The Unit is an internationally recognised centre of excellence with dominant research themes in the areas of HIV and emerging infections, vaccines and immunity, and chronic diseases and cancer. Through a multidisciplinary approach, intersecting basic science, epidemiological research, social-behavioural research and the conduct of new intervention evaluation studies, the Unit contributes knowledge on changing epidemics and diseases, the evaluation of innovative health care options, treatment and prevention and the development of health policy and practice in Africa and worldwide. Following the signing of strategic transfer agreements between the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine (LSHTM) and the Medical Research Council (MRC UK), the Unit formally joined LSHTM on 1st February 2018. The exciting new partnership will boost research capacity into current and emerging health issues in Africa and throughout the world. The Unit is based at the UVRI Entebbe campus with established outposts in Kalungu, Masaka, Wakiso and Kampala Districts. The Unit is now seeking an enthusiastic and experienced individual to fill the following position:
Head of Research Support Office – (01 Position)
Position Code: HRSO-920
Reports to: Chief Operating Officer
Duty station: Entebbe
Contract Duration: 2 years, renewable subject to performance and availability of funds
Start Date: As soon as possible
Overall Job Purpose: The Head of Research Support Office (RSO) leads the RSO department to achieve effective and efficient management of the Unit’s research portfolio in support of the Unit/s vision and mission. The post holder ensures the office optimally supports the development of research funding proposals, that the status of pipeline/submitted is known at all times and followed-up on, the development of funding and collaboration agreements is effectively coordinated and sign-off achieved in a timely manner, and that all reporting (interim/final) to donors and partners is completed as expected.
The Head of RSO works closely with the Unit’s Heads of Programmes, Principal Investigators as well as external collaborators, sponsors and stakeholders to support the development of research proposals, their appropriate budgeting, reporting and project delivery in line with Unit and LSHTM policies and procedures. The post-holder oversees that throughout pre-award stages, project leaders receive effective and timely guidance and support to ensure that research proposals are successfully awarded to the Unit and that operational recoveries from grants are maximized in line with Unit expectations.

The post holder is expected to develop and direct a team of Project Managers which will be funded through external projects and will directly facilitate the delivery of research projects at the Unit. This involves all aspects of project planning, project setup, facilitation of internal and external approvals, meetings and contracting, as well as recruitment of project staff, procurement of project materials, logistical support. The project management team is expected to monitor progress, facilitate communication and reporting to other Unit departments (e.g. Finance) and external stakeholders, including donors. Through the department team, the Head of RSO ensures the Unit’s compliance with donor, regulator, collaborator and sponsor requirements and supports inspections and audits as applicable.
Apart from managing the pre- and post-award support of external grants and the project management function of RSO, the post holder is also expected to track and report on the Unit’s top-level performance indicators. As such the post-holder as a key responsibility of informing the Unit Chief Operating Officer and the Unit Management Committee of performance against Unit Key Performance Indicators (KPI) and also to highlight relevant risks. The Head of RSO maintains comprehensive records and trackers covering the whole research portfolio ensuring that accurate reports and analyses are available on short notice .

