Project Manager- Temporary

Job Overview

We are seeking a dynamic and organized Program Manager to oversee the coordination, reporting, and communication of research projects. The role involves managing project cycles, budgets, and stakeholder relations while ensuring compliance and timely delivery. The ideal candidate will work closely with Principal Investigators (PIs), co-PIs, and partner institutions to drive project success.

Key Responsibilities

Program Reporting and Administration

• Plan the project cycle, including defining timelines and deliverable endpoints for all work packages in collaboration with co-PIs and Program Management teams.
• Work with academic staff and students to plan, organize, and implement field data collection and laboratory activities.
• Coordinate project components with other team members on behalf of the co-PIs.
• Proactively ensure work plans are documented and on track, identifying issues before they arise through regular (bi-weekly) meetings with each project team.
• Implement and maintain project database systems for lab and field data collection.
• Take primary responsibility for ensuring appropriate data collection with the support of PIs.
• Manage existing online collaborative tools and contribute to creating or revising new ones based on lessons learned.
• Maintain a contacts database for all project staff, students, and visiting academics.
• Liaise with ILRI communications staff to maintain the project output repository (open access on ILRI repository).
• Write monthly summary reports for dissemination to all project members, summarizing progress against targets.
• Develop and maintain a Risk Register, assisting co-PIs in managing risks to timely delivery.
• Ensure compliance with Institutional Research Ethics Committee (IREC), Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee (IACUC), Institutional Biosafety/Biosecurity Committee (IBC), etc.

Budget Management

• Work with the program accountant and institutional program managers to oversee, plan, and track the project budget.
• Track expenditure across all partner institutes, each having its own budget for staff costs.
• Ensure timely sharing of budgetary information with senior budget staff.
• Follow up with the ILRI finance department to ensure disbursement of funds to partners.
• Assist the Program Accountant in monthly routine accounting duties.
• Oversee day-to-day project field expenditure.
• In consultation with the PI and co-PIs, draft annual reports to the donor/funder.
• Manage store supply/ordering with external suppliers and maintain up-to-date inventories of supplies and consumable shipping, including tracking budgetary allocations for these activities.

Communication

• Act as the primary point of contact for all project issues, including for primary stakeholders, establishing and maintaining positive relationships.
• Meet regularly with project stakeholders (facilitated through the ILRI co-PIs).
• Support communication by coordinating with project partners, including government officials, collaborators, and local administrators.
• Organize conferences, workshops, science write shops, internal and external meetings, project annual retreats, quarterly meetings, and other events as required.
• Participate actively in project meetings, including international ones.
• Contribute to the online presence of the project by maintaining the project website, Twitter feed, and newsletter in collaboration with the Communication specialist.
• Plan and oversee logistics for project meetings (internal and multi-partner).
• Perform any other related duties as required.

Qualifications and Requirements

• Education: Master’s degree in Business Administration, Program Management, or a scientific subject (e.g., veterinary medicine, epidemiology, microbiology).
• Training/Experience: Professional training or demonstrable practical experience in leadership and project management.
• Work Experience: At least 7 years of relevant experience in program management within an internationally focused research or development organization.
• Knowledge of administrative and financial management of development programs and/or donor-funded projects.
• Experience managing work plans, results-based budgets, and monitoring/reporting systems.
• Language: Strong English language skills (written and spoken).
• Communication: Excellent verbal and written communication skills and an engaging personality. Experience in science communication is an added advantage.
• Ability to work in a multi-disciplinary environment.
• Strong IT skills.
• Experience with data entry in electronic databases is an added advantage.
• Experience working with epidemiology and public health researchers is an added advantage.
• Ability to work in a fast-paced environment with interdisciplinary teams of scientists and partner organizations.
• Ability to communicate with different stakeholders.
• Ability to handle electronic data entry and data management.