PROGRAM MANAGER

The African Population and Health Research Center (APHRC) is a premier research-to-policy institution, generating evidence, strengthening research and related capacity in the African Research and Development ecosystem, and engaging policy to inform action on health and development. The Center is Africa-based and African-led, with its headquarters in Nairobi, Kenya, and a West Africa Regional Office (WARO), in Dakar, Senegal. APHRC seeks to drive change by developing strong African research leadership and promoting evidence-informed decision-making (EIDM) across sub-Saharan Africa.

The APHRC seeks to recruit a Program Manager to work in the Research and Related Capacity Strengthening (RRCS) Division under the Catalyze Impact Initiative. The Program Manager will lead a large-scale initiative whose goals are to transform the Research and Development (R&D) ecosystem in Africa by:

• Designing and running a matching service between universities/research institutes based in all the regions of Africa and funding agencies for R&D.
• Configuring and running Africa-wide platform-based capacity building for universities/research institutes based in all of Africa’s regions, to increase their capabilities to do more and perform better on a sustained basis along the spectrum of implementation research.
• Designing and developing prototypes in selected countries, to link country decision-making systems with national research systems for adoption/scale-up of R&D innovations.
• Strengthening the African innovation-research ecosystem by developing and deploying connectors – platforms that have cross-cutting benefits to researchers and decision makers.

Duties/Responsibilities

• Build and manage relationships with African universities and research institutes across the continent to enhance their readiness for large-scale funding from R&D funding agencies;
• Build and manage relationships with multiple stakeholders in the Africa R&D ecosystem to create buy-in into the initiative and incorporate it into appropriate decision making mechanisms at national, regional and continental level;
• Lead the assessment of individual and institutional capacities, categorize institutions based on their research capacity strengths and needs,   and develop a capacity development plan in response to the needs assessments;
• Oversee the execution of assigned research capacity strengthening and evaluation projects to ensure timely and efficient implementation of activities;
• Enhance performance management and accountability of delivery systems in institutions selected for support;
• Secure and manage the necessary human, financial and material resources in the program. This includes sourcing consultants and overseeing their work as well as overseeing a large project team;
• Develop and roll out work plans, including tracking project implementation and expenditure plans and reporting schedules;
• Provide leadership in specific project activities including desk reviews, in depth analysis, partner mapping and capacity assessments;
• Produce technical reports from the various activities;
• Lead outreach efforts to various funding agencies, and create buy-in into the initiative;
• Represent the Center in high – level national, regional, continental and international forums including relevant technical working groups and expert committees on implementation research and research capacity strengthening;
• Lead in proposal development and fundraising for the program; and
• Lead efforts to publicize the initiative to relevant audiences.

Qualifications and Desirable Experience

• PhD in Public Health, Public Policy, Health Systems or related field.
• 6-10 years’ post-doctoral experience in developing and managing research capacity strengthening programs or knowledge translation and advocacy programs or in commercialization of
• Experience managing large-scale (multi-year, multi-team, multi-country) projects in a leadership or senior management role.
• Good understanding of the Higher Education/ R&D/ Policy landscape in sub-Saharan Africa.
• Experience working in a research or academic institution conducting implementation research.
• Experience engaging policy makers at national, regional, continental or global
• Excellent written communication and presentation skills.
• Strong grant writing skills and track record of winning grants.
• Bilingual language skills i.e French and English will be an added advantage.

Interested candidates are invited to submit their application in English and include:

1. A letter of application
2. A detailed CV with contact details of three referees

through the link- Program Manager – Catalyze Project  by July 15, 2024. Only shortlisted candidates will be contacted and will be required submit a Police Clearance Certificate at a certain stage of the recruitment process. Cover letters should be addressed to:

The People & Culture Business Partner

African Population and Health Research Center, Inc

APHRC Campus, Manga Close, off Kirawa Road, Kitisuru

P.O. Box 10787-GPO, Nairobi

Website:  www.aphrc.org

 

Special Notice

APHRC is an equal opportunity employer committed to creating a diverse and inclusive workplace. All employment decisions are made based on qualifications and organizational needs. Reasonable accommodation may be provided to applicants with disabilities upon request to support their participation in the recruitment process.