Job Description

STRATEGIC RESEARCH INITIATIVES(CAPE TOWN)The South African Medical Research Council (SAMRC) strives to improve the nation's health and quality of life by funding and conducting relevant and leading health research. It further aims to promote equity, career development and progression.Senior Project CoordinatorDuration: 3 yearsThe Strategic Research Initiatives Unit of the SAMRC seeks to appoint a Senior Project Coordinator who will report to the Deputy Director and will be responsible and accountable for the coordination and administration of the BRILLIANT consortium program.The BRILLIANT Consortium's programme of research will focus on utilising the existing capacity, scientific talent, ingenuity and investments made in community engagement to advance the HIV vaccine field in sub-Saharan Africa through supporting activities in the following five interrelated areas:

• Partner with civil society advocates, affected communities including those affected by and people living with HIV/AIDS, policymakers, and communicators to advance sub-Saharan African-led HIV vaccine science.
• Design and implement early-stage clinical trials of HIV vaccine immunogens,
• Conduct laboratory analyses on samples from trials and epidemiological studies,
• Test innovative preclinical HIV vaccine concepts, advancing the most promising candidates toward clinical trials,
• Strengthen systems of collaborations for HIV vaccine research in SSA and increase opportunities to advance the careers of promising sub-Saharan African scientists.

Responsibilities:

• Coordinate sourcing and reporting of program outputs (e.g. reports, publications, students and other deliverables) for MEL and other reporting.
• Monitor grant timelines, deliverables and Coordinate reporting to USAID (progress reports, interim reports, and final reports as required by USAID)
• Generate reports and metrics on program activities, financials, and outcomes for program management and stakeholders.
• Maintain accurate and organized records and documentation for the program and facilitate access to information for all consortium members.
• Establish grant accounts, budgets, and financial reporting structures within the SAMRC and monitor program administration budgets.
• Manage procurement on the program by SAMRC, including the execution of contracts in line with SAMRC and USAID policies.
• Track and document program expenses and ensuring appropriate utilization of funds.
• Serve as a central point of contact for the program and manage coordinated communication with all partners, including drafting of letters (for sign off by the Program Director or Deputy Director, Administration).
• Contribute to the preparation of stakeholder communication materials (e.g. website material, presentations, reports, marketing materials, press releases, program pamphlets, etc.)
• Arrange and coordinate internal and external consortium, partner working group and governance committee meetings and workshops, including:

• Travel arrangements (including visa application letters)
• S&T claims
• Support with agenda preparation
• Drafting minutes and actions
• Monitoring action items

Core Requirements:

• 3-year relevant tertiary qualification in a science or biomedical discipline or similar qualification or higher
• At least 2-3 years of relevant experience coordinating/ managing projects (i.e. proven project management skills)
• Proven experience administering funding, stakeholder communication and coordinating meetings.

Advantageous:

• Demonstrated experience working in a public fund/grant administration environment or similar, managing or coordinating project/grant portfolios.
• Preferably demonstrated experience in working across academia, government departments, industry, and philanthropy
• A working knowledge of / background in health research

Terms & Conditions: The SAMRC retains the right not to make an appointment. In accordance with the SAMRC's Employment Equity Plan, preference will be given to suitably qualified candidates from the designated groups. For this reason, we require race, gender and disability status to be specified. Disabled persons are encouraged to apply. By submitting your application, SAMRC concludes that you are a competent person to consent and that you are giving consent to the SAMRC to process and further process all personal information contained in the application in accordance with the Protection of Personal Information Act, Act No 4 of 2013 (as amended). The SAMRC does its best to provide the most accurate information; however, if there is anything wrong and unclear applicants are encouraged to contact the HR Recruitment Office at 021-938 0648 before the closing date.A salary in the region of R 534 050 per annum, cost-to-company, will be negotiated in consideration of experience and qualifications.Closing Date: 23 July 2024PLEASE QUOTE THE REFERENCE NUMBER (R 738A) IN ALL COMMUNICATIONS. PLEASE BE ADVISED THAT YOUR SUBMISSION WILL NOT BE CONSIDERED SHOULD YOUR APPLICATION NOT BE ACCOMPANIED BY THE REQUIRED INFORMATION AND DOCUMENTATION.This website is optimised for secure, standards compliant web browsers. In order to view and use this website, you should use a web browser other than Internet Explorer.Options include: The latest version of 'Chrome, Microsoft Edge, Firefox, Opera and Safari

SAMRC