Jobs and Vacancies in AAS, Nairobi, Kenya

African Academy of Sciences

Position Title: Programme Officer GCA (Innovations)
Vacancy Announcement No: AAS/PO/18/002
Department: Programmes
Reporting to: Programme Manager- GCA
Position Location: Nairobi, Kenya
Duration: 3 Years Renewable

Closing date: 5th October 2018
Organization Overview: The AAS is a pan African organisation headquartered in Kenya, which aims to drive sustainable development in Africa through science, technology and innovation.
It has a tripartite mandate of nurturing and pursuing excellence by recognising scholars and achievers; providing advisory and think tank functions for shaping the continent’s strategies and policies; and implementing key Science, Technology and Innovation (STI) programmes that impact on developmental challenges through the agenda setting and funding platform, the Alliance for Accelerating Excellence in Science in Africa (AESA Platform).
Position Overview: The Programme Officer is responsible for providing operational and business development support in the implementation and delivery of the Grand Challenges Africa Programme phase 2 projects.
Specifically, this requires that innovations that have moved through proof of concept are supported through transition of scale and eventual scaling.
The incumbent works in close collaboration with other AESA Programmes through the provision of operational and business development support in order to achieve the overall strategic goals of the Academy. GCA (Grand Challenges Africa) is a programme that supports big, bold, innovative and impactful ideas in health and development moving them along the continuum of discovery, development and delivery to make them scalable and sustainable.
Key Responsibilities
Innovations support
·         To initiate and maintain effective relationships with innovators and to provide them with appropriate support and information as they deliver phase 2 support
·         To communicate with other Innovation providers in Africa and globally to access the necessary additional support for innovators
·         To ensure effective communication with other members of the programme team is maintained to achieve programme targets
·         To develop and implement innovative strategies to promote GCA as an accelerator for phase 2 projects i.e. to build capacities for AAS to become a reputable innovations accelerator on the African continent
·         Perform program related research to inform the grant application process; perform research work in archives, or through interviews, online, or whatever may be appropriate to assist the supervisor. Assist in the preparation of articles, reports, and presentations
·         Prepare reports, articles and presentations for accountability and dissemination to stakeholders, agencies and foundations that fund the programme’s research.
Grants Management
·         Manage the grant application, review, and award process using the grant management system to ensure accountability, measurability, reportability, and verifiability of the grants
·         Launch calls for funding on the online grant management platform; provide support to applicants during the application process and generate reports upon awarding of grants
·         Liaise with the grant management system providers to ensure a seamless flow of the grant administration process
·         Participate in committees forged for purposes of managing grants under the GCA Programme
·         Close grants in a diligent way ensuring all the monitoring and evaluations are adequately captured.
Programme Support
·         Manage the GCA E-Marketplace including the online moderation of the relationships between innovators, funders, businesses, regulators, mentors and other stakeholders, including linkages with global innovation accelerators and actors
·         Support the formation and work of a GCA Investment Advisory Group that will assist the programme team to evaluate, rank and fund the best projects that have demonstrated value for money and potential for development and delivery
·         Prepare relevant programme material required for submission to agencies and foundations that fund research and innovation
·         Attend programme-related meetings and represent the Programme Manager/AAS at the meetings
·         Manage engagement with the digital community in collaboration with the Communications Manager to ensure content on the programme website is updated on a timely basis. This includes providing image and video content for the website
·         Perform routine clerical to ensure smooth running of the office including handling programme related correspondence, inquiries (both phone calls and walk-ins), record and bookkeeping, and completing reports
·         Undertake administrative duties by organizing meetings/conferences, following up with vendors to ensure delivery of supplies, and being the contact person for clients
·         Support other programmes and departments within the organization in the delivery of their mandate through provision of operational and research support, and, participating in the procurement committee and its activities.
Qualifications and Experience
·         Bachelor’s degree qualification in science or business field
·         Masters qualification in science or business field desired
·         A professional qualification in programme management will be an added advantage
·         At least 3 years’ relevant experience
·         Knowledge and experience in innovation support for innovators in the science field with demonstrated ability to transition ideas into businesses.
Knowledge and Skills
·         Ability to collect, synthesise and disseminate research data generated from a defined programme/project area of work and to convert these into business plans that can support innovators secure collaborations, partnerships and business support
·         Knowledge of the African innovations space, the opportunities and challenges, and a good appreciation of how to build a vibrant innovation ecosystem, especially focussed on low resource technologies in health, agriculture, climate sciences, engineering and other key scientific areas
·         Possess well-developed interpersonal skills and ability to communicate across different levels of the organization, with external partners and grantees
·         Able to perform work independently with minimal supervision, but also participate as a team member
·         Possess strong attention to detail and maintaining a timely and efficient work flow
·         Have strong planning organisational skills and ability to work under pressure
·         Ability to multi-task and to priorities work amidst competing demands
·         Have unquestionable integrity, confidentiality and respect
·         Demonstrate excellent writing and presentation skills and ability to communicate, network and to be productive team members internally, and externally with grantees and with various AAS stakeholders
·         Proficiency in Microsoft Office i.e. Word, Excel, PowerPoint, MS Project, Outlook.
