Dear candidate,

HEAD OF OPERATIONS

Thank you for your interest in this great opportunity with the Africa Research Excellence

Fund (AREF), part of the Medical Research Foundation. I hope that you find the

information interesting and that you decide to apply for the role. The recruitment

information pack describes the role, provides information about AREF and explains how to

apply.

To make an application:

• provide an up-to-date CV which includes your contact details, education and

vocational qualifications, memberships of professional bodies, career history and

explanation of any breaks in your employment history.

• provide a brief supporting statement setting out why you are the right candidate

for this role and why you are interested working for the Africa Research

Excellence Fund, making reference to the information provided. The case that you

make and the way that it is presented will form a key part of the shortlisting

process.

• complete the equal opportunities monitoring and declaration form.

• let us know if you are not able to make any of the assessment or interview dates

(the pre-arranged dates can be found in the application pack).

We acknowledge all applications within two working dates of receipt. If you have not

heard from us within two days of your email submission, please call me on 01425

567708 or 07939 269612 to confirm that your application has been safely received.

You should use a secure email address for submitting your application as our system will

filter out emails that it believes have the potential to be spam.

Please send your completed application to my colleague Heather Taylor, at

heather@foresthr.co.uk by noon, Tuesday 27th March 2018.

We look forward to receiving an application from you.

Kind regards

Sue Manning

Director, Forest HR Ltd

HEAD OF OPERATIONS

Recruitment

January 2018

Dear Applicant

The Africa Research Excellence Fund (AREF) is an energetic new UK-registered charity that enables early-career researcher scientists in Africa to develop and lead research to improve health and save lives.

With AREF support, ambitious, talented researchers develop skill-sets and research experience that are essential stepping-stones to winning research funding, developing and leading effective, collaborative research teams.

Since our launch in 2015, we are proud to have raised $3 million and supported 75 young researchers. AREF is a linked charity of the UK Medical Research Foundation, the charitable foundation of the Medical Research Council (MRC).

We are looking for an experienced and energetic manager to join AREF’s young team, based with the Medical Research Foundation in central London. You will lead AREF’s operations, working closely with the AREF Directors, Board and the Head of Major Gifts and other AREF colleagues in The Gambia, UK and Uganda and with staff of the Foundation. You will manage AREF’s Gambia office and will be expected to spend about one-third to one half of the year in The Gambia, for which travel and accommodation will be provided.

You will bring to this new role a thorough and up-to-date understanding of UK charity regulation and best practice, gained through your experience working with thriving small charities. Ideally you will also have experience of an international development organisation or setting.

AREF’s standards reflect those of the Medical Research Foundation. As AREF develops its distinctive role, you will take the lead on building an adaptive and resilient organisation capable of delivering our mission. You will apply your knowledge and skills practically, swiftly and sensitively - anticipating new needs and opportunities, while ensuring we operate to the highest standards.

For an informal conversation, please contact: Peter Dukes info.aref@mrf.mrc.ac.uk

Tumani Corrah CBE MRG Emeritus Director, MRC Unit The Gambia and Director, Africa Research Excellence Fund

THE ROLE AND OUR REQUIREMENTS

Summary details

Unit name: Africa Research Excellence Fund,

The Gambia and London

Employer: Medical Research Foundation,

London

Job title Head of Operations

The role The Head of Operations, Governance & Finance will work with the Director and other senior staff to

transform a young and vigorous charity into a sustainable leader and partner in building the capacity in

Africa for research that improves health and saves lives. You will bring knowledge, skills, adaptability and

passion to the organisation, so it delivers its mission in an uncertain environment rich with potential.

You will have transformed one or more young charities from early start-up to sustainability. You will have

developed and implemented systems that have underpinned income growth, delivery of value-adding

benefits, innovation, evaluation and improvement.

You will have a sound understanding of the regulatory and good practices of the charitable sector and how

they can be implemented appropriately and proportionally.

The organisation AREF: A new charity

The Africa Research Excellence Fund (www.africaresearchexcellencefund.org.uk ) is a new charity

established in 2015, whose primary purpose is to provide professional opportunities for talented health

scientists in Africa. AREF does not provide aid.

We have already supported 13 Research Development Fellows and have trained 55 African scientists in the

skill of grant-proposal preparation. We started this process by spending £200k on new Fellowships in

2016/17. We plan over the next four years to sustain our current programmes because they meet a clear

need. We aim also to launch several imaginative ventures that will further enable African researchers to

achieve their full potential and eventually lead life-enhancing research.

