Job Summary:

The officer will be based at the Malaria Division of KEMRI’s Centre for Global Health Research in Kisumu, western Kenya. The project is interested in recruiting an exceptional Principal Investigator with a medical background and PhD training in a relevant subject, and a minimum of five years of field experience to lead the project in Kenya and support the other public health scientists, epidemiologists, social scientists and health economists from the consortium. The incumbent will be the country’s Principal Investigator (PI), responsible for overseeing all stages of the development of implementation research in western Kenya, including sustained stakeholder engagement with national and sub-national MOH partners and conduct of the formative and pilot research phases and the implementation trial. The officer will work in close consultation with all co-investigators within the PDMC Saves Lives consortium and will be supported by the Chief Investigator (CI) of the PDMC Saves Lives Consortium, based in Liverpool, UK. He/She will chair in-country management meetings and responsible for the preparation of standard operating procedures, protocol writing, managing submission of protocol amendments to SERU and regulatory authorities as required, coordinating fieldwork, and overseeing centralized functions of the study, including coordinating data management and procurement of study supplies, data analysis and manuscript writing.

Duties and Responsibilities

•  Identifying research gaps in line with the Institute’s research priority areas;
•  Developing of research proposals in the relevant research thematic area;
•  Implementing pre-clinical and clinical research projects and/or supervise designated aspects of the work;
•  Sourcing for grants to fund the approved research protocols
•  Managing and coordinating pre-clinical and clinical research groups working in various disciplines;
•  Coaching and mentoring of junior scientists in formulation of research ideas, proposal writing and sourcing for grants;
•  Monitoring and evaluating implementation of research projects;
•  Initiate and organize scientific dissemination forums;
•  Monitoring and directing specified pre-clinical and clinical research groups;
•  Preparation of project progress reports and submission of the same to the overall project CI based in Liverpool in a timely fashion;
•  Plan and coordinate meetings for both internal project staff and external collaborators and visitors.
•  Conducting medical examinations and writing medical reports;
•  General diagnosis, care, treatment and provision of specialized clinical care for study participants;
•  Conducting community diagnosis, care and treatment during Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) activities;
•  Establishing strategic partnerships for research, training, innovations, technology;
•  Supervising junior professional and technical staff attached to his/her pre-clinical and clinical research program,
•  Writing manuscripts, reports and translating research findings into lay language;
•  Disseminating and translating research findings for evidence based policy formulations and implementation; and
•  Identifying technology with potential for intellectual property protection.

Person Specifications
 For appointment to this grade, a candidate must have: –

• At least ten (10) years of relevant work experience four (4) of which should have been in a management position or leading teams;
• Bachelor’s degree in any of the following fields; – Medicine and surgery, Dentistry, Veterinary, Pharmacy or equivalent qualifications from a recognized Institution;
• Master’s degree in any of the following fields; Clinical Medicine/ Surgery/ Dentistry, Veterinary Medicine and Pharmacy; OR
• Doctorate degree in any of the following disciplines: – Biomedical Sciences, Analytical Chemistry, Applied Sciences, Public Health, any relevant Social Science, or equivalent qualifications from a recognized institution;
• Professional qualification and membership;
• Developed at least sixteen (16) proposals, eight (8) of which have been funded;
• Published at least eight (8) articles in refereed journals with at least four (4) articles as the first or lead author;
• At least 5 years of experience in field-based research of malaria or other childhood diseases in Kenya or sub-Saharan Africa.
• Strong hands-on experience with current methods of clinical trials and/or epidemiological studies
• Advanced level analytical skills and use of at least one statistical software package, e.g. STATA, R, SPSS or SAS
• Experience working in collaboration with multiple agencies/partners or Donors and Ministry of Health
• Strong project budgeting and financial management skills
• Strong report and manuscript writing skills, with evidence.
• Leadership Course not lasting less than four (4) weeks from a recognized institution;
• Proficiency in computer application.

Key Skills and Competencies

•  Strategic thinking;
•  Proposal writing skills;
•  Analytical skills;
•  Creativity and Innovativeness;
•  Critical thinking skills
•  Research fundraising skills
•  Communication and reporting skills
•  Interpersonal and negotiation skills

 Team player

• Terms of employment: This is a three (3) years contract, renewable subject to availability of funds, with a probation period for the first 3 months. Salary is negotiable within the KEMRI scheme of service depending on education, experience and demonstrated competency