Project Manager at The South African Medical Research Council (SAMRC)

Responsibilities according to Key Performance Areas:

Project Management

• Responsible for the management of projects/grant awards to ensure conduct and delivery of the projects in line with approved timelines, milestones and budgets and in accordance with the Standard Operating Procedure and relevant funder’s Framework agreements. This includes:
• Overseeing contracting, monitoring compliance with grant conditions
• Arranging and attending regular project steering team meetings and regularly liaising with PIs and host institutions
• Project monitoring and support – review technical and financial reports and make recommendations to management
• Recording of outputs
• Raise and facilitate resolution of matters regarding project activities and budget
• Raising and facilitating resolution of matters regarding grantee activities and budgets
• Managing queries and requests for project changes
• Manage disbursements
• Reporting to management on grant progress and status of project progress
• Maintaining accurate and organized records and documentation on grants

Program Coordination

• Coordinate or facilitate program /strategic partnership including running RFAs, drafting program budget, portfolio development, and reporting under the supervision of a Program Manager.

Facilitation of RFAs under the supervision and sign-off of a Program manager which includes:

• Liaising with internal stakeholders to draft and publicize RFA
• Field queries from PIs and institutions
• Facilitate the peer review and selection processes, including coordinating panel meetings
• Prepare Steering Committee and EMC submissions for award approvals
• Provide feedback to applicants, including project initiation letters
• Facilitate drafting and signing of funding agreements
• Contribute to reports to management and funders on the program(s) through collection, validation, analysis and interpretation of portfolio data

Program coordination and administration (under the supervision and sign-off of a Program Manager)

• Facilitate partner agreements and administer program budget
• Coordinate sourcing, validation, and analysis of program outputs (e.g., reports, publications, and students)
• Extracting and collating outputs for reports
• Filing program documentation
• Administration associated with the appointment and management of service providers for project or program activities, where applicable
• Liaise with strategic partners but generally not as the SAMRC lead or representative.
• May be required to capacitate interns or Project Coordinators.

Stakeholder Liaison

• Independently liaise with internal stakeholders: GIPD Program manager and Executive Director, Other GIPD staff, Support department staff
• Independently liaise with external stakeholders, but aligned with Program Manager: Project PIs, SA universities and science councils, Strategic partners/ funders.
• Contribute to arranging and participating in stakeholder/strategic partner events/ meetings
• Support meeting planning and logistics in coordination with the Program Manager, Office Manager and SAMRC Events team for larger meetings
• Support agenda preparation and dissemination of meeting materials
• Drafting and monitoring of actions from partner meetings
• Facilitate the preparation of stakeholder communication materials (e.g., agenda, website material, presentations, reports, marketing materials, press releases, project pamphlets, etc.)

Duration:

3 Year

Remuneration:

R 831 798.00 per annum (CTC)

Requirements
Core Requirements:

• 4-year tertiary qualification (NQF Level 8) in a health-related or biomedical sciences discipline or
• 3-year degree with Honours in a health-related or biomedical sciences discipline
• At least 3 years of relevant demonstrated experience in grants management and/or managing multidisciplinary, multistakeholder and multi-institution projects/grants

Advantageous:

• BSc Honours or higher in a health-related or biomedical science discipline
• Demonstrated experience in Project management/Program coordination
• Experience in a public funding and/or research environment, i.e., demonstrated experience managing grants for a funder or at a research organization as a project manager of multiple grants with reporting to different funders and stakeholders
• Experience in managing contracts and program budgets
• Experience in stakeholder event coordination
• Demonstrated experience in working across academia, government departments, philanthropic foundations, non-profit organizations, and industry
• A working knowledge of / background in health research
• Experience preferably within infectious diseases (such as TB and/or HIV research environment) or women, maternal, neonatal and child health research environment.