Assistant to the Project Manager

Job Description: Research Project Coordinator

We are seeking a highly organized and detail-oriented Research Project Coordinator to support our dynamic research team. The ideal candidate will ensure smooth project operations, from financial administration to team coordination, while maintaining rigorous standards of accuracy and timeliness.

Key Responsibilities

Project Coordination

• Maintain project databases and filing systems to ensure 100% accuracy and accessibility, updated weekly.
• Collect and collate data for project documentation and reports, ensuring all deliverables are submitted by scheduled deadlines.
• Monitor daily project activities against work plans, ensuring at least 95% of tasks are completed on time each month.
• Facilitate project operations (procurement, recruitment, knowledge sharing), completing all tasks within agreed timelines.
• Communicate project information to relevant stakeholders with updates provided bi-weekly or as required.

Research Team Support

• Schedule and document lab meetings, seminars, and conferences and ensure minutes are circulated within 48 hours.
• Onboard new team members (scientists, students, technicians) by providing lab access, training records, and safety protocols within the first week of joining.
• Maintain team calendars and track deadlines for grant submissions and ethics approvals, sending reminders to the PI at least 1 week before each deadline.

Financial and Grant Administration

• Process purchase orders for lab supplies and track budgets to ensure spending remains within 100% of approved allocations.
• Support grant applications by compiling documents, formatting CVs, and ensuring compliance with donor regulations, with applications submitted on schedule.
• Reconcile project expenses (travel, fieldwork) and coordinate with finance teams to ensure monthly reconciliation is completed within 10 days of the end of travel / field trip.

Communications and Documentation

• Draft and edit reports, newsletters, and website content highlighting research outputs, with each report finalized within 5 business days of data receipt.
• Coordinate communications with collaborators by preparing agreements and MoUs, ensuring all documentation is completed before project start.

Other Duties

• Perform additional tasks as assigned, ensuring completion within agreed timelines and alignment with project objectives.

Requirements

• Bachelor’s degree or Diploma in a relevant field.
• Two years relevant experience with a degree, or five years relevant experience with a diploma.
• Good understanding of methods, techniques, and procedures.
• Technical training in project management – desirable.
• Effective administrative skills.
• Effective communication and writing skills.
• Experience in facilitating teamwork and collaboration across multiple functions.
• Experience working in an international organization.