Senior Administrative Officer - KEMRI Kisumu
📍 Location: Kisumu, Kenya (with multi-site oversight in Siaya)
🏢 Organization: KEMRI (Kenya Medical Research Institute)
📅 Experience: Minimum 4 years (2 years in research projects/donor-funded programs)
Key Responsibilities
Compliance & Governance
- Ensure compliance with KEMRI policies, NACOSTI, SERU/IRB approvals, KPPB, and international research ethics standards
- Oversee contracts, sub-awards, MTAs, DTAs, and data protection compliance across projects
- Support audits (internal/external), risk management, and governance frameworks to ensure accountability and transparency
Budget & Financial Management
- Lead preparation, monitoring, and reporting of project budgets in coordination with finance teams
- Oversee financial tracking, expenditure reviews, donor reporting, and cost recovery in line with funder requirements (e.g., USG, Gates Foundation, CDC, UNC, Emory)
- Administer the grants cycle including pre-award assessments, sub-award monitoring, financial reporting, and closeout
Operations & Logistics
- Ensure procurement processes, workshop logistics, and field activity resources are cost-effective and compliant
- Monitor use, maintenance, and accountability of project assets and resources
- Lead and coordinate administrative functions including office management, procurement, logistics, and compliance
- Oversee infrastructure readiness and cross-study resource allocation at multiple sites (Siaya, Kisumu)
Staff Management
- Supervise administrative staff, set performance goals, conduct evaluations, and ensure accountability
- Develop and implement policies, systems, and SOPs to improve efficiency
- Oversee staff recruitment, contracts, payroll, and performance management
- Ensure mandatory training (GCP, biosafety, ethics) for research staff
- Provide mentorship, training, and career development opportunities
Stakeholder Liaison
- Liaise with MoH, County Health Departments, and regulatory bodies
- Strengthen collaborations with international partners (CDC, Gates, Task Force, UNC, Emory, GWU)
- Support community engagement frameworks including Community Advisory Boards (CABs)
- Represent the PI/Project Director in high-level stakeholder forums
Research & Data Management
- Establish systems to track project performance, milestones, and deliverables
- Ensure compliance with data security, integrity, and sharing requirements
- Support development of research databases, repositories, and publication processes
- Document and disseminate lessons learned
Requirements
| # | Description | Requirement Type |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Bachelor's degree in Business Administration, Accounts, Project Management, Public Health, Human Resource Management, or related field | Mandatory |
| 2 | A Master's degree | Added Advantage |
| 3 | Demonstrated knowledge of research governance, compliance, and donor regulations | Mandatory |
| 4 | At least 4 years' work experience, with at least two (2) years in management of research projects or donor-funded programs | Mandatory |
| 5 | Demonstrated ability to manage multi-site clinical trials, surveillance studies, or large-scale research programs | Mandatory |
| 6 | Proficiency in MS Office, grants management systems, and research databases | Mandatory |
| 7 | Strong leadership, problem-solving, and decision-making skills | Mandatory |
| 8 | Basic accounting skills | Mandatory |
| 9 | Strong communication and report writing skills | Mandatory |
| 10 | Ability to lead teams | Mandatory |
| 11 | Strong interpersonal skills | Mandatory |
How to Apply:
📝 Official Application:
KEMRI e-Recruitment Portal
💬 For Job Inquiries:
WhatsApp Kisumu Kulture
👥 Join Community:
Kisumu Kulture WhatsApp Group
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