SayPro Programme Management – Operational Research

Title: Programme Manager – Operational Research (PMOR)– HQ

Work Base: MENTOR HQ – Haywards Heath. You must be eligible to live and work in the UK.

Travel: As required to particular OR programme sites, for up to 4 months per year.

Reporting to: The Director (Head of Operational Research) – Line and Technical Management

Linked co-ordination and reporting to HQ Regional Management Team Leads where ever OR work is planned or implemented in, or facilitated by, existing MENTOR country programmes.

Overall Job Purpose:

The MENTOR Initiative (MENTOR) is a specialised NGO with a focus on tropical disease prevention in humanitarian emergencies. MENTOR’s operational research department is currently expanding with a focus on monitoring the introduction of innovative tools for disease control in complex operational environments.

The PMOR will be working with other OR staff at HQ and field deployment level to assist MENTOR‘s overall implementation of operational research at the country and field level. This position will be working closely with the Director, other OR team members, and the Director’s delegated focal points (internal or external) and OR partners, in the development of the organisation’s operational research portfolio and to help ensure the correct implementation of operational research projects and dissemination of their results.

The PMOR will work in close co-ordination with the Director (Head of Operational Research Team) and other OR team members (as appropriate) to help achieve the following strategic areas, taking different levels of responsibility as needed and agreed by the Director, in each case:

Research Agenda Development:

· Maintain active review of new tropical disease control research ideas, gaps, and research community priorities and opportunities.

· Maintain good liaison with all HQ Programme Managers and Regional Team Leads, to maintain understanding of the programmes which they are responsible for, explore country programme research questions that may emerge and which may be suitable candidates for OR.

· Actively engage in discussions with other OR teams (IVCC, LSHTM, LSTM, IRD, etc.) to explore overlapping research interests and opportunities, as agreed with the Director.

· Present MI OR history, and areas of current focus, to other OR teams, as and when agreed, to advance opportunities for collaboration/funding.

· Stay up to date with published OR calls for proposals from international funding bodies.

· Actively contribute relevant research ideas and rationalize identified research gaps/needs and opportunities for consideration.

Research Proposal Development:

· Draft new OR protocols, concept notes and proposals in response to identified and agreed OR funding opportunities, working in collaboration with partners, MI OR staff, or others, as needed to achieve high quality and innovative proposals.

· In liaison with the designated Grant Manager, help to inform draft budget development for specific OR concept notes/proposals.

· Where other OR staff are allocated to lead on a response to a call for proposals, collaborate and support as required.

· Assist in preparing submissions for the ethical committees as required to obtain ethical research approval where needed.

· Stay up to date with donor proposal formats for OR

· Ensure alignment of research protocols in agreement with relevant partners (product manufacturers, academic institutes, etc.) during proposal development stages.

· In liaison with other OR staff, stay up to date with donor on-line systems for proposal submission and grant management, and where needed, assist in on line registration processes as required for new donors.

Coordination and Project Management:

The Director will specifically allocate the OR team coordination and management roles for each funded OR programme. Where responsibility is directly allocated to you for a given OR programme:

· Ensure good coordination with existing MI country management teams at HQ and field level to brief them on any related OR programmes, and discuss and agree operational, HR and technical areas where these overlap with VBD programme delivery, existing budgets, national or international partners, or existing MI team members, or where new OR programmes will rely upon existing country programme resources or activities.

· Where the OR is planned for delivery in a non-MI supported country/area, ensure collaboration with the Emergency Team for all planning and delivery aspects, unless directed otherwise.

· Assist with recruitement of OR field programme staff as needed, and ensure good management (as per MENTOR policy and practice) is in place for the programmes field management.

· Provide start up and periodic field support OR programmes as directed.

· Ensure data collection systems are in place and staff are able to use them correctly.

· Ensure that at HQ level, the study data is maintained on a password secured data base/system.

· Ensure that ethical approval is obtained where needed, and at the pertinent levels/authorities.

· Coordinate with the field based OR team manager, and any hosting MENTOR teams, to ensure OR time tables, activities and protocols are followed for related research activities.

· Support the OR field manager to ensure that OR activities involving external laboratories / partners are clearly defined, time lines agreed, contracted, and implemented.

· Collaborate with the OR field manager to ensure all programme data is stored at HQ and the field level, with the appropriate confidentiality and security as needed.

· Collaborate with the OR field manager and others, to ensure donor reporting requirements are met and that research data/results are comprehensively prepared, and reported, as needed.

Where co-ordination and management of a particular OR research programme is allocated to another OR staff member:

· You may be asked to provide a variety of support roles to assist them in this work.

Publication Development:

The Director will specifically allocate the OR team publication roles for each completed OR programme, and for past programmes where the organisation choses to analysis and publish historical data sets and field experience. Where responsibility is directly allocated to you for a given OR programme:

· You will be expected to take the lead on ensuring the OR data is analysed as appropriate. Where this cannot be achieved internally, you will be expected to help identify external statisticians / epidemiologists.

· You will generate a list of proposed authors (as per peer reviewed journal guidelines) and other contributors that require acknowledgement, for consultation and agreement with the Director.

· You will produce first drafts of publications, as per agreed target journal structuring and formatting requirements. You will work with the Director to ensure drafts receive review, consultation and input from other identified authors involved with the OR.

· You will be expected to pool inputs after each round of consultation, and update / develop the draft accordingly.

· You will work with the Director to finalise allocated papers, through to journal submission stages.

· You will assist in making changes/updates to submitted papers, as required by journal reviewers.

Where responsibility is allocated to another OR staff member for the development of OR paper drafts:

· You will provide support and contributions to the paper development and publication stages as agreed with the Director, on a case to case basis.

Communications / Presentation of OR programmes:

Internal

· Ensure regular communication with HQ regional management teams, and take an active part in regional PM/GM co-ordination meetings and relevant consortium calls to keep them briefed on general OR programme developments.

· In co-ordination with HQ regional management teams, ensure that country teams planning or hosting OR activities are kept up to date with progress, and OR technical advise as needed.

External

As allocated responsibility by the Director, you may be asked to:

· Prepare power point presentations, Posters and other media formats to present OR programme results.

· Attend internal, OR partner or donor meetings to discuss and / or present ongoing or completed OR programme questions, challenges, methods and results.

· Attend technical conferences nationally or internationally to OR present results etc.

· Communicate with the relevant governing bodies (Ministry of Health, donors, regulators, etc.) on upcoming, ongoing or completed research activities.

· Liaise with external OR partners or contracted laboratory services etc.

· Take part on donor meetings as and when required (on line or in person)

Capacity Building and Technical Training:

· Ensure effective briefing of, and planning with, OR staff on any studies for which you are allocated direct management roles

· From time to time, you may be asked to provide technical support to other MI staff engaged in M&E or OR.

Other:

· Support the ethical review process including liaising with research bodies such as universities, where required and agreed.

· Assist in preparation materials for clinical trail’s registration, as needed.

· Take part in technical and other training as required by the organization.

· Assist in the design and development of pictogram, data management tools and other adjunct OR initiatives, as mutually agreed with the Director.

· Assist in overseas assessment missions as agreed with the Director.

The Mentor Initiative applies zero tolerance to the exploitation, sexual abuse and mistreatment of women, children and all others, and, mobilizes all its staff in the implementation of its global policy. The Mentor Initiative will contact previous employers of applicants to determine if they have had a history of violating codes of conduct relating to sexual harassment, exploitation or abuse and fraud.