Research and Development to Improve Health for All

Job Title: Grants Officer

Responsible to: Deputy Director of Research

Location: Zambart Head Office, Lusaka, Zambia

The Organisation:

Zambart is a non-profit research-focussed organisation dedicated to conduct public health research. Zambart has more than 20 years of conducting research in public health and with expertise in epidemiology, clinical science, social science, laboratory science, operations research, health systems and services research, health policy analysis, health economics, health communication and counselling. Zambart has been key in providing evidence-based research on HIV, Tuberculosis, and other diseases to help control and mitigate the impact of the epidemics.

To support our wide range of research activities, we are looking for a suitable candidate to fill the following position of Grants Officer.

Job Summary

The Grants Officer will provide administrative and financial advice and support to Principal Investigators and project staff during grant writing and implementation of ongoing grants/ studies. S/he manages grants and contracts providing pre-award support to Principal Investigators applying for funding through a variety of funding agencies. Provides analytical and financial support in developing the proposal and subsequently in processing contracts and grant administration. Acts as liaison between PI and funding agency. Involves activities associated with managing of research efforts by performing some or all of the following: coordinating and developing a final proposal in accordance with Zambart and agency requirements, administering and monitoring contract and grant awards, including subcontract/sub award administration in compliance with regulations, terms and conditions.

Principal responsibilities:

• Oversee and manage the contracting processes between Zambart and the partners/ funders.
• Collaborates with the Business Development Manager on grant income and grant expense.
• Gathers statistics required by funding sources.
• Assists the Principal Investigators in monitoring measurable outcomes as required by funding sources.
• Coordinates with the Deputy Director of Research regarding funding efforts.
• Manage selection and contracting of suppliers and consultants in collaboration with the Principal Investigators in line with Zambart policies
• Ensure regular liaison with the partners in order to resolve any contractual issues in a timely manner.
• Compile project and financial data related to the grants.
• Ensure that systems and internal controls are in place to effectively manage, monitor, and report on grants.
• Review grant closeout functions as required by a specific grant and communicate with respective project staff.
• Compare donor policies with those of Zambart to ensure that all donor requirements are met.
• Monitor budgets and the adherence to individual guidelines and perform variance analysis identifying areas of concern that need resolution.
• Managing timelines and deliverables
• Perform any other duties as assigned.

PERSON SPECIFICATION

Essential

• A bachelor’s degree in accounting, business management, finance or a related field with 4 years’ professional experience.
• Experience in working with research partners and sub-contractors.
• Experience in development of budgets and evaluation plans
• Knowledge of rules and regulations relating to research grants and Specific Donor Requirements
• A successful track record in the development of research proposals, managing research projects and report writing.
• At least 3 years of administering grants.

Desirable

• Post-graduate degree (such as MPH) or equivalent will be an added advantage.
• Experience with data collection and analysis
• Experience with quality assessment of projects
• Proficient use of computers; requires solid working knowledge of MS Office Suite (Word, Access, Excel, Power Point) and other statistical packages.
• Ability to communicate both verbally and in writing with all levels of the organization.
• Ability to manage and prioritize multiple projects/tasks simultaneously.
• Ability to create verbal and written reports.