Senior Programme Officer

Job Summary

The Senior Programme Officer (SPO) is responsible for taking ideas within the strategy through the full programme cycle, ensuring impact. The SPO has his/her primary responsibility to provide technical assistance for the design and implementation of the programme; build partnerships, collaborations and manage networks, deliver high-level project-related research, and provide thought leadership in various areas of science. The overall aim of the SPO (Grand Challenges Africa) role is to deliver work within the Science, Innovation, Translation and Entrepreneurship (SITE) programme under the Grand Challenges (GC) Africa Initiative. The Science for Africa Foundation hosts GC Africa as part of the Grand Challenges partner family in collaboration with Gates Foundation. The GC Africa initiative seeks to promote Africa-led scientific innovations to help countries better achieve the Sustainable Development Goals by awarding seed and scale up grants to the continent’s most impressive solutions.

Job Details

Duties and Responsibilities

1. Scientific and technical leadership Participate in the programme management cycle by contributing to:

• Project-specific planning and budgeting 
• Lead in effective technical and financial management to ensure Value For Money (VFM) throughout the programme cycle, including using evidence to enhance program learning and development, seeking out and implementing solutions which achieve a good mix of quality and effectiveness for the least outlay, in line with grant and donor requirements. 
• Ensuring that technical outputs throughout the program cycle, including reports, are of high quality and respond to donor guidelines and requirements. 
• Project-specific promotion and marketing, including social media, website page management and/or article writing, working in collaboration with the SFA Foundation communications team. 
• Support in identifying, tracking and mitigating programme management risks and issues. 
• Identification of experts for peer review and selection panels. 
• Monitoring and evaluating scheme outcomes and impacts and communicating outcomes and learnings to key stakeholders. 
• Preparing consolidated technical and financial reports from grantees. This involves reviewing reporting templates, liaising with grantees and M&E teams during reporting periods to support their reporting needs, consolidating the reports for internal use and for sharing with relevant funders, and data mining from reports to prepare outcomes and impact reports. 
• Liaising and managing relationships with key stakeholders (other SFA Foundation funding and delivery partners, relevant steering groups, and partners throughout the continent) 
• Financial tracking of spend against budget. 
• Management of scheme activities and grant awards 
• Contribute, as required, to developing evidence-based positions on research and innovation policy issues linked to the core work. 
• Make recommendations for strategic investment areas in thematic areas in time, within budget and at the required quality. 
• Assist in providing secretariat support to relevant steering or expert groups. 
• Assist in utilising the outputs, networks and relationships created through programme to further the organization’s strategic objectives. 

2. Delivering the Science Research & Innovations Strategy 

• Perform programme-relevant research to inform the development, implementation and delivery of the projects falling within the portfolio.
• Work closely with the M&E team to identify, collate, track, assess quality, analyse and validate, and report on programme-related data. 
• Identify and build relationships with relevant stakeholders. This may include universities and academic institutions, relevant African government departments and policymakers, Africa-based and international Think Tanks, and intergovernmental organisations etc 
• Prepare reports, articles and presentations during programme inception meetings, annual grantee meetings and site visits.
• Track and perform relevant analyses (data-driven approaches) on various aspects of programme implementation to identify and address important challenges to ensure effective and efficient programme delivery. 

3. Programme Support 

• Represent SFA Foundation programmes at internal and external meetings when required. 
• Work closely with SFA Foundation Communications teams to develop a media and campaign strategy for projects within the portfolio to ensure maximum exposure and coverage on the continent and beyond and to generate keen interest from potential stakeholders.
• Supervise relevant administrative team duties in support of the projects within the portfolio work with SFA Foundation professional services team members e,g procurement team to monitor deliverables (including supplies), and being the contact person for projects within the programme. 
• Plan and organise relevant workshops and other activities in furtherance of the objectives of the projects within the portfolio. 
• Develop a risk management framework for the programme, including developing and maintaining a risk register for the programme and a system to document, track and ensure programme issues and challenges are resolved in a timely manner. 
• Support other SFA Foundation programmes and departments in the delivery of their mandate, especially for cross-cutting programmatic activities when requested.

Requirements

Academic qualifications 

A PhD degree in a relevant Science/Biomedical/Biosciences/Health research field obtained over the past 10 years; or an MD or equivalent training with proven research leadership qualities and experience. A background in data modelling, public health, and/or artificial intelligence is strongly desired. 

Professional qualifications 

• A proven record of research capabilities in health/biomedical/biosciences research as demonstrated by peer-reviewed publications and other quality outputs. 
• At least 3-5 years’ experience working in research/research leadership capacity development programme design and implementation on the African continent. 
• A professional qualification and relevant experience in large-scale programme/project management or training in research administration, ethics, leadership or related will be an added advantage. 
• Familiarity or experience in science policy or translating science into policy is recommended, but not required. 

Experience 

• A proven record of research capabilities in health/biomedical/biosciences research as demonstrated by peer-reviewed publications and other quality outputs

About Company

Science for Africa Foundation

https://www.scienceforafrica.foundation

Science for Africa Foundation (SFA Foundation) is a pan-African, non-profit, public charitable organisation created to support, strengthen, and promote science and innovation in Africa.