Our mission and vision The mission of the charity is to improve human health and save lives in Sub-Saharan Africa. We do this by

nurturing African-led research in and for the region. In this way we contribute to improving the quality and

impact of health research in Sub-Saharan Africa.

The charity’s initial focus is on enabling talented postdoctoral health researchers in Sub-Saharan Africa to

access the knowledge and skills essential to becoming world-class scientists and research leaders.

Researchers at this career stage have been trained to a high-level, but find few opportunities in the region to

develop as potential leaders of researcher.

Our vision is of a growing cohort of African researchers working in Africa, who lead and partner excellent,

collaborative health research that benefits patients, populations, policy makers and practitioners throughout

the region and globally.

Our strategy has three pillars:

To provide stepping-stones at vulnerable postdoctoral career stages, so that talented researchers

can develop the knowledge, skills and experience to win research funding and advance towards

research leadership.

To work in partnership, leveraging complementary knowledge and resources – and to enable

opportunity, innovation and excellence at whole research system, organisational and individual

researcher levels.

To attract new and sustained funding into research capacity strengthening from established

funders and “new” philanthropic foundations and individuals.

The Head of Operations, Governance and Finance will be a member of the senior management team. They

will have key role in ensuring that:

The charity is responsive to the ideas and needs of African researchers and institutions.

The charity’s governance, financial and operating systems and processes are robust, meeting the

best-practice and regulatory standards.

AREF operations enable the charity to attract the very best candidates for our awards and

development programmes.

Excellent monitoring and evaluation systems that lead through to policy and systems

improvements, and strong communications around demonstrating AREF’s significant and

sustained impact.

AREF is recognised as an effective, trusted and agile partner, with a leading role in shaping

strategies and initiatives for building health research in Africa.

The Head of Major Gifts is well supported to raise at least £1m per annum and develop a

sustainable funding pipeline.

Business functions AREF’s current business functions are

Awards (fellowships, grants) and Academy (training, development)

Fundraising;

Governance, finance and operations.

The post-holder will lead the third of these three functions, reporting directly to the AREF Director (see

Organogram at the end of the document).

Where AREF operates AREF programmes are open to individuals from all Sub-Saharan countries except, currently,

citizens of South Africa

AREF Fellowship placements are in centres of excellence in Europe (including UK) and Africa

AREF Academy workshops and training programmes are held in Africa

We are working to increase our penetration of Franco- and Lusophone countries.

AREF governance AREF’s sole trustee is the Medical Research Foundation (MRF). The MRF and AREF are formally linked

and are registered with the Charity Commission for England & Wales. The MRF Board of Trustees appoints

the members of the AREF Board and determines AREF’s funding regulations.

The AREF Advisory Panel, comprising leaders from a broad range of international public and private

organisations, advises the AREF Board on research and fundraising strategies.

An Awards Panel oversees the integrity of the awards process, and advises the AREF Board on awards on

the basis of the assessments by referees drawn from the AREF College of Experts.

AREF is a separate legal entity to the MRC and is a registered charity 1138223-21 by the Charity

Commission for England and Wales. AREF is a linked charity of the Medical Research Foundation, which is

a registered charity (Reg. No.: 1138223) and a company limited by guarantee registered in England

(company No.: 7366816).

The post Overall purpose:

The AREF Head of Operations, Governance and Finance is a new post created to help us to deliver our

vision for research capacity development in Africa through:

Strengthening AREF’s governance, finance and operating policies and systems, incorporating

best practices and meeting regulatory requirements, so that AREF delivers on its mission.

Efficiently delivering excellent services to AREF’s stakeholders – from the Board to the

beneficiaries, donors and partners.

Building an effective and robust team of highly motivated and effective individuals across several

sites internationally.

The post-holder will develop, manage and deliver operational, governance and financial policies, systems

and processes appropriate to the charitable purposes of the Africa Research Excellence Fund. They will

lead on and oversee:

organisational and business development

planning and processes

governance policies and practice

financial policies and practice

project management

monitoring and evaluation

communications

team management across AREF’s operating sites

staff development and training.

Main duties / key responsibilities:

Organisational and business development, planning and processes

Lead on business planning e.g. Board work plan and meetings; Board subcommittee membership

renewal; and coordination and integration of cross-functional plans (Programmes, Fundraising...).

Systematically review and improve all business policies and processes.

Where delegated, take decisions on behalf of the Director in relation to finance, human and other

resources.

On behalf of the Director, liaise with partners or service providers to ensure effective delivery of

objectives.

Prepare briefings for the Director in advance of external meetings, ensuring all relevant

information has been provided by the post-holder or functional teams, as required.

