Senior Project Manager – Health, LEAD at Krea University

Location: Chennai / New Delhi

Reporting to: Executive Director

Type: Full-time

Salary: Commensurate with qualifications and experience 

About LEAD at Krea University: 

LEAD is an action-oriented research centre of IFMR Society (a not-for-profit society registered under the Societies Act), leverages the power of research, innovation and co-creation to solve complex and pressing challenges in development. LEAD specialises in developing in-depth granular understanding of socio-economic contexts and harnessing actionable insights that have a wide range of applications in industry, policy, and academia. LEAD is a collaborative hub that brings experts from diverse disciplines and sectors together to develop innovative solutions by harnessing innovation, technology and analytics.

LEAD’s Health Agenda:

LEAD champions in evidence-based research for the underserved and underprivileged population. Health intersects with many areas of LEAD’s work, such as financial well-being, livelihood, entrepreneurship, employment, and social protection. By considering health as part of an integrated development approach, we address a critical resilience mechanism—unhealthy people cannot live productive lives. We also want to tackle challenges related to access, usage, and affordability of healthcare. For example, catastrophic health expenditures which often drive individuals and families of marginalised communities into debt and economic instability, as well as address systemic issues regarding appropriate access to preventive and curative healthcare. Addressing health issues aligns with several Sustainable Development Goals, particularly SDG 3 (Good health and well-being for all at all ages) and SDG 1 (No poverty). By focusing on health, LEAD would like to contribute to broader global development objectives that promote well-being and reduce inequality.

About the Position:

We are seeking a qualified Senior Project Manager, preferably trained in Economics/Development Studies or other social sciences disciplines with a strong focus on Public Health, to carry forward the research agenda for our Health vertical. The successful candidate will have superior research and analytical skills, be an excellent writer, and have a solid understanding of evaluation methodologies. They will be adaptable, quick to learn, and uncompromising with respect to research quality and thoroughness. Excellent communication skills (both verbal and written) are essential in order to be able to present research insights to various stakeholders and on national and, possibly, international platforms through a wide range of mediums. In the long run, the Senior Project Manager will support the Executive Director to develop and expand the team’s research agenda and grow the team’s research portfolio, with the opportunity of leading/pursuing other research opportunities. The manager is also expected to supervise and guide field staff as well as liaise with local government partners and stakeholders. The candidate should be willing to travel whenever necessary.

Responsibilities:

Research Role

• Contribute to determining the research objectives for the time-bound research programmes, especially in the areas of health systems and public health;
• Conceptualise and carry out independent in-house research projects to enhance the research portfolio of LEAD;
• Develop survey design, questionnaires, polls, etc., specific to research requirements and test research methodologies to confirm the intended purpose of evaluation for current research;
• Oversee and monitor fieldwork, interviews, and experiments to gather evidence.

Institution and Capacity Building Role

• Contribute along with other senior team in establishing the broader health research agenda of LEAD;
• Contribute actively to managing project deadlines, maintaining timelines, reviewing outputs, and coordinating with funders/research/academic partners;
• Maintain project information on internal systems (like Asana), monthly and periodic reporting on progress, managing resource requirements;
• Manage and build the capacity of the research assistants, researchers/interns, and fellows at LEAD; 
• Actively contribute to developing research opportunities;
• Respond to RFPs or anchor proposal development, in particular on the technical aspects;
• Where relevant expertise is needed, forge partnerships with donors and other research organisations to co-develop research concepts and implement them;    
• Networking across health sectors, including government, for expansion of the vertical. 

Learning, Policy and Outreach Role

• Publish articles in peer-reviewed national and international journals, opinion pieces for magazines and newspapers, and blog pieces;
• Develop policy briefs, factsheets and short research outputs for LEAD internal publications. 

Qualifications:

• A Master’s degree in Public Health/Development Economic Studies/Public Policy or related disciplines with a strong focus on Public Health or related areas of research, with at least 10 years of relevant work experience involving varied responsibilities in formulating, developing, implementing, managing and delivering evidence-based research projects of various levels of complexities; would also consider candidates with PhD with at least 5 years of experience—strong project management skills are required;
• Strong research and evaluation skills to lead impact evaluations and research studies;
• Demonstrable experience in supporting the capture and recording of impact from research projects;
• Knowledge of advanced statistical methods used for impact evaluation of large programs;
• Demonstrated experience in fundraising for projects;
• Record of publications in high-impact peer-reviewed journals;
• Significant experience in establishing strong relationships with external partners such as government, industry, NGOs, think tanks and multilateral donor organisations;
• Excellent communicator, both written and oral, with an ability to express complex technical issues in plain language;
• Demonstrated ability to lead a team and a strong understanding of the entire research project development and research management cycle;
• Excellent relationship management skills at an executive level.

Application Instructions: 

Deadline: Applications will be open till the position is filled. To apply, please collate your resume, a cover letter and writing sample in a single PDF and apply in the form here. 

Note: Due to the large volume of applications we receive, we are unable to contact each candidate individually regarding the status of their application. Only shortlisted applicants will be contacted for interview purposes.