Job Title: Administrative Assistant: Community Health and Social Medicine

Reports to: Head, Community Health and Social Medine Department

Group/Department: School of Medicine

Location: Butaro, Rwanda with occasional posting in Kigali and at the other community learning sites

The Research and Academic Assistant will provide administrative and academic support to the department of community health and social medicine.

They will provide high level support to the department and the different tasks including academic tasks such as scheduling, course/faculty evaluation, e-learning support, and other administrative duties. They will also be involved in research projects relevant to the Department of Community Health and social medicine.

The ideal candidate for this position is someone who is highly self-motivated and passionate about higher education, global and community health, with superior attention to detail and organizational skills. The Academic Administrative Assistant should possess previous experience in a wide range of academic and administrative tasks, the ability to work independently as well as part of a team, and effective communication. They will work closely with students, faculty and staff at all levels and across departments at UGHE, as well as important external partners. They must be exceedingly well organized, diplomatic, flexible, resourceful, and proactive. They must exhibit great discretion, handle confidential matters with the utmost care, and possess a high level of sophistication in managing complex issues.

• Provide general academic and administrative support to faculty. This includes but is not limited to course scheduling, managing grade records, compiling and recording academic syllabi, tracking student progress and coordinating exams.
• Oversee essential e-learning platforms such as Canvas, Populi and any other online platform, and provide technical support to faculty and students using these resources.
• Aid in the coordination of faculty/course evaluations and reports aimed at academic policy and curriculum development within the EDQC.
• Serve as a key point of contact for anything related to academic program delivery in the department of Community Health and Social Medicine. This includes participating in orientation and debriefing for visiting faculty and community faculty
• Serve as community-based education (CBE) instructor and create a positive link between UGHE and large network of community faculty
• Work collaboratively alongside other academic assistants, staff and faculty in other Divisions and Departments at UGHE.

• Provide general research support to the department of Community Health and Social Medicine, Schools of Medicine and EDQC research projects and studies (i.e., data collection and entry, data analysis, background research, writing protocols/reports/publications etc.)

• Coordinate all community activities/projects and Community based learning platforms. This includes leasing, coordinating and managing community learning facilities, faculty and community members.
• Managing community-based learning faculty support needs which include budgeting, issuing necessary compensation to community faculty and community members.
• Managing logistical needs of the department like booking transportation, budgeting and organization of teaching sites.

• Support resource mobilization for the department of community health and social medicine including preparing grant applications to external funding sources, coordinating reporting to external funders, and managing financial approval and other financial processes.
• Generating expense reports for department activities and developing
• Any additional tasks as directed by the Supervisor

• Bachelor’s degree in Public health, Community health, Environmental health, Healthcare management, Nursing, Biomedical Science or in another health relevant field;
• Academic or professional experience in research writing and data collection
• Competence and experience in working with a variety of communities in an area of health care and/or development work.
• Strong experience in general community engagement and health care activity planning, implementation and monitoring
• Experience in large activity planning, implementation finance support, evaluation and expense reporting
• Work experience in administrative, executive assistant, and/or personal assistant role(s) in an educational or relevant setting
• Fluency in Microsoft Word, Excel, PowerPoint, and Google softwares (Google Drive, Google sheets, Google forms)
• Ability to manage and prioritize projects with high attention to detail
• Ability to work under pressure, meet tight deadlines, and manage competing priorities
• Health sciences and/or global health content knowledge is a must
• Experience working in a higher education environment is preferred
• Experience of working and good understanding of Rwanda Health system
• Experience in multicultural working environments required; experience living and working in Sub Saharan Africa preferred
• Excellent written and oral communication skills in English and Kinyarwanda required; French language skills desired

To Apply

Applicants should provide: (1) a resume, (2) a cover letter, (3) names and contact information of three professional references who can attest to work experience, and (4) copies of all degrees earned. Please upload your cover letter and copies of degrees as a single PDF file under “Additional Files” on the application page.

Organization profile

The University of Global Health Equity (UGHE) is on a mission to radically change the way health care is delivered around the world. UGHE is a new university based in Rwanda that is growing the next generation of global health professionals—doctors, nurses, researchers, and public health and policy experts—into leaders and change makers who strive to deliver more equitable, quality health services for all. The University launched in Rwanda in September 2015 with the Master of Science in Global Health Delivery (MGHD). Through an academic experience uniquely rooted in the values of equity, students are empowered to both ease suffering at the bedside and drive transformational, systemic changes to the health system. UGHE is an initiative of Partners In Health (PIH), an internationally recognized non-profit organization whose mission is to provide a preferential option for the poor in health care.

In over nearly three decades of operating alongside public sectors in countries around the world, PIH has developed a model to deliver high quality healthcare to some of the world’s most marginalized communities. Nowhere has this impact been more profound than in Rwanda, where Inshuti Mu Buzima—PIH’s sister organization—and our government partners have driven innovation for a decade.

Members of the UGHE community are tenacious and resolute in our drive to attain social justice, make common cause with those in need, listen to and learn from others, and operate with honesty and humility as we uphold academic integrity and intellectual curiosity. The UGHE team seeks individuals committed to these values to join the team. Partners In Health is an equal opportunity employer and all qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, disability status, protected veteran status, or any other characteristic protected by law.

Commitment to Safeguarding and Prevention of Sexual Exploitation, Abuse and Sexual Harassment:

At UGHE, we are committed to ensuring that those who benefit from our work- including community members – as well as our students, contractors, staff and visitors to our campus are treated with dignity and respect and protected from sexual exploitation, abuse and harassment and any form of systemic abuse, whilst reducing risk and vulnerabilities. A range of pre-employment checks will be undertaken in conformity with UGHE’s policy.

UGHE will request information from applicants’ previous employers about any findings of fraud, harassment, sexual harassment and any form of systemic abuse or incidents under investigation when the applicant left employment. By submitting an application, the job applicant confirms their understanding of these recruitment procedures.