About the position
Background:
- Wits Health Consortium (Pty) Limited ("WHC") is a wholly-owned Company of the University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg (South Africa) under its Faculty of Health Sciences
- WHC provides Faculty with a legal framework within which to operate the research and other activities necessary to support its academic objectives
- In addition, WHC offers a range of products and services to Academics
Division: Agincourt
Main purpose of the job:
- To provide overall operational and strategic management of the Aspire Africa research programme: a three-year, four-country study of youth economic inclusion and resilience in Sub-Saharan Africa
Location:
- Wits University, Johannesburg (with periodic travel to HDSS partner sites in South Africa, Kenya, Ethiopia and Ghana)
More Info:
- The MRC/Wits Rural Public Health and Health Transitions Research Unit (Agincourt) is an exceptional health and population research centre in the Wits School of Public Health.
- The Unit supports a major research infrastructure underpinned by a health and socio-demographic surveillance system (HDSS), covering a substantial portion of the Bushbuckridge sub-district of rural Mpumalanga Province, in operation since 1992, coupled with observational and interventional studies along the life course
- The Southern Centre for Inequality Studies (SCIS) is a multi-partner research and policy centre at Wits focused on understanding and addressing inequality in the global South, with a particular emphasis on research conceived in and for the global South
- The Agincourt Unit and SCIS are co-leading Aspire Africa, a three-year research grant-funded programme
- Aspire Africa is a multi-country study investigating youth economic inclusion and resilience across four Health and Demographic Surveillance System (HDSS) sites in South Africa, Kenya, Ethiopia and Ghana
- The programme combines secondary analysis of existing longitudinal HDSS data with new qualitative data collection, generating evidence to support policies and interventions that improve employment and economic outcomes for youth - particularly young women and other vulnerable groups - in rural and transitioning communities
- The programme is implemented through a consortium of four leading African research institutions: the SAMRC/Wits-Agincourt Research Unit (South Africa), the Kaloleni Rabai HDSS at Aga Khan University (Kenya), the Dabat Research Centre at the University of Gondar (Ethiopia), and the Navrongo Health Research Centre with the Regional Institute for Population Studies (Ghana)
- The successful candidate will join a talented and committed team addressing some of the most pressing challenges facing African youth and contributing to a growing body of evidence on poverty, inequality and resilience in sub-Saharan Africa
- This position will suit an individual with substantial experience managing large, multi-country research programmes in Africa, strong financial and grants management skills, and the ability to coordinate effectively across diverse institutional and national contexts
- Excellent communication skills and the ability to engage with stakeholders of varying seniority - including funders, research partners, policymakers and community representatives - are essential
Key performance areas:
Programme Planning and Coordination
- Develop and maintain an integrated programme workplan across all four HDSS partner sites, tracking activities, milestones and deliverables against the approved three-year timeline
- Coordinate inception activities including setup of governance structures, partner agreements, and operational systems
- Organise and support the Community of Research Coordinators, Steering Committee (including youth representatives), and other programme governance structures, including preparation of agendas, papers and minutes
- Facilitate cross-site coordination and ensure timely communication of decisions, risks and workplan changes to all partners
- Coordinate logistics for in-person programme events, including the inception workshop, validation workshop, and community dissemination events across the four countries
- Monitor progress, identify delays, and escalate risks with proposed mitigation actions to the Lead Scientific and Management Team
Financial and Grants Management
- Work closely with the Wits Health Consortium (WHC) Grants Manager to track expenditure against approved partner budgets
- Coordinate timely submission of financial reports from partner institutions to WHC and to the funder
- Monitor partner compliance with WHC and funder financial procedures
- Support preparation of budget revisions and no-cost extension requests as required
- Maintain an audit-ready record of programme assets and procurement in line with WHC policies
Funder Reporting and Compliance
- Compile quarterly and annual progress reports to the funder, collating inputs from all four partner teams
- Track and ensure currency of ethics approvals across all four country contexts
- Maintain comprehensive programme documentation including protocols, SOPs, ethics certificates, consent forms and partner correspondence
- Support implementation of the safeguarding plan and ensure incidents are reported in line with programme protocols
- Coordinate data management and sharing activities in accordance with the programme's data management plan and applicable national data protection legislation
Stakeholder Engagement and Communications
- Serve as the operational point of contact for the four HDSS partner research teams, facilitating information flow and resolving day-to-day operational issues
- Coordinate dissemination and knowledge mobilisation activities - including community feedback workshops, policy briefs, webinars and media engagement - in collaboration with the Wits communications team
Scientific and Research Support
- Maintain programme monitoring dashboards and collate research statistics for review by the Lead Scientific and Management Team
- Coordinate the early-career researcher cohort activities and track their integration into programme interventions
Required minimum education and training:
- A Postgraduate Degree (Honours or Master's level minimum) in Public Health, Social Sciences, Development Studies, Health Sciences, or a related field
- A Project Management qualification is advantageous
- Financial or Grant Management qualification would be an advantage
- High level of computer literacy including proficiency in MS Office programmes
Required minimum work experience:
- Minimum 6-8 years' experience in Research Project Management
- Demonstrated experience managing multi-site or multi-country research programmes in Africa is essential
- Prior experience managing large donor-funded grants is essential
Desirable additional education, work experience and personal abilities:
- Experience working in an African HDSS or population-based research environment
- Demonstrated experience preparing donor progress reports and managing audit processes
- Proven ability to work effectively across institutional and national boundaries
- Excellent written and verbal communication skills in English
- High levels of initiative, diplomacy, and capacity to manage competing priorities under pressure
- Meticulous attention to detail and strong organisational capacity
- Strong confidentiality and impeccable work ethic
TO APPLY:
- Only if you meet the minimum job requirements and experience as mentioned above, you may submit a detailed updated CV PLUS a Cover Letter (One pager), Certified copies of qualifications and transcripts as well as a Certified ID Copy
- Please Apply Online and complete your registration via our website to enable and protect you as a candidate, and to accept the new POPIA terms and conditions
- This will then create your permanent profile with which you can apply for all jobs as advertised by AJ PERSONNEL
- However, you may remove your profile from AJ PERSONNEL when you are no longer in the job market
- Please take note that the applicants who do not adhere to the above criteria will not be considered for the respective position
- Wits Health Consortium will only respond to shortlisted candidates
- Candidates who have not been contacted within two weeks of the closing date can consider their applications to be unsuccessful
- Closing date: 08 May 2026
- Note: No CV will be accepted after the closing date
Please note:
- WHC, in accordance with its Employment Equity goals and plan, will give preference to suitable applicants from designated groups as defined in the Employment Equity Act 55 of 1998 and subsequent amendments thereto
- AJ Personnel is only responsible for advertising and the response handling on behalf of their client Wits Health Consortium
- AJ Personnel does not have any salary or other information regarding the position
Desired Skills:
- Funder Reporting
- Grants Management
- Honours degree
- Masters degree
- Public Health
- Project Manager
- Johannesburg
