The Science for Africa Foundation is seeking a Senior Programme Officer to manage the research infrastructure and grant compliance aspects of the DELTAS Africa programme. This role involves providing technical guidance, institutional strengthening, capacity building, and program monitoring across various grantee institutions in Africa.
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).