Ensure an effective and efficient cycle of prioritisation, objective setting, implementation and

action, recording, reporting and reflection in relation to all plans and processes.

Develop and implement new models for providing sustainable, high-value services for

beneficiaries at low cost to AREF.

Finance

Lead medium- and long term financial forecasting and planning.

Improve programme costing methodology and increase cost recovery.

Prepare the AREF budget, monitor income and expenditure, quarterly variance reports and

reforecast quarterly.

Develop and implement robust and practical financial systems for managing awards to and

reporting by institutions outside the UK, particularly in Africa.

Maintain overall day-to-day control over AREF income and expenditure including improving

business processes to ensure robust financial in particular monitoring expenditure against budget

for Programmes, Fundraising and other activities.

Train and develop staff appropriately to manage budgets and ensure financial control.

Governance

Manage governance bodies e.g. AREF Board, AREF Advisory Committee, ad hoc committees

(terms of reference, effectiveness reviews, appointments, training).

Ensure AREF governance policies and procedures are fit-for-purpose, implemented, monitored

and reviewed, e.g. conflicts of interest.

Work closely with the MRF to ensure AREF governance meets the requirements of the MRF as

trustee.

Develop policies, agreements and other tools for AREF to partner other organisations to deliver

defined projects.

Project management

Develop and implement effective project management principles and practice across the AREF,

appropriate to needs and context.

Ensure that structured reporting is an effective part of internal communications.

Manage and deliver appropriate projects, e.g. on opportunities for and means of AREF

developing a primary purpose trading activity.

Operational Management

Manage the Board, Subcommittee meetings (annual workplans, deadlines, managing inputs from

functional teams, delivery and reporting of post-meeting actions).

Benchmark AREF against other comparable organisations, e.g. fundraising effectiveness, return

on investment, realisation of benefits, effectiveness of governance, staffing structures and levels,

internal audit support...

Work closely and proactively with the Director to ensure proactive, effective and efficient

management of financial, human, information, network and other resources.

Develop and embed appropriate and proportionate opportunity and risk management practice as

part of all projects and processes.

Communications, team-building and training

Ensure effective deployment and review of AREF’s communications tools: the website, twitter,

LinkedIn and other social media, delegating functions to teams or individuals.

Ensure open and effective communication and team-coherence across all AREF operational sites

and with MRF colleagues.

Develop and implement an appropriate team-building programme.

Monitor operations team competency in relation to business needs, and proactively identify

training and development needs. Identify and promote cost-effective training and development

opportunities that meet AREF needs. Monitor implementation of actions. Supervise the staff

training budget.

Working relationships

Reporting to: The AREF Director.

Staff Management: In the first instance: Direct line management of Programmes Business Manager and

two Senior Administrative Assistants. Depending on achieving new funding, the scientific, financial and

communications capacity of AREF may grow. (Organogram, Figure)

Key Relationships

Deputy Director: Responsibility for Programme and Partnership Strategy

Head of Major Gifts: Responsible for fundraising from Trusts, foundations and philanthropic

individuals.

Director of the Medical Research Foundation: The Director and their staff have a key advisory role

to AREF, not least on the requirements of the trustee and on the regulatory and best practice

environment.

The Director and Head of Operations of the MRC Gambia. The MRCG hosts AREF.

Head of Operations at the MRC’s Uganda based Unit, which hosts two Ugandan staff of AREF.

Other Interactions:

MRF Functional teams (Programmes, Finance, Fundraising). Professional oversight is provided

by MRF for the AREF governance, finance and fundraising functions until 31 December 2017 - an

arrangement that may be renewed.

AREF interacts with the finance and research support departments of the institutions hosting

AREF awards.

Increasingly AREF will be developing partnerships with organisations to advance their and

AREF’s common objectives.

Equality & diversity AREF, MRF and the MRC value the diverse skills and experience of its employees and are committed to

achieving equality of treatment for all. Our objectives are that all individuals shall have equal opportunities

for employment and advancement based on their skills, aptitudes and abilities. The MRC is committed to

the engagement and retention of the best possible talent and to creating an environment that encourages

excellence in scientific research through good equalities and diversity leadership and management.

Corporate/local responsibilities & requirements The post-holder must at all times carry out their responsibilities with due regard to the MRF and/or MRC’s:

Code of Conduct

Equality and Diversity policy

Health and Safety policy

Data Protection and Security policy

Job descriptions are reviewed on a regular basis and at the annual appraisal. Any changes will be agreed

between the post holder and their manager.

The above lists are not exhaustive and the post-holder is required to undertake such duties as may

reasonably be requested within the scope of the post. All employees are required to act professionally, co-

operatively and flexibly in line with the requirements of the post and the MRC.

Person requirements Education / Qualifications / Training:

Essential:

Qualified at Bachelors degree or equivalent.

Formal training in business / financial management directly relevant to the charitable sector.

Non-UK citizens may need to demonstrate an appropriate qualification in English, typically

equivalent to Common European Framework for languages (CEFR) B2 level.

Desirable:

Languages: French and / or Portuguese

Postgraduate qualification relevant to science, research or health-improvement in low-income

settings.

Coaching: accredited qualification

Previous professional experience: Essential:

Significant managerial experience in the UK charity or other NGO (non-governmental) sector

Experience of agile project planning and implementation in small low-cost organisations

Experience of governance policy and systems development and implementation

Experience of achieving high standards of financial management in a developing organisation

Experience of effective staff management in a small dynamic organisation

Experience of building and maintaining effective relationships with diverse individuals and

institutional stakeholders

Experience of development and transformation of a small organisation in a rapidly changing

environment.

Desirable:

Experience of working within an African or other Low & Middle Income settings

Experience of developing/producing operational plans, financial strategies and monitoring and

evaluation processes

Experience managing service providers

Experience of commissioning or developing or running staff training programmes

Generic skills required Essential:

Strong organisational and project management skills including the management of multiple

activities.

Excellent verbal communication skills and the ability to communicate and present confidently and

appropriately to diverse audiences.

High standard of written communication and ability to write reports, briefings and minutes.

Excellent influencing, negotiation and diplomacy skills.

Able to use knowledge of high level and long-term strategic issues to guide handling of day-to-day

activities.

Ability to seek and extract information from others.

Ability to research and analyse various sources of data and get to the heart of complex, important

and urgent issues, and present them succinctly.

Ability to use survey and other evaluative methods to produce high quality reliable management

information, e.g. of needs, progress, efficacy and effectiveness.

Information literate, with advanced working knowledge of Microsoft Office packages, “cloud” and

sharing services, and small project/process management tools

Desirable:

Experience in managing internal and external communications strategy deploying a variety of

classical and social media.

Personal skills/behaviours/qualities: Essential:

Ability to work dynamically and flexibly within a small team, achieving influence at all levels

Gravitas and the qualities that inspire confidence and trust by others; ability to forge and maintain

collaborative value-adding working relationships

Resourceful and proactive in planning ahead, seizing opportunity, managing problems and

managing risk

Resilient and adaptable under work pressure: able to deliver consistently, on time and to an

appropriate standard within robust deadlines

Self-aware, leading by example and otherwise committed to high standards of personal behaviour

A proactive, coaching approach to the development of individuals – effectively rewarding good and

challenging poor performance

Commitment to high standards and to organisational improvement

Adaptable, responsible and committed to culturally appropriate behaviours in diverse settings.

Desirable:

Good understanding of health research and development in Low & Middle Income context

Resourceful and adaptable in working in unfamiliar, potentially challenging settings.

Additional information: The post holder will be based in London but will be required to attend meetings/workshops in UK

locations and possibly other international locations.

The post holder must have the right to work in the UK.

The post holder will be required to work flexibly to get the job done, which may mean balancing

early, late or weekend working within the overall contracted work-time.

Reasonable expenses will be paid in relation to travel and accommodation.

AREF Organogram: 2018

WHAT WE ARE OFFERING

(for information purposes only)

Contract The post holder will be employed on Medical Research

Foundation contract and terms and conditions of employment and

will be immediately seconded to the Africa Research Excellence

Fund.

Salary Starting salary in the range £50,000 to £55,000 p.a. depending on

experience.

Fixed term Two years in the first instance

Pension Medical Research Foundation offers an auto-enrolment scheme

with Standard Life. On employment, Medical Research

Foundation double-matches employee contributions to a

maximum 10% (employer contributions)

Working hours 36 hours per week, usually worked over 5 days Monday to Friday.

This is a senior role and will occasionally require the post holder to

work additional hours to cover meetings and travel. The salary

level already reflects this and there is no additional salary.

Annual leave 30 days plus public holidays January to December holiday year.

Location The post holder will be based primarily at the Medical Research

Foundation offices in London, and will be expected to manage

staff and spend a third of the working year at the AREF office

which is hosted at the MRC unit in the Gambia (MRC Unit The

Gambia at LSHTM).

Probation period 2 months

KEY DATES

Closing date

Noon, Tuesday 27th March 2018

Online assessments

w/c Tuesday 3rd April 2018

Interview and practical

exercise

Wednesday 11th April 2018