Associate Director, Epidemiology

Position Description

Job Title:        Associate Director, Epidemiology
Location:       Nairobi, Kenya
Reports to:    Senior Director, Epidemiology

Position Summary:

Are you an experienced Epidemiologist who’s eager to translate science into global health impact? 

IAVI is seeking an Associate Director, Epidemiology to lead research in support of IAVI’s product pipeline, expanding portfolio and mission. The Associate Director serves as a thought leader, working cross-functionally to ensure alignment with product development teams, while supporting epidemiological data and evidence generation for discovery, early- and late-stage development, and policy implementation.  Collaborating with diverse scientific teams, the AD ensures quality, timely, and effective project delivery across a number of disease targets such as HIV, TB, and other emerging infectious diseases.  The AD will apply a diverse set of epidemiological methodologies (e.g. systematic reviews, observational studies, geospatial and mathematical modeling) to answer prioritized research questions.

Key Responsibilities:

• Work as an integral member of the Product Development Teams (PDT) in 1 or more disease areas, providing strategic input for discovery, early and late-stage development, and policy implementation.
• Collaborate with the Senior Director, Epidemiology and PDTs to develop critical path epidemiology research plans in one to two disease areas.
• Serve as an integral part of the IAVI Epi Team by leading research in 1 or more disease areas and providing technical assistance in other disease areas and across IAVI departments.
• Develop research consortium, protocols, and implement epidemiological and related research in close collaboration with the Clinical Development, Quality and Global Access departments as needed.
• Collaborate with internal and external colleagues to ensure robust analysis of quantitative and qualitative outputs.
• Lead and contribute to proposal writing to secure funding for epidemiological and related research to generate evidence to support end-to-end product development.
• Manage the planning, execution and delivery of funded projects in accordance with current regulatory guidelines and internal procedures, including reviewing and approving study reports.
• Disseminate outputs to internal and external stakeholders, including academic researchers, policymakers, multilateral organizations, and key funders.
• Ensure that IAVI internal process and international best practices for research are followed.
• Maintain up-to-date knowledge of relevant epidemiological methodologies, vaccine science, product development, and disease areas.
• Publish regularly, at least annually, as first or senior author.
• Perform other duties as assigned by manager.

Education and Work Experience:

• Advanced degree in Epidemiology or related field (MSc or PhD) is required; PhD is highly preferred.
• Minimum of 5 years post-graduate epidemiology experience with PhD or a minimum of 8 years’ experience with a Master's or advanced degree required.
• Minimum of 2 years of direct experience developing and implementing epidemiological research in LMIC is required.
• Experience obtaining and leading external, competitive, peer-reviewed grant funding is required.
• Experience leading high impact, peer-reviewed manuscripts that reflect area of expertise is required.
• Experience working in the development of pharmaceutical products is desired.
• Honorary or adjunct appointment in a university epidemiology department is desired.

Qualifications and Skills:

• Experience in epidemiological methodology and ability to apply it within the context of product development, using best practices is required.
• Expertise in applied statistics for epidemiology and a statistical software package (STATA, R, SAS) is required.
• Experience building a coherent and robust program of epidemiological research to answer prioritized research questions is required.
• Strong organizational skills with the ability to be resourceful and proactive are required.
• Strong interpersonal and intercultural skills, with experience working collaboratively with colleagues from a wide range of disciplines, countries, and cultures are required.
• Excellent verbal, written, and presentations skills, with the ability to critically review documents by colleagues and collaborators, including protocols, study tools, and manuscripts.
• Strong publication record in peer reviewed journals is required.
• Willingness to travel up to 20% of the time and provide on-site support for high quality research implementation.
• Ability to create study budgets and subsequent forecasting is highly desirable
• Knowledge and experience in implementing GxP and Human Subjects Protection in research is desirable.
• Knowledge of end-to-end vaccine development is desirable.
• Knowledge of the following technical areas of specialty is desirable;
  • Geo-spatial modeling.
  • Mathematical/epidemiological modelling.
  • Machine learning and/or Gen AI.
  • Qualitative/mixed methods research.
  • Real world data/real world evidence generation in LMIC context to support licensure and post-licensure obligations.
  • REDCap for building databases and managing research data.
  • Python programming language.

Organizational Overview: 

IAVI is a nonprofit scientific research organization dedicated to addressing urgent, unmet global health challenges including HIV and tuberculosis. Our mission is to translate scientific discoveries into affordable, globally accessible public health solutions. Through scientific and clinical research in Africa, India, Europe, and the U.S., IAVI is pioneering the development of biomedical innovations designed for broad global access. We develop vaccines and antibodies in and for the developing world and seek to accelerate their introduction in low-income countries. IAVI programs and partnerships are grounded in the regions of the world where the disease burden is the greatest, and our approach emphasizes sustainability. Our network of clinical research center partners in Africa and India helps strengthen in-country research capacity and supports the training and education of the next generation of scientists. The global impact of our science includes fundamental contributions to understanding the biology of HIV infection, which IAVI and others are applying toward advancing vaccine science and immunology. IAVI accelerates scientific discovery and development by fostering unique collaborations among academia, industry, local communities, governments, and funders to explore new and better ways to address public health threats that disproportionately affect people living in poverty. Our global reach, including a clinical research network in five countries in sub-Saharan Africa and in India, has allowed us to make fundamental contributions to understanding the epidemiology, transmission, virology, and immunology of HIV. This work played a key role in facilitating the design of promising HIV vaccine candidates, as well as the discovery of broadly neutralizing antibodies that are now being advanced as promising approaches for HIV prevention. Our integrated capabilities in vaccine and antibody discovery, development, and clinical research take advantage of bio-pharmaceutical industry expertise to accelerate the development and testing of prevention methods for HIV and other diseases. Through the Product Development Center, we support external researchers with technical and scientific expertise to accelerate the development of their own products.  

IAVI CORE VALUES: 

• Dedication to the Mission: We are committed to the translation of scientific discoveries into affordable, globally accessible public health solutions. 
• Innovative Evolution: We are committed to solving complex problems in creative and innovative ways, learning from our mistakes and successes and never giving up 
• Integrity: We are committed to meeting the highest ethical and professional standards in everything we do and to taking responsibility for our actions to earn respect 
• Collaboration: We are committed to embracing diversity, the power of global teamwork and the belief that by working as one we can make a difference

Disclaimer: Nothing in this job description restricts management's right to assign or reassign duties and responsibilities to this job at any time. The above statements are intended to describe the general nature and level of work being performed by individuals assigned to this position. They are not intended to be an exhaustive list of all duties, responsibilities and skills required of personnel so classified. This document does not create an employment contract, implied or otherwise, other than an “at-will” relationship. IAVI is an equal opportunity employer and applicants will be considered for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, veteran or disability status.  

IAVI IS AN EQUAL OPPORTUNITY EMPLOYER actively committed to fostering a diverse and inclusive global organization. IAVI believes that diversity and inclusion among our teammates is critical, and we seek to recruit, develop and retain the most talented people from a representative candidate pool. At IAVI, we celebrate the spectrum of colleagues’ experiences and believe that dedication to our mission above all is essential to our success as a scientific global non-profit. IAVI upholds these principles through IAVI’s Global Diversity and Inclusion Committee.  

IAVI has zero tolerance for discrimination or harassment on the basis of race, color, ethnicity, caste, national origin, home language, ancestry, religion, marital or civil partnership status, age, physical or mental disability, HIV status and any other medical condition, genetic information, pregnancy, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, and veteran status, in addition to any other status protected under the law in any of our locations worldwide.