Senior Associate, Research, Scientific Communications and Grant Development

CHAI RWANDA

VACANCY ANNOUNCEMENT

Title: Senior Associate, Research, Scientific Communications and Grant Development

Program: Health System Strengthening

Job Location: Kigali

Start date: at the earliest

Type of Assignment: Full-Time Paid

Organization Overview

The Clinton Health Access Initiative, Inc. (CHAI) is a global health organization committed to strengthening integrated health systems around the world and expanding access to care and treatment for HIV/AIDS, malaria and other illnesses. Based on the premise that business-oriented strategy can facilitate solutions to global health challenges, CHAI acts as a catalyst to mobilize new resources and optimize the impact of these resources to save lives, via improved organization of commodity markets and more effective local management. CHAI does not operate stand-alone programs, nor does it build parallel health systems. Rather, CHAI works at the invitation and in support of governments. We focus on large-scale impact and have secured lower pricing agreements for treatment options in more than 70 countries. CHAI’s teams are working side-by-side with over 30 governments to tackle many of the largest barriers to effective health care. For more information, please visit: http://www.clintonhealthaccess.org

Program Overview

The Government of Rwanda (GoR) strives to achieve Universal Health Coverage (UHC) by enabling equitable access to quality health services for the population as outlined in the Fourth Health Sector Strategic Plan (HSSP IV). This commitment has been made against a backdrop of rising health care costs and uncertainty around the future availability of donor funding and calls for improved health sector sustainability. Acknowledging this, the Government aims to employ effective, equitable, efficient, and sustainable health care financing and systems strengthening, putting an emphasis on primary health care as the cornerstone of a strong and sustainable health system.

CHAI Rwanda’s Health System Strengthening (HSS) programs work on a day-to-day basis with Government leadership in the Ministry of Health (MoH) and the Rwanda Social Security Board (RSSB). The goal of those programs is to support the Government to accelerate progress towards UHC by ensuring the sustainable delivery of quality, essential health services. This includes work to design and implement national Primary Health Care (PHC) reforms from health center level down to community health, to increase health workforce availability, to prioritize and sustainably finance essential services, and to support improved management, financing, and delivery of quality primary health care.

Position Overview

CHAI seeks a Senior Associate to closely work with the Ministry of Health in addition to CHAI Rwanda teams in providing support in the areas of research methodology, scientific writing, business development and grant proposal preparation, thereby enhancing the quality and impact of research outputs that inform SRH and PHC programing.

The Senior Associate will report to the Program Manager for Health Systems Strengthening and will work closely with other CHAI teams at the country and global level, including in Analytics and Implementation research; Health System Strengthening and others. CHAI is seeking a highly motivated individual with outstanding technical and communication skills.

Responsibilities

Major responsibilities of the technical advisor include the following:

1. 1. Research Support
      • Provide expert advice on research design, methodology, and data analysis including SRH.
      • Assist in the development and implementation of research projects, ensuring methodological rigor and ethical compliance.
      • Facilitate interdisciplinary collaboration and knowledge sharing and learning among research teams.
      • Conduct comprehensive literature reviews to inform research and program directions and identify gaps.
   2. Scientific Writing
      • Assist teams in structuring and writing scientific papers, ensuring clarity, coherence, and technical accuracy.
      • Review and edit manuscripts for submission to peer-reviewed journals and conferences including in SRH program.
      • Develop publication strategies, identifying suitable journals and managing the submission process.
      • Advise on authorship ethics, ensuring proper credit and conflict of interest disclosures.
   3. Grant Proposal Preparation
      • Identify suitable funding opportunities from government agencies, private foundations, and industry partners to fund underfunded programs such as SRH.
      • Guide the development of grant proposals, ensuring alignment with funding agency requirements.
      • Assist in drafting compelling proposals, clearly articulating research objectives, methodologies, and expected outcomes.
      • Provide expertise in budget planning and justification, ensuring all necessary resources are accounted for.
      • Ensure compliance with submission guidelines and manage the proposal submission process.

1. Data Management and Integrity
   • Promote best practices in data management, ensuring data integrity, reproducibility, and ethical standards.
   • Support the development and implementation of data sharing and archiving policies.
2. Communication and Outreach
   • Support teams on effective scientific communication, both written and oral.
   • Encourage and facilitate participation in outreach activities to disseminate research findings and engage with broader audiences.
3. Continuous Improvement and Professional Development
   • Initiate partnerships to access professional development opportunities, such as workshops and training in emerging research tools and techniques in SRH programs and PHC approach.
   • Establish feedback mechanisms to continuously improve the quality of research outputs and grant proposals

Qualifications

• Masters’ Degree or equivalent in public health, epidemiology or another relevant field.
• At least 8 years of experience of conducting and applying research (both qualitative and quantitative) to policy and practice. Experience in Sub Saharan Africa is highly preferred.
• Substantial experience in grant proposals and management.
• Experience of training, mentoring, peer support and/or other capacity-building techniques on research design and implementation.
• Excellent relationship management skills, including experience in developing and managing government relations at leadership levels. Strong ability to build consensus among diverse multi-stakeholder groups and the ability to work in a multi-cultural environment.
• Strong quantitative, presentation and writing skills, including proficiency in MS Excel, PowerPoint and Word.
• Strong work ethic, humility, and integrity.
• Excellent working command of English language.

Advantages

• Experience working with international organizations.
• Familiarity with a broad range of key global health issues, including primary healthcare, health financing or health systems in developing countries.
• Fluency in French or Kinyarwanda.

Application procedure

Interested candidates should email a letter of interest (maximum 1 page) outlining how their background meets the requirements outlined above; CV (maximum 3 pages) and send to: chairwandarecruiting@clintonhealthaccess.org with “Senior Associate, Research, Scientific Communications and Grant Development” in the subject line. The deadline for applications is Sunday 24^th November 2024. Only shortlisted candidates will be contacted. In compliance with the data protection law of Rwanda, your submission of an application for this position constitutes your consent for the Clinton Health Access Initiative to gather and utilize your personal data solely for the recruitment process.