Research Project Director

Job Description: Research Project Director

Projects: HealthyStart and PROPS Rwanda
Duty Station: Rwanda with project-site travel
Reports to: Principal Investigator
Employment Terms: One-year renewable, subject to funding

Position Overview

The Research Project Director is a senior management position responsible for the overall executive leadership, management, and operational delivery of the HealthyStart and PROPS Rwanda Projects. The Research Project Director will work closely with the Principal Investigator to shape project strategy, annual workplans, budgets, and implementation priorities. The Director will hold overall responsibility for project operations, financial management, staffing, partnerships, risk management, compliance, and delivery of project objectives across all project teams, sites, and partners. The successful candidate will ensure that the projects are implemented on time, within approved budgets, and in accordance with approved protocols, ethical and regulatory requirements, donor agreements, safeguarding standards, and institutional policies.

Key Responsibilities

• Provide overall executive leadership and management of the projects, setting operational direction and priorities for all project teams.
• Work with the Principal Investigator to shape project strategy, annual workplans and budgets, and lead their implementation across teams, sites and partners.
• Hold overall accountability for project budgets, approving expenditures within delegated authority and ensuring sound financial management, forecasting and reporting.
• Lead the recruitment, appointment, performance management and development of project staff in coordination with the KFHRF HR team and decide on staffing structures within approved budgets.
• Chair the project management team and represent the projects in senior-level meetings with donors, government institutions, implementing partners and institutional leadership.
• Monitor milestones, deliverables and risks, make timely decisions to resolve operational challenges and direct corrective action.
• Ensure compliance with approved protocols, ethical and regulatory requirements, donor agreements, safeguarding standards and institutional policies.
• Approve progress reports and key project documents before submission, and escalate major scientific, clinical or strategic matters to the Principal Investigator.
• Build a culture of teamwork, accountability, problem-solving and continuous improvement.

Authority and Accountability

• The Research Project Director shall advise and, when required, make decisions concerning the operations and management of the projects, acting within approved protocols, budgets, donor agreements, institutional policies, and delegated authority.
• The Director's areas of authority include, but are not limited to:
• Operational decisions: Setting priorities, allocating resources, and assigning work across project teams and sites.
• Financial decisions: Approving expenditures, procurement, and budget reallocations within approved budget lines and delegated financial limits.
• People decisions: Recruiting, appointing, supervising, evaluating, and managing project staff, including approval of leave, travel, and performance-related actions within delegated authority.
• Partnership decisions: Signing off on operational arrangements, reports, and communications with partners within delegated authority.
• Risk and implementation decisions: Taking timely corrective and operational decisions to address project implementation challenges within approved authority.
• Scientific, clinical, and protocol decisions, as well as changes to the overall project strategy, total project budget, or contractual commitments with donors, shall be made jointly with the Principal Investigator and approved by the relevant institutional authorities.

Qualifications and Experience

Essential

• Master's degree in Public Health, Health Policy, Project Management, Health Management, or another relevant field.
• At least ten (10) years of progressively responsible experience in public health, research, programme implementation, or project leadership.
• At least five (5) years of experience in a senior management role with responsibility for budgets and staff.
• Demonstrated experience leading multidisciplinary teams.
• Demonstrated experience managing complex, multi-partner health or research projects in Rwanda.
• Demonstrated experience in project planning, implementation, monitoring, and reporting.
• Strong experience in financial management, budget oversight, and resource allocation.
• Strong experience in stakeholder and partnership management.
• Demonstrated experience in staff management and performance management.
• Strong understanding of research, public health, and project implementation environments.
• Excellent leadership, strategic planning, decision-making, and problem-solving skills.
• Excellent communication skills in English and Kinyarwanda.

Preferred

• Experience managing donor-funded health or research projects.
• Experience working with international research institutions or development partners.
• Experience working with government institutions and public-sector health programmes in Rwanda.
• Experience managing multi-site research or public health programmes.
• Knowledge of research ethics, regulatory requirements, and institutional research governance.
• Experience in project risk management and organizational change management.
• Knowledge of donor compliance and reporting requirements.
• French language proficiency.

Required Technical and Management Skills

• Strategic project management.
• Project planning and implementation.
• Budget development and financial management.
• Staff and team management.
• Performance management.
• Risk management.

• Stakeholder and partnership management.
• Monitoring and reporting.
• Resource allocation and operational planning.
• Microsoft Office and project management tools.
• Report writing and presentation skills.
• Data interpretation for project performance monitoring.
• Understanding of research and public health project management systems.

How to Apply:

Interested candidates should apply via this link by October 05, 2026