Bio-Medical Expert

Harare

Organization: ACBF - African Capacity Building Foundation
Location: Harare
Grade: Mid level - PL-I, Professional Staff position - Internationally recruited position
Occupational Groups:
- Biology and Chemistry
- Scientist and Researcher
- Medical Technology (Med Tech)
Closing Date: Closed

Background

The African Capacity Building Foundation (ACBF) is undertaking a program that seeks to strengthen the capacities of Bio-Medical and Development institutions, including those involved in vaccine development in the fight against the COVID-19 pandemic, to enable them to effectively deliver on their mandate and achieve tangible results. The program will provide support to institutions that are (i) working in drug discovery, (ii) working on vaccine discovery or development, or are intending to build such capacity and/or (iii) start-up institutions aspiring to provide scientific/technical guidance to scientists and logistics coordination to science project managers. The primary outcome expected from the Program is to have mature and well-run institutions fostering sustainable progress in their communities.

ACBF seeks the services of a Bio-Medical Expert to provide technical guidance and support in the implementation of this program. Operating under the overall guidance of the Director of Programs and the direct supervision of the Program Coordinator, the Bio-Medical Expert will support the Program Secretariat in identifying key institutional challenges applicable to scientific and research and development institutions that are supported by the Program. S/he will also contribute to advising the Program Secretariat on the technical aspects of institutional capacity development process, identifying innovations, and providing a strong support to the selection of top-rated service providers for the implementation of the Customized Capacity Improvement interventions. S/he will also provide technical oversight in program monitoring and evaluation as well as establishing quality assurance measures, to ensure that the program achieves its expected results.

Duties and Responsibilities

1. Contribute to engagement with key institutions and other stakeholders and support the discussions on proposed projects, their expected results and the role of each partner and stakeholder.

2. Provide technical oversight in the Capacity Needs Assessment (CNA) of the supported institutions to identify the key capacity gaps that exist.

3. Support the coordination of the preparation and presentation of the CNA findings, the validation process and provide technical input in the preparation of the customized Capacity Improvement Plan (CIP).

4. Contribute to building capacity for process and systems improvement in the bio-medical processes, such as development of vaccines, drugs, therapies, and diagnostic tools for public health medical emergencies and existing and newly evolving pathogens, including in the following areas:

Implementation of vaccine/drug manufacturing and quality systems in collaboration with quality, supply chain and information technology staff. These systems include the Quality Management System and systems required for material control and supply planning.
Raw materials and components (RMC) drug product management. This includes writing or contributing to technical assessments in support of RMC deviation management, change control, comparability assessments, and regulatory submissions.
Life cycle support and continuous improvement of vaccine manufacturing and quality systems.

5. Establish partnerships and networking opportunities for the supported institutions with other international agencies or research institutions and renowned Bio-Medical experts in the development of drugs and vaccines and other emerging bio-medical research and development areas, to position the institutions’ technical area of work and learning opportunities.

6. Propose innovative strategies including the adoption of new technologies for improving bio-medical research capacity of supported institutions and propose a skills training/development plan.

7. Provide support to the monitoring and evaluation and reporting on program results in line with the program results framework, with focus on key performance indicators and reporting requirements and mechanisms to optimize performance of program deliverables.

8. Coordinate or support the establishment of learning opportunities and platforms for the supported institutions, including training, peer-to-peer knowledge exchange, and networking opportunities to strengthen the institutions’ research capacities and ability to respond to emerging health emergencies and demands.

9. Perform any other duties assigned by the supervisor.

Required Qualifications, Experience and Competencies

Selection will be on a competitive basis based on the following candidate profile:

An advanced level university degree in epidemiology, virology, bio-medical and medical science, and other areas related to the functions of the position.
A minimum of 8 years of progressive professional experience at international levels in leading projects in bio-medical research and development programs, development of drugs and vaccines, including experience in respiratory viruses and influenza.
Experience working with international agencies in the bio-medical field would be an added advantage.
Knowledge of current trends, and practices in public health, drug, and vaccine development.
Demonstrated ability to facilitate policy dialogue with officials at the highest levels of governments, civil society, the private sector and international organizations.
Strong research background and ability to glean relevant information and key recommendations from various documents and policy documents to produce quality technical reports and developing quality knowledge products.
Excellent communication and presentation skills, both oral and written and proven ability to prepare reports clearly and concisely, present, discuss and defend issues, findings, and recommendations.
English and French are the working languages of ACBF. For the position, fluency in oral and written English is required. Good working knowledge of French is an added advantage.
Ability to effectively use software programs such as Microsoft Office Word, Excel, PowerPoint, SharePoint, and Outlook. Experience with project management in ERP systems would be an asset.

Core Competencies