Senior Administrative Officer - Kisumu at Kenya Medical Research - KEMRI

Kenya Medical Research Institute (KEMRI) is a State Corporation established through the Science and Technology (Amendment) Act of 1979, which has since been amended to Science, Technology and Innovation Act 2013. The 1979 Act established KEMRI as a National body responsible for carrying out health research in Kenya.

• 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.
• 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.
• Ensure procurement processes, workshop logistics, and field activity resources are cost-effective and compliant with regulations.
• 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 (staff, vehicles, equipment) at multiple sites (Siaya, Kisumu).
• Supervise administrative staff, set performance goals, conduct evaluations, and ensure accountability.
• Develop and implement policies, systems, and SOPs to improve efficiency and operational excellence.
• Oversee staff recruitment, contracts, payroll, and performance management in line with project needs.
• Ensure mandatory training (GCP, biosafety, ethics) for research staff.
• Provide mentorship, training, and career development opportunities for junior researchers and administrative staff.
• Promote staff motivation, retention, succession planning, and team collaboration.
• Liaise with MoH, County Health Departments, and regulatory bodies to align research with national priorities.
• Strengthen collaborations with international partners and donors (CDC, Gates, Task Force, UNC, Emory, GWU).
• Support community engagement frameworks including Community Advisory Boards (CABs) and sensitization forums.
• Act as a central communication link across departments, partners, and external stakeholders.
• Represent the PI/Project Director in high-level stakeholder and donor forums.
• 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 to strengthen ongoing and future research.

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