Key Responsibilities
The principal duty of the post-holder is managing the Unit’s Research Support Office department ensuring that RSO teams optimally support the attraction, contracting, delivery and reporting of research projects and that core costs are recovered appropriately through the following;
Principal Duties & Responsibilities
Strategic Planning and Management
• Translate the Unit’s strategic vision and plans into departmental objectives and KPI;
• Oversee the Unit’s research portfolio, identifying priorities and gaps, and regularly brief the Unit Chief Operating Officer;
• Continually review and prioritize funding opportunities according to Unit and Programme scientific priority; and,
• Ensure the RSO department adapts to the changing needs of the Unit’s dynamic research portfolio, with regards to staff numbers, training, systems, capacity and level of service.
Grants Management
• Keep knowledge of research management matters in the department up to date, including operational concepts of UK Transparent Approach to Costing (TRAC) and Full Economic Cost (fEC) methodologies, Quality-related research funding (QR), allowable and unallowable costs for major donors, overheads as well as directly allocated (DA) and directly incurred (DI) costs;
• Work with potential partners to build partnership relationships for collaborations on research projects ensuring that partners’ interests are aligned and within scope of funder priorities and Unit research strategy;
Ensure Unit systems are in place and being followed for pre and post award proposal stages, including the approval of scientific fit and appropriateness of budgets;
• Ensure researchers are aware of expectations regarding intellectual property, data management, sample sharing procedures and other research management-related matters (in collaboration with Research Governance Department);
• Work closely with other research support services within the Unit and LSHTM to ensure a high quality, consistent, integrated research support;
• Lead in the introduction of an electronic grants management system;
• Manage the Unit’s online accounts on funder portals; and,
• Act as main Unit focal point to the London-based research agreements team within the Research Operations Office (ROO).
Governance and Compliance
• Monitor Unit research indicators and prepare regular and ad hoc reports as needed;
• Ensure appropriate administration of awards including timely submission of high quality and accurate funder reports;
• Advise researchers on funder requirements for specific calls to support Unit compliance;
• Put in place robust grants, contracts and compliance management systems;
• Develop and implement best practices to meet funder compliance requirements;
• Ensure RSO teams are fully aware of sponsors’ terms and conditions for research grants and have knowledge of standard clauses and issues related to research contracts (for example collaboration agreements, Material and Data Transfer Agreements, etc.); and,
• In collaboration with the other Unit research support managers, lead the development of a robust research management framework at the Unit which includes essential due diligence processes, adhering to high standards of grant/operational governance and streamlining of oversight and approval procedures.
Leadership, Planning and Organization
• Monitor and identify changing trends in the Unit’s research portfolio and adjust staff numbers, capacity and services pro-actively to ensure highly effective research support at all times;
• Actively support the planning and coordination of research operations;
• Ensure that Policies and Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) are in place and up to date to effectively facilitate development, administration and implementation of grants as well as their oversight;
• Lead and supervise the work of the RSO team to ensure that adequate systems and procedures are in place for the implementation of projects. This involves appropriate planning, management and coordination of the activities in projects across the Unit;
• Lead in the management, training and development of RSO team ensuring that appropriate guidance is provided, training and career development opportunities;
• Ensure that the teams knowledge base and resources relating to research funding is constantly updated; and,
• Establish, implement and monitor service levels of RSO teams and continuously work to improve service.
Donor Intelligence
• Build and maintain a strong departmental knowledge base of Unit’s research strengths and scientific direction;
• Build and maintain a network of funder contacts, identifying and promoting opportunities internally;
• In collaboration with LSHTM Strategic Research Office, map out Unit research strengths to funders thematic priorities;
• Provide accurate and constructive advice to Unit researchers applying for research grant funding on funder eligibility requirements, funder regulations and costing of proposals in line with Unit expectations; and,
• Monitor, maintain and keep up to date, detailed knowledge and expertise on new policy developments and funding programmes, call for proposals, deadlines and ensure that researchers and research management staff are informed.
Reporting and Other Responsibilities
• Ensure that up to date and accurate records of Unit applications and awards are maintained;
• Validate and monitor material and information entered into the Unit’s grants management system for accuracy and integrity and contribute to the preparation of reports and analyses for activities;
• Provide regular and ad-hoc reporting on grant portfolio performance and other metrics;
• Provide regular summary reports and guidance to Unit Chief Operating Officer and Heads of Programmes;
• Analyse and interpret outputs and activity levels of field stations and sites and devise performance improvement strategies as needed;
• Disseminate and create awareness of Unit policies and procedures as appropriate to researchers and research support staff including participating in the Unit’s Senior Scientists Meeting (SSM) and by providing training for staff on an ad hoc basis;
• Reporting to Unit Chief Operating Officer any issues related to policy, legal or financial matters that requires urgent action;
• Undertake all work following the relevant safety rules and regulations as laid down in the Unit’s at LSHTM’s Health & Safety policies and procedures; and,
• Perform any other duty as commensurate with the post.
Financial Management
The post holder is responsible for the management of the RSO department budget, ensuring that:
• The budget available is utilised to the maximum benefit of the Unit’s operations;
• There is full transparency and accountability;
• All expenditure is within budget and any trends indicating a potential budget overrun or underspend are identified and addressed promptly;
• Support research teams, Project Managers and the Finance department to ensure all projects are delivered within budget;
• Resolve financial issues relating to research grant as they arise and escalate significant matters to Unit Leadership Board as required;
• Monitor information on applications and awards and identify synergies between projects for effective resource management;
• Strategically analyse financial reports of projects to ensure spend is aligned with budgets and project plans; and,
• The post holder has a delegated authority to approve expenditures of up to £5,000.
Line Management Responsibilities
The post holder manages a diverse and multidisciplinary team of Grants Officers, Grants Assistants and Project Managers. As such the Head of RSO is responsible for ensuring that:
• Staff are enabled to perform their assigned duties as expected;
• Staff professional development is nurtured in line with the Unit’s and LSHTM’s capacity building goals;
• There is a positive and supportive work environment in the department;
• Staff feel included and valued and their professional feedback and proposals are heard and considered;
• Staff expectations are clearly communicated;
• Staff performance is regularly monitored;
• Potential conflicts are resolved promptly and decisively, involving HR support where needed;
• Formal appraisals are conducted within the departments in line with the Unit’s schedule;
• Applicable LSHTM and Unit HR policies are being followed at all levels; and,
• Participate in the development of equal opportunities, diversity and inclusion.
Quality of Service
It is important that the Units Research Support Office services are delivered in a customer-oriented fashion. This post-holder ensures the department is;
• Responsive;
• Promptly communicating to users new developments such as new services, changes to services, service disruptions etc;
• Pro-actively resolving issues;
• Upholding high standards of professionalism;
• Ensure services are effective across all field stations, which requires regular direct interactions with staff outside Entebbe;
• Take responsibility for the overall quality of the service delivery; and,
• Lead the team’s self-assessment process, supporting the team in setting targets and agreeing performance indicators for improvement.
LSHTM Integration
The Unit has transferred to LSHTM in 2018. The post-holder is expected to support the further integration of the Unit by:
• Working in close collaboration with the Head of Research Operations Office (ROO) in London;
• Support development of consistent, uniformed and compliant funder approaches with UK and Gambia, taking the lead with Uganda based funders;
• Providing data and update reports to Unit and London-based managers as appropriate and as needed;
• Engage constructively with departments across all LSHTM locations (UK, The Gambia) as needed;
• Support the harmonization of policies and procedures across all LSHTM locations;
• Capitalize on new opportunities for capacity and efficiency gains that arise from the Unit transfer; and,
• Develop proposals to harmonize workflow between London and the Unit.
Environment
• Develop and support strategies to reduce adverse environmental impact of the Unit’s research portfolio;
• Participate in carbon emission reduction activities across the Unit and wider LSHTM; and,
• Act as an advocate for the responsible and efficient use of resources.

Specifications:
• Bachelor’s Degree or higher related to Accounting or Finance and 8 years’ experience in a related field or Master’s degree in a related field and 6 years’ experience in a related field;
• Possession of a professional certification in PRINCE2, PMI or another relevant Project management course is an added advantage;
• Minimum of 6 years’ experience in grants financial management, finance, accounting, and/or auditing;
• Minimum 4 years’ experience in senior role managing a grants office with direct supervision of personnel;
• Demonstrated experience in strategic planning;
• Demonstrated experience in policy and procedure development and implementation;
• Experience in a medical research, humanitarian or international organization is desired;
• Experience managing complex change processes is an added advantage;
• Good knowledge and experience with spreadsheets and databases.
• Ability to interpret complex grant funding requirements, submissions, and budget projections
• Ability to interpret laws and regulations of Uganda and major donor countries and regions
• Ability to positively manage conflict within teams
• Proficient in the use of financial management software is desired

Method of Application

Follow the link below to fill a form and submit your application documentation:
https://redcap.link/HeaddResearchSupportOff
Filling the form more than once will lead to automatic disqualification. High level of integrity while filling the form is required and will be considered during shortlisting.
Deadline for application is 12th October 2020, 5:00pm Only shortlisted candidates will be contacted for interview. This position is open to Ugandan nationals only. Strictly follow the application procedure as failure to do so will lead to automatic disqualification.
The applications should be addressed to:
The Head of Human Resources,
MRC/ UVRI and LSHTM Uganda Research Unit,
P.O. Box, 49,
Entebbe, Uganda.
Consider your application unsuccessful if not contacted within eight (8) weeks after the closing date of the advert. Any form of lobbying at any stage will lead to automatic disqualification. By submitting your personal information, you consent to the MRC/ UVRI and LSHTM Uganda Research Unit holding and using it in accordance with its recruitment policy and procedure. The Unit reserves the right to verify documents attached with the relevant awarding institutions to authenticate their validity.
MRC/UVRI and LSHTM Uganda research Unit is an equal opportunity employer committed to having a diverse work force and does not ask for money at any stage of recruitment.