VACANCY ADVERTISEMENT KEMRI/CDC PROGRAM

Opening date: 4/05/2012                                             Vacancy No.K49/04/12

Program description: This program is a collaboration between the Kenya Medical Research Institute and the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. It involves conducting research and program support for activities related to malaria, HIV and other diseases. It is within this remit that the program has a vacancy in the Health and Demographic Surveillance System (HDSS) Branch.

POSITION: Deputy Branch Chief (1 Position) – MR 12

Reports to: KEMRI/CDC HDSS Branch Chief

Location: Kisumu

ESSENTIAL REQUIREMENTS:

·          Education – PhD in Epidemiology or its equivalent.

·          At least 3 years of experience in a Demographic Surveillance System.

·          At least three years of experience in clinical, epidemiological, sociological, demographic, clinical or  population science research and/or program management

·          Supervisory experience including effective management of support personnel

·          Highly motivated.

DESIRABLE REQUIREMENTS:

·          Grants application and management experience.

• Experience in scientific writing and presentation.
• Proven experience working with statistical packages (SAS, SPSS,STATA),Database Programs (FoxPro and MS-SQL) or computer programming (Visual Studio.NET)
• Good judgment in problem solving, awareness of own limitations, and the ability to work effectively as part of a team.

JOB SUMMARY:

The Deputy Branch Chief will supervise and coordinate HDSS senior staff. The Deputy Branch Chief will work closely with the Branch Chief on overall leadership of the branch and staff capacity building. The primary responsibility of the Deputy Branch Chief will be to optimize the overall data management and science of the branch. 

Duties and responsibilities:

·          Supervise senior staff of the HDSS branch.

·          Work closely with the Branch Chief to determine the scientific agenda of the branch.

·          Maximize the quality of all scientific activities conducted in the branch.

·          Review all scientific presentations and manuscripts prepared by members of the branch and provide feedback.

·          Work closely with the Branch Chief to find and apply for funding for scientific activities in the branch.

·          Attend senior science meetings and other relevant meetings for the branch.

·          Represent the branch, as needed, for external visitors to KEMRI/CDC.

·          Review relevant scientific literature and keep the HDSS literature database up to date.

·          Oversee human resource management to ensure that staffing is optimized across the branch.

·          Work closely with the Branch Chief to develop the capacity of branch staff through training and mentoring.

·          Diagnose program and research implementation problems.

·          Design and implement necessary organizational systems to ensure efficient and effective delivery of quality research and services.

·          Manage change during transitions in organizational focus.

·          Coordinate and supervise the monitoring and evaluation systems.

·          Any other duties as assigned by the Branch Chief.

Skills and abilities:

·          Excellent scientific writing and presentation skills.

·          Must have a good understanding of a HDSS, including its database structure and the reference model.

·          Must have a good understanding and experience in research, including protocol development, data collection, analysis and report writing.

·          Excellent interpersonal and organization skills.

·          Ability to work well in a team, and be able to collaborate well with the Ministry of Health and other partners.

·          Fluency in English, written and spoken.

·          Ability to offer excellent research mentorship.

·          Ability to work effectively with minimal supervision.

·          Excellent problem solving skills.

Terms of Employment:  1 year renewable contract as per KEMRI scheme of service. Probation period for the first 3 months.  Remuneration: Compensation is negotiable within a relevant grade, based on educational levels, relevant experience and demonstrated competency.

Applications MUST include the following:

·          Letter of Application (INDICATE VACANCY NUMBER)

·          Current Curriculum Vitae with telephone number and e-mail address

·          Three letters of reference with contact telephone numbers and e-mail addresses

·          Copies of Certificates and Transcripts

·          Contact telephone number

Applications are due no later than 16^th May 2012

To: Human Resource Manager, KEMRI/CDC Program, P.O. Box 1578, Kisumu. Or e-mail to or log into our web www.jobs.cdckemri.org

Internal candidates interested in applying for this position are strongly advised to access an internal candidate application form available in the CDC Intranet; print and process it through their project Managers and attach it before forwarding their application to HR. 

Only short listed candidates will be contacted.

KEMRI/CDC IS AN EQUAL OPPORTUNITY EMPLOYER AND DOES NOT CHARGE A FEE AT ANY STAGE OF ITS RECRUITMENT PROCESS INCLUDING APPLICATION, INTERVIEW MEETING AND PROCESSING OF OFFER LETTER.  IF ASKED FOR A FEE, REPORT SUCH REQUEST IMMEDIATELY TO .