Application Process
Applicants must email a completed application form (CLICK HERE to download from the AAS website), a detailed curriculum vitae with a list of referees and a cover letter to recruitment@aasciences.ac.ke with the Position and Vacancy Number as the subject by 5th October 2018.
Position Title: Programme Manager – CARI (Resource Mobilization and Systematic Collaboration)
Vacancy Announcement No: AAS/PMC/18/001
Department: Strategy and Partnerships
Reporting to: Director, Strategy & Partnerships
Position Location: Nairobi, Kenya
Duration: 3 Years
Closing date: 5th October 2018
Organisation Overview: The African Academy of Sciences (AAS) is a pan-African organisation headquartered in Nairobi, Kenya, which aims to drive sustainable development in Africa through science, technology and innovation.
It has a tripartite mandate of pursuing excellence by recognising scholars and achievers; providing advisory and think tank functions for shaping the continent’s strategies and policies; and implementing key Science, Technology and Innovation (STI) programmes that create impact on developmental challenges through the new agenda-setting and funding platform, the Alliance for Accelerating Excellence in Science in Africa (AESA).
The Coalition for African Research & Innovation (CARI) is being led by AAS in partnership with leading African and global organizations with the aim of building a highly coordinated, well-funded and African-led African science, technology, research and innovation ecosystem.
Coalition of African Research and Innovation (CARI), a mechanism to accelerate Science, Technology and Innovation (STI) programmes in Africa to achieve outcomes that would help more Africans lead better lives sooner.
CARI is an initiative to bring new resources, better connect existing investments and develop systematic collaboration to support Research and Development in Africa.
The main objective of the CARI is resource mobilisation from public, private and philanthropic partnerships to build the case for funders, private sector and many African governments to invest in Science, Technology and Innovation to drive economic and social development in Africa.
Position Overview: AAS is seeking to recruit a highly motivated and dynamic manager who will be responsible for supporting the Director, Strategy and Partnerships in the resource mobilization and systematic collaboration activities of CARI. CARI is a programme of AAS to be administered under the Director, Strategy and Partnerships.

Principal Duties and Responsibilities
·         Develop and implement a business case for CARI that will notably clarify the vision, road map, important case profiles, and economic return of investment of right sized investment in African research and the nature of the investment
·         Explore the funding mechanisms required to bring the business case to reality, including but not limited to in-kind contributions, blended financing, impact financing, governments and philanthropic donors’ contributions
·         Develop and implement the resource mobilization strategy for the financial contributions to be gathered
·         Clarify the governance structure and the legal framework for the new mechanism
·         Coordinate and provide support to the CARI Leadership Group currently made up of high ranking leaders in government, global funders, private sector and academia
·         Coordinate and monitor the task teams with distributed leadership established to drive forward CARI activities
·         Establish a mile-stoned road-map which takes advantage of existing events, notably the Grand Challenges, the Science Forum, the World Economic Forum, NEPAD and others
·         Maintain a relationship management tool and coordinate relationships with, and calls/meetings with partners and the Internal Review team at AESA
·         Foster systematic collaboration to specific and broad audiences in Africa and globally
·         Strengthen systematic collaboration amongst actors that fund, conduct and engage in research in Africa by acting in conjunction with, and on behalf of, multiple stakeholders including national governments, philanthropy organizations, bi- and multi-lateral partners, scientists (and academia broadly), private companies (African and global) and institutional investors.
Responsibilities in Specific Areas
·         Develop a roadmap, business plan and implementation plan for resource mobilisation and systematic collaboration activities
·         Analyse, implement and monitor new growth potentials by introducing new fundraising channels, up scaling existing activities and introducing innovative activities for fundraising based on identified and new funding pipelines.
·         Proactively network and collaborate with a range of stakeholders with a key focus on Governments, Foundations and Trusts, private/industry partners including big pharmaceutical companies to synergize broader development efforts, build relevant partnerships and enhance opportunities for African scientists to access resources, leading roles, mentorship and support
·         Develop a robust communications strategy for CARI in partnership with the AAS communications office and the funding partners
·         Undertake the stepwise implementation of the final business case/plan after its development and final approval by the CARI Leadership Group
·         Plan the detailed implementation of various milestones and events including the CARI launch event in early 2018
·         Attend meetings with partners as required to present, negotiate, and review on CARI activities and development plans
·         Develop clear timelines for delivery of CARI foundation documents, business plan, communication strategy, launch strategy, fund-raising strategy and related.
Requirements
Professional and Experience
·         Must hold senior management or leadership position in organizations or business environments with responsibilities for overseeing global business development, resource mobilisation and fund-raising strategies
·         Must have knowledge of and experience with developing systematic collaborative partnerships and funding relationships between governments, international funders, philanthropy and major grant recipients
·         Must have worked inside, or advised one of the above (i.e. governments, international funders, philanthropy, global industry or major grants recipients)
·         Must have credible hands-on management experience. Advisory experience is useful but insufficient on its own because there is a complex management challenge
·         Will have substantial experience of working on the African continent, not necessarily currently residing in Africa, but must be prepared to relocate to work from the AAS offices in Nairobi
·         Will have the experience and gravitas to work with senior levels of the AAS partner organisations
·         Will have developed a multi-stakeholder business plan,or demonstrate credible contributions and/or access to that experience
·         The ability to coordinate, manage and write grant and funding proposals with various partners is essential
·         Understanding of various types of funding instruments and how to design and manage them is preferred.
Behavioral and Personal Qualities
·         Excellent interpersonal skills and the ability to work with people from varied backgrounds, at all management levels
·         Resilience – maintaining composure and dealing effectively under pressure
·         Methodical and systematic, with a strong attention to detail and accuracy
·         Action-oriented, confident and able to demonstrate initiative
·         Operate at the highest levels of integrity and ethics
·         Quality delivery and always conscious of deadlines
·         Able to foster teamwork
·         Cool composed demeanour that is unfazed by regular dealings with top government and corporate leaders.
Application Process
All Applicants must submit a filled application form (CLICK HERE to download from the AAS website), curriculum vitae, and a cover letter submitted by email to recruitment@aasciences.ac.ke, with the Position and Vacancy Number as the Subject no later than 5th October 2018.
Position Title: Temporary Programme Assistant – GFGP
Vacancy Announcement No: AAS/GFGP/18/001
Department: GFGP
Reporting to: Programme Officer – GFGP
Position Location: Nairobi, Kenya
Duration: Five (5) Months
Closing date: 24th September 2018
Organization Overview: The AAS is a pan African organisation headquartered in Kenya, which aims to drive sustainable development in Africa through science, technology and innovation.
It has a tripartite mandate of pursuing excellence by recognising scholars and achievers; providing advisory and think tank functions for shaping the continent’s strategies and policies; and implementing key Science, Technology and Innovation (STI) programmes that impact on developmental challenges through the agenda setting and funding platform, the Alliance for Accelerating Excellence in Science in Africa (AESA).
Position Overview: The Global Grant Community (GGC) Portal consists of an online assessment system in which current or proposed recipients of grant funding, can assess their organizational capabilities against the requirements of a new international standard for Good Financial Grant Practice.
The GGC portal is scheduled to go live shortly. The first iteration of the live portal will require manual registration of grantors and grantees.
This will be resource intensive and there will be a need to for additional resource within the AAS to: –
·         Provide cover for the helpline/support desk,
·         Assist The AAS finance team in the invoicing of clients and receipting of subscriptions.
This is an opportunity for undergraduate or post graduate individuals to gain valuable experience in assisting in the launch of a new approach which will likely change the landscape of grant funding across the world.
Key Responsibilities
Registration
·         Act as the “customer interface” of the GGC portal and assist and support the registration of both grantors and grantees on the portal. This will be performed through email iteration with grantors and grantees to ensure full organizational details have been captured and entered into the internal AAS database
·         Bring any technical registration issues to the prompt attention of the senior team
·         Prepare weekly reports on the status of registration activities.
Helpline / Support Desk
·         The Global Grant Community is expected to rapidly secure uptake from grantors and grantees across the world
·         As the GGC portal is the first of its kind – it is expected there will be a variety of technical issues that will need to be resolved and support provided to the grantor and grantee community
·         To record and achieve the Service Level Response / Resolution times of the Help Line / Support Desk
·         As far as is practicable – this support will need to be provided on a 24/7 basis. This may require some shift work outside normal hours.
Support for AAS Finance Team
·         Every grantor seeking to use the system for the assessment of their grantees will be required to pay an annual subscription
·         Invoices will need to be prepared, reviewed by Finance, issued to the grantor and receipt of subscriptions monitored before the grantors account in the portal can be activated.
Qualifications and Experience
·         Qualifications in business and/or finance related subjects
·         Relevant experience would be desirable.
Knowledge and Skills
·         Proficiency in Microsoft Office i.e. Word, Excel, PowerPoint, MS Project, Outlook
·         Possess well-developed interpersonal skills and ability to communicate across different levels of the organization, with external partners, grantors and grantees;
·         Able to perform work independently, with appropriate training and supervision, but also participate as a team member
·         Possess strong attention to detail and maintaining a timely and efficient workflow
·         Have strong planning organisational skills and ability to work under pressure
·         Ability to multi-task and to priorities work amidst competing demands
·         Have unquestionable integrity, confidentiality and respect.
Application Process
All Applicants must submit a curriculum vitae and a cover letter submitted by email to recruitment@aasciences.ac.ke, with the Position and Vacancy Number as the Subject no later than 24th September 2018.
Only shortlisted candidates will be contacted.