Job Description
Job Description
CeSHHAR Zimbabwe is an organisation that specialises in population health research and programming, including on sexual and reproductive health and HIV/AIDS. CeSHHAR has an extensive national, regional, and international academic and community partnership network. CeSHHAR has a diverse range of funders which include the Wellcome Trust, the Gates Foundation, UK Medical Research Council, Templeton World Charity Foundation, Global Fund for AIDS TB and Malaria, UNICEF and UNFPA. We partner very closely with the Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine (UK), Zimbabwe's Ministry of Health and Childcare and international and regional centres of research excellence to evaluate national programmes and determine the impact, uptake, and cost effectiveness of novel reproductive health interventions.We are seeking a Program Manager who can provide comprehensive operational, strategic, and financial management of the research portfolio that is run by the Deputy Executive Director (Science). The portfolio encompasses a diverse range of extramurally funded studies focusing on HIV prevention, treatment, and integrated sexual and reproductive health (SRH) services. The Program Manager serves as the primary operational engine for the research team, bridging the gap between the Deputy Executive Director’s high-level scientific vision and the day-to-day execution of studies. This role requires a dynamic leader who can manage multi-million dollar donor budgets, lead multidisciplinary field and data teams, ensure strict regulatory compliance, and proactively secure the portfolio's long-term sustainability by identifying and co-leading new grant applications.
Duties and Responsibilities
Operational & Study Management
• Study Execution: Oversee the day-to-day operations of all implementation research studies within the portfolio, ensuring protocols are executed with high fidelity, on time, and within scope
• Timeline & Milestone Tracking: Develop and maintain study standard operating procedures (SOPs), work plans, and dashboards to track progress across enrollment targets, data collection, and interventions
• Site & Field Coordination: Supervise study coordinators, field teams, and other research staff across multiple research locations
• Supply Chain & Logistics: Coordinate the procurement and distribution of research supplies and study-related commodities
2. Strategic Grant Development & Financial Management
• Funding Opportunity Scoping: Actively monitor, identify, and evaluate new funding mechanisms, requests for proposals, and notices of funding opportunities from international research donors
• Grant Application Leadership: Play a leading role in the planning and assembly of new grant applications; manage the proposal timeline, coordinate with co-investigators, and ensure all technical and administrative components align with donor guidelines.
• Proposal Writing & Assembly: Draft core institutional sections of proposals, including operational capacity statements, project management plans, human subjects protections, and resource justifications.
• Budget Design & Oversight: Direct the development of complex, multi-year grant budgets and budget justifications, ensuring full cost recovery and strategic alignment with the proposed research scope.
• Donor Compliance & Reporting: Serve as the primary technical point of contact for donor administrative requirements; draft, compile, and submit high-quality technical progress reports.
• Sub-award & Contract Management: Oversee contractual agreements, scopes of work, and budgets for external consultants, local implementing partners, and academic sub-contractors.
3. Regulatory, Ethics & Data Governance
• IRB & Regulatory Compliance: Manage the submission, renewal, and amendment of research protocols to local and international Institutional Review Boards (IRBs) and national regulatory authorities.
• Quality Assurance: Implement and monitor quality control procedures to ensure data integrity, participant safety, and absolute adherence to Good Clinical Practice (GCP) and human subjects protection guidelines.
• Data Operations Liaison: Partner with the data management and biostatistics teams to monitor data entry timelines, resolve queries, and prepare datasets for analysis.
4. Scientific Dissemination & Stakeholder Engagement
• Research Dissemination: Assist the Deputy Director and research teams in drafting abstracts, academic manuscripts, and presentations for international conferences and peer-reviewed journals
• Stakeholder Relations: Maintain strong collaborative relationships with relevant program and research stakeholders, policy makers and community advisory boards.
• Team Mentorship: Supervise, mentor, and foster professional development for junior research assistants, data clerks, and field staff.
Qualifications and Experience
Education
• Master’s degree required in Public Health (MPH), Epidemiology, Global Health, Health Administration, or a closely related scientific or management discipline.
Experience
• Minimum of 5–7 years of progressive experience managing complex public health or clinical research programs, with preferred experience in implementation science.
• Proven track record of co-authoring or managing successful peer-reviewed grant applications, with a demonstrated ability to independently drive the proposal development lifecycle.
• Proven track record in grant management, specifically with large international donors or major global philanthropic foundations.
• Technical expertise in HIV and/or Sexual and Reproductive Health (SRH) research methodologies and programming.
• Experience leading teams, with a demonstrated ability to manage, motivate, and mentor diverse, multidisciplinary project staff.
Core Competencies
• Project Management & Bid Mastery: Exceptional skill in managing complex, time-sensitive proposal pipelines alongside daily operations using relevant tools.
• Financial Acumen: Advanced capacity to build, analyze, and manage complex, multi-year grant budgets with strict compliance standards.
• Regulatory Expertise: Thorough understanding of human subjects research regulations, IRB procedures, and GCP principles.
• Effective Communication: Superb technical and grant-writing skills, with the ability to translate complex scientific concepts into compelling narrative proposals.
How to Apply
Step 1: Click The Apply Button Below
Step 2: If you are interested in the above position, please email your CV and application cover letter addressed to Human Resources and send to vacancies@ceshhar.co.zw. Indicate the position and duty station you are applying for in the subject line. Only short-listed applicants will be contacted.
CeSHHAR Zimbabwe is committed to diversity and inclusion within its workforce, and encourages all candidates, irrespective of gender, nationality, sexual orientation, religious and ethnic backgrounds, including persons living with disabilities, to apply.
The successful candidate will undergo relevant background checks and will be required to commit in writing to comply with the CeSHHAR Zimbabwe safeguarding guidelines.