We are looking for a Program Manager to join a dynamic team working on maternal and newborn survival projects in lower and middle-income countries.  Project work in Ethiopia provides significant opportunities in the increasingly important global health area of maternal and child health.  Our scope of research ranges from the discovery of interventions to the delivery of care to improve health.

With financial support from the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, HaSET (“happiness” in Amharic) works closely with partners in Ethiopia and Ethiopia’s Federal Ministry of Health to generate evidence to inform programs and policies aimed at improving maternal and child health. We have several ongoing public health and clinical research projects. In addition, we provide significant technical capacity building to colleagues in program implementation, data analysis, and use of evidence through direct collaborative work and workshops.  This position will provide full-time research and managerial leadership in Ethiopia, working closely with the Boston and Ethiopia team.

St. Paul’s Hospital Millennium Medical College, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia

The Medical School opened in 2007; it is intended to alleviate the severe shortage of medical doctors in the country. In line with various encouraging efforts performed by the Ethiopian Federal Ministry of Health in this regard, it is clear that the newly opened school, with a practical modular and integrated curriculum will be providing much-needed medical professionals to the people of Ethiopia.

Harvard University, USA

Harvard University traces its roots to public health activism. The faculty commits themselves to research as well as teaching. The University produces knowledge through research, reproduces knowledge through higher education, and translates knowledge into evidence that can be communicated to the public, policymakers, and practitioners to advance the health of populations.

Principal Duties and Responsibilities

The program manager will be based in Addis Ababa with frequent travel to field sites for the leadership, coordination, and supervision of study activities. The program manager will be responsible for overseeing the various scientific and administrative activities in the establishment and execution of study activities.

Key Responsibilities:

• Lead and contribute to the design and execution of project research, draft protocols, and write-up of research results.
• Oversee project implementation, management, and coordination.
• Implement quality assurance practices, monitor data quality, identify gaps in data quality, and develop strategies to improve quality of data.
• Make critical technical and programmatic decisions that will require competency in areas of epidemiology and maternal and child health.
• Manage high performing collaborative and working relationships between Harvard project staff, staff in Ethiopia and partner organizations, consultants, trainees, and senior personnel in collaborating governments.
• Oversee and delegate work to a diverse team. Participate in staff hires. Recruit administrative staff to the program as needed and manage these staff; Support recruitment processes for clinical, scientific and laboratory staff.
• Train and build capacity of team members.
• Oversee field office in Debre Birhan.
• Prepare reports for local and international use.
• Communicate and liaise with the team in Ethiopia, as well as national and international collaborators.

Reports To: Principal Investigator

Duration: 1 year with potential to renew

Company/Project: HaSET

Country: Ethiopia

Qualifications and Experience:

• Masters in Public Health or a health-related field with at least five relevant years of services and experiences. Doctorate qualification with relevant experience a plus.
• Applicants should have a demonstrated ability to conduct collaborative and methodological research and work independently in the design, conduct, monitoring and analysis of research studies and interventions.
• Skills and experience applying appropriate quantitative and mixed analytical methods to data and to primary field investigations in resource-constrained settings.

Skills/Abilities/Competencies:

• Strong writing skills and exceptional oral and written communication skills.
• Substantial experience in applied research.
• Excellent problem solving, communication, supervisory, and organizational skills.
• Demonstrated success leading collaborative projects and achieving exceptional project results.
• Excellent interpersonal skills and ability to support and collaborate with diverse partners in a positive and productive partnership.
• Experience in management (leading, supervision, training, and planning).
• Experience in ensuring quality assurance, monitoring and evaluation.