Project Operations Officer

The Busara Center for Behavioral Economics is an advisory and research organization focused on evaluating and implementing behavioral interventions in understudied countries and populations. Its mission is to collaborate with researchers and organizations to advance and apply behavioral science for poverty alleviation.

This role is crucial for supporting the Project Operations Department by facilitating efficient coordination, documentation, and operational delivery of projects. The officer reports to the Manager, Project Operations & Busara ISERC, and receives daily task guidance from the Research Ethics and Compliance Officer. The position offers structured administrative and operational assistance, enhancing project management execution, ethics and compliance administration, knowledge management systems, and operational follow-through across teams. By addressing operational workload gaps, improving documentation quality, and strengthening compliance monitoring, the role enables senior team members to concentrate on leadership, technical decision-making, and project oversight.

1. Support administrative procedures for Busara ISERC, including proposal acceptance, verification, and distribution.
2. Check protocol completeness against submission checklists before routing to reviewers.
3. Follow up on outstanding documents or clarifications from applicants.
4. Log new protocols in the Busara ISERC tracker.
5. Send acknowledgment-of-receipt emails to Principal Investigators.
6. Maintain version control for protocol documents and amendments.
7. Manage reviewer assignments and track turnaround times, escalating persistent delays.
8. Send reminder notices for overdue reviews.
9. Collate reviewer comments into a single feedback document for the committee.
10. Maintain the reviewer roster, including contact details, expertise, COI declarations, and appointment expiry dates.
11. Support the drafting and circulation of meeting agendas.
12. Take and format minutes during the ISERC Secretary's absence.
13. Distribute meeting packs (protocols and reviewer feedback) before sessions.
14. Follow up on action items from previous meetings.
15. Draft approval, conditional approval, and rejection letters for review and sign-off.
16. Send renewal and continuing-review reminders for expiring approvals.
17. Log protocol deviations, adverse events, and complaints.
18. File signed COI forms, NDAs, and appointment letters.
19. Invoice applicants for review fees and track payment status.
20. Reconcile honoraria records against meeting attendance.
21. Keep master tracker(s) updated with status, dates, assigned reviewers, and decisions.
22. Produce periodic summary reports for management (submission volumes, approval rates, turnaround times).
23. Archive closed protocol files according to the retention policy.
24. Support NACOSTI and other regulatory reporting requirements.
25. Support planning, coordination, and follow-up of project kick-off, review, and closure meetings, ensuring high-quality documentation and action tracking.
26. Provide project management administrative support, including scheduling, reminders, and stakeholder coordination.
27. Support improvements to project management systems and processes.
28. Monitor and support compliance with knowledge management practices, including correct use of Google Drive and shared systems.
29. Track RA Division subscriptions (e.g., SurveyCTO, Zoom), including renewal timelines and usage coordination.
30. Document emerging project development needs to inform resources and support structures.
31. Maintain and regularly update a centralized project database for efficient tracking across key indicators.
32. Support the knowledge management strategy, including organizing repositories of past projects and maintaining reference materials.
33. Ensure project documentation is properly named, stored, and accessible in line with internal standards.
34. Maintain a centralized repository of data collection firms and log performance feedback.
35. Support adherence to knowledge management processes and flag challenges to the Manager.
36. Follow up on platform subscriptions and licenses to ensure continuity of access.
37. Raise payment requests through the hub as instructed.
38. Track pending payments and follow up across systems to minimize delays.
39. Maintain simple operational trackers for subscriptions, renewals, and payment status.
40. Ensure invoices, contracts, and related documentation are accurately filed and easy to retrieve.
41. Support monitoring of progress against Project Operations team tasks and priorities.
42. Maintain well-organized Project Operations documentation and shared folders.
43. Manage meeting schedules for the Project Operations team, including cross-functional meetings.
44. Coordinate logistics for meetings, workshops, and other team activities.
45. Support submission of team payment and travel requests.
46. Provide additional administrative and coordination support as required.

1. Bachelor's degree in a relevant field such as Social Sciences, Business Administration, Public Health, or a related discipline.
2. At least 2 years of experience in an administrative, operations, or coordination role, preferably within a research, academic, or development organization.
3. Strong organizational skills with a proven ability to manage multiple trackers, deadlines, and follow-ups simultaneously.
4. Excellent written communication skills, with experience drafting professional correspondence (emails, letters, minutes).
5. Proficiency in Microsoft Office (Word, Excel, PowerPoint) and Google Workspace (Drive, Docs, Sheets).
6. Close attention to detail and accuracy in documentation and record-keeping.
7. Ability to work under supervision while managing routine tasks independently.
8. Strong interpersonal skills and professionalism in handling correspondence with external stakeholders.
9. Prior exposure to research ethics review processes, regulatory compliance, or IRB/ethics committee administration is desired.
10. Experience with protocol or case management platforms (e.g., RHInnO, or similar systems) is desired.
11. Familiarity with Kenyan regulatory frameworks (e.g., NACOSTI, Kenya Data Protection Act) or international research ethics standards (Belmont Report, Declaration of Helsinki, CIOMS) is desired.
12. Experience supporting project management functions (scheduling, action tracking, meeting coordination) in a research or donor-funded environment is desired.
13. Familiarity with subscription/license management and basic budget or invoice tracking is desired.
14. Experience maintaining knowledge management systems or document repositories is desired.
15. A proactive, detail-oriented working style with a demonstrated ability to anticipate needs and follow through without close supervision is desired.