Location: Rwanda/ South Africa/ Tanzania/ Zimbabwe - On site at one of these locations
Hours: Full Time
Reports to: Chief of Staff/ Chief Medical Officer – Africa Clinical Research Network
Our Mission:
The African Clinical Research Network (ACRN) is an African-led and African-driven clinical research organisation. Our work not only promotes and supports a vibrant life sciences ecosystem but also profoundly impacts Africa's health and economic development. By facilitating sustainable, innovative, collaborative, and community-oriented research, ACRN is poised to transform healthcare and improve lives across Africa, inspiring a new era of clinical research.
We provide high-quality data, harmonise regulatory processes to improve timelines, support capacity building within the existing ethics and regulatory systems, and enhance community trust and research participation. These are some of the first key steps to making Africa more competitive in the global life sciences industry, a goal we are proud to contribute to.
The ACRN drives clinical research excellence by connecting researchers to opportunities, enhancing research capacity in existing facilities, implementing high-quality trials and research, and leveraging a robust digital infrastructure.
We are committed to fostering the community's understanding of research. Through our community engagement network, we significantly increase stakeholder buy-in of clinical results, thereby enhancing the transparency and credibility of our research.
Job Summary:
The Training Manager will lead the design, implementation, and evaluation of comprehensive training programs aimed at strengthening clinical trial capacity and ensuring compliance with international and regional standards. Working in partnership with The Global Health Network, this role will support the development and delivery of a broader training initiative, ensuring that programs are impactful, scalable, and sustainable. The focus will be on both internal staff development and external site staff training to enable high-quality clinical trial conduct across the network.
The successful candidate will ensure that the training programs not only meet current needs but are also structured for long-term sustainability, building lasting capacity for clinical research within the region.
Key Responsibilities:
Training Program Development & Implementation:
Collaborate with The Global Health Network and other partners to develop and deliver high-quality training programs that address the clinical trial needs of both internal staff and external site teams.
Design and deliver training on core clinical trial components, including Good Clinical Practice (GCP), regulatory compliance, protocol-specific procedures, and safety reporting.
Identify training needs through skill gap analyses, assessments, and feedback.
Develop diverse training materials, including presentations, manuals, e-learning modules, and hands-on workshops to ensure broad accessibility and relevance.
Ensure alignment with The Global Health Network’s broader capacity-building strategy.
Sustainability & Capacity-Building:
Develop training programs with a focus on long-term sustainability, enabling internal and site staff to train others (“train-the-trainer” models).
Build local expertise and ownership to ensure ongoing delivery of high-quality training beyond the initial program phases.
Collaborate with stakeholders to establish structures for continuous capacity development across the network.
Identify and leverage regional resources to minimize dependency on external support.
Internal Staff Development:
Deliver continuous professional development programs for internal staff, including clinical trial managers, coordinators, monitors, and support teams.
Facilitate onboarding programs for new hires, ensuring comprehensive understanding of clinical trial processes, SOPs, and organizational goals.
Establish key performance indicators (KPIs) to monitor and evaluate staff learning and development.
External Site Staff Training:
Develop and deliver targeted training for external clinical research site staff on:
- Good Clinical Practice (GCP) and ethical research conduct.
- Clinical trial procedures, quality management systems, and protocol adherence.
- Regulatory compliance and safety reporting requirements.
- Use of trial-specific technologies (e.g., electronic data capture systems).
Work with The Global Health Network cto harmonize training programs and ensure they meet regional and international standards.
Promote the uptake of digital learning tools provided by The Global Health Network for ongoing self-paced learning.
Coordination, Stakeholder Engagement & Sustainability:
Partner with The Global Health Network, and other partners/vendors, internal teams, site staff, sponsors, and regulators to ensure successful implementation of the broader training initiative.
Engage stakeholders to advocate for training as a critical component of clinical research success.
Develop strategies for local ownership, including identifying future trainers and creating mentoring pathways.
Coordinate all logistical aspects of training delivery, including workshops, webinars, and e-learning initiatives.