Research Operations Manager

RESEARCH OPERATIONS MANAGER AT JACARANDA HEALTH About the Role Jacaranda Health is seeking a Research Operations Manager to drive the operational excellence of our Research function in Nairobi, Kenya. You will be the operational backbone keeping our Product Research and Implementation and Impact Research workstreams moving seamlessly forward. In this role, you'll manage timelines, budgets, resources, and cross-functional coordination while ensuring our research meets the highest ethical standards and delivers exceptional dissemination products. Your work will free our technical leads to concentrate on methodological rigor and delivery. Location: Nairobi, Kenya Reports to: Head of Department, Research Contract: One-year term, renewable About Jacaranda Health Jacaranda Health transforms maternal and newborn health outcomes across Africa's public health systems. Using innovative AI-driven technology paired with human-centered solutions, we partner with governments to scale data-driven interventions that save lives. Our flagship tools—PROMPTS, an AI-enabled platform for mothers, and MENTORS, a facility-based training program for frontline nurses—have reached over 3 million women across 1,100+ health facilities. As we expand our footprint in Kenya, Nigeria, and Ghana, we're building a team of dynamic leaders passionate about impact. About the Team The Research Design and Evaluation team is Jacaranda Health's strategic engine, generating evidence that shapes product design, implementation strategy, and expansion of our programming. We combine data expertise with technical sophistication, leveraging cutting-edge technology to create high-value solutions for maternal health. What You'll Do Portfolio Timeline and Resourcing Management You'll maintain visibility across all active studies and projects, tracking timelines, dependencies, and team capacity across both research streams. You'll coordinate sprint-aligned planning for Product Research while managing fieldwork-driven scheduling for Impact and Implementation Research, accounting for varying team rhythms. When resourcing conflicts or timeline risks emerge, you'll alert the Head of Department early with proposed solutions and own portfolio-level delivery visibility. Budget and Stakeholder Management You'll oversee budget planning, tracking, and reporting for all research streams while managing vendor and partner contracts—including survey tools, usability platforms, enumerator rosters, and data-sharing agreements—in partnership with Operations and Finance. You'll ensure budget accuracy and timely vendor management across the portfolio, and own all donor reporting processes and outputs in collaboration with Communications and Finance. Process, Tooling, Administration, and Compliance You'll build and maintain shared research operations infrastructure including intake processes, reporting templates, documentation standards, and tooling that serves both streams. You'll provide administrative coordination for fieldwork logistics and product-side research administration, ensuring legal and ethical compliance across data sharing and storage. Your operations framework will be repeatable, well-documented, and fully compliant with all legal requirements. Cross-Functional Coordination and Reporting You'll serve as the operational hub connecting Research with Product, Tech, Data, Finance, and Operations teams on scheduling, budgets, and processes. You'll prepare routine status reports for the Head of Department and Technical Leadership, flagging risks early and keeping stakeholders coordinated. You'll champion internal and external visibility of research insights, improving how the organization understands and communicates research learnings. Who You Are Required Qualifications Bachelor's degree in public health, social sciences, business, management, or a related field. Minimum 5 years of experience in program management, project management, research operations, or operations management, with direct research operations experience essential. Skills and Competencies You have functional understanding of research methods including study design, data quality, interpretation, and reporting. You've successfully managed budgets, vendors, and timelines across multiple concurrent workstreams. You're comfortable operating within different delivery cadences—fast-cycle product-style research and longer fieldwork-driven, donor-scheduled cycles. You bring strong organizational skills and cross-functional communication abilities, with proven experience building or maintaining shared operational processes and tooling. Desirable Experience Experience managing donor-funded projects in global health, maternal and newborn health, or digital health sectors. Familiarity with Kenya's research ethics and regulatory landscape, including IRB and NACOSTI submission processes and data protection requirements. Project Management certification is a plus. Why Join Jacaranda Health Work on a mission that matters: directly impact the lives of millions of mothers and babies across Africa. Engage with innovation-forward thinking and cutting-edge technology in maternal and newborn health. Grow with a rapidly scaling national and global organization. Collaborate with an ambitious, passionate, and genuinely supportive team. How to Apply Submit your application through the Sokify platform. No hard copies required or accepted. Work permit spons