as well as the discovery of broadly neutralizing antibodies that are now being advanced as promising approaches for HIV prevention. Our integrated capabilities in vaccine and antibody discovery, development, and clinical research take advantage of bio-pharmaceutical industry expertise to accelerate the development and testing of prevention methods for HIV and other diseases. Through the Product Development Center, we support external researchers with technical and scientific expertise to accelerate the development of their own products.

Disclaimer: Nothing in this job description restricts management's right to assign or reassign duties and responsibilities to this job at any time. The above statements are intended to describe the general nature and level of work being performed by individuals assigned to this position. They are not intended to be an exhaustive list of all duties, responsibilities and skills required of personnel so classified. This document does not create an employment contract, implied or otherwise, other than an “at-will” relationship. IAVI is an equal opportunity employer and applicants will be considered for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, veteran or disability status.

IAVI IS AN EQUAL OPPORTUNITY EMPLOYER actively committed to fostering a diverse and inclusive global organization. IAVI believes that diversity and inclusion among our teammates is critical, and we seek to recruit, develop and retain the most talented people from a representative candidate pool. At IAVI, we celebrate the spectrum of colleagues’ experiences and believe that dedication to our mission above all is essential to our success as a scientific global non-profit. IAVI upholds these principles through IAVI’s Global Diversity and Inclusion Committee.

IAVI has zero tolerance for discrimination or harassment on the basis of race, color, ethnicity, caste, national origin, home language, ancestry, religion, marital or civil partnership status, age, physical or mental disability, HIV status and any other medical condition, genetic information, pregnancy, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, and veteran status, in addition to any other status protected under the law in any of our locations worldwide.

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Reports to:     Regional Chief of Party

Position Summary: 

IAVI is seeking a highly qualified Deputy Chief of Party who will primarily be responsible for supporting the Regional Chief of Party (RCOP) to ensure effective and efficient financial, administrative, and operational functions of IAVI in Africa and in support of the ADVANCE Program. The successful candidate will develop and supervise an internal financial and operations team to support the following areas: Finance, business planning and budgeting, administration and security, and IT. In addition, this position will serve as a thought leader capable of strengthening the financial and operations management capacity and systems of the IAVI Africa Operations team and the CRC network.

Key Responsibilities:

Team Supervision

• Support the RCOP in operations functions, including administration, finance, grants, human resources, procurement, logistics, IT, and communications across all IAVI's Africa locations.
• Supervise the recruitment, onboarding, and management of operational staff and consultants. 
• Assist the RCOP in the daily management of Operational staff across Africa.
• Support the RCOP in providing overall management and operational oversight to the ADVANCE Program.
• Lead performance management and professional development of direct reports, including continuous feedback, coaching, mentorship, and career support. 
• Represent the ADVANCE Program and IAVI in local, national, and international meetings and events in the absence of the RCOP

Financial and Grant Management

• Work closely with the IAVI finance team to prepare and provide monthly, quarterly, and year-end financials in an accurate and timely manner; communicate the implication of these reports to senior management.
• Lead financial analysis across all active grants to enable Project Directors to make informed decisions on the activities implemented in Africa. 
• Review sub-recipients’ financial forecasts against expenditure and reports to ensure that expenditures are within agreed limits and according to funder regulations, as well as submitted on time.
• Support the RCOP to conduct monthly and quarterly combined Programmatic and Financial Review exercises across all active awards in Africa.
• Lead the annual budgeting exercise and planning process in conjunction with the RCOP.
• In collaboration with other IAVI Africa Program staff, prepare annual Statements of Work and work plans for all subawards.
• Oversee the Finance Associate in managing cash flows and forecasting.
• Working closely with IAVI‘s finance team in New York, maintain appropriate financial and operational controls; if lacking, institute controls according to audit findings and overall best practices, including timely policy updates, establishing review procedures, and implementing periodic reporting on control/risk assessment matters.
• Ensure accurate processing of payroll according to Kenyan rules and regulations.
• Work closely with the Director of Risk, Audit, and Compliance to conduct audits for all the sub-recipients based in Africa across all funder awards.
• Oversee subaward management throughout the sub-grant life cycle and maintain robust documentation and comply with relevant donor regulations. 
• Carry out capacity-building training and mentorship across the CRC networks on budgeting, budget management, financial analysis, financial reporting, and grant management. 

Administration/Operations Management

• Regularly review Finance, Operations, HR, Procurement, and Logistics policies and procedures for the Africa Operations; ensure that all staff, consultants, and partners are informed of procedures and comply with them.
• Ensure that all departments comply with rules and regulations governing the Africa Operations and protect the organization from legal liability. 
• Work closely with the Administrative Coordinator, IT Specialist, and others to ensure that IT, operational systems, and all other Office procedures support the effective operations of the Africa Operations and create a conducive working environment for all staff.
• In collaboration with IT, create robust online platforms for IAVI and its CRC network partners to continuously engage and collaborate to deliver the objectives of the ADVANCE program. 
• Support the Risk Register development and implementation and take proactive steps to mitigate risks within operational functions.
• Support CRC network operations capacity strengthening initiatives. 

Education and Experience:

• Master’s Degree or equivalent in Management, Finance, Public Health, or a related Social Science field is required. 
• Minimum ten years of experience working on cooperative agreements or grants from international agencies such as USAID or bilateral/ multilateral funders is required.
• Minimum five years of experience in relevant senior management and supervisory role is required.
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Qualifications and Skills:

• Exceptional analytical and financial management skills and the ability to facilitate budget development are required.
• A track record of managing sub-awards with international consortiums, including research entities and stakeholders, is required.
• Excellent verbal, written, and presentation skills are required.
• Excellent interpersonal skills and the ability to develop relations with all stakeholders at all levels are required.
• The ability to work effectively in a global and multi-cultural setting is required. 
• A seasoned manager with experience managing teams of ten or more people and mentoring staff is required.
• Being detail-oriented with excellent time management skills to set priorities for self and the team members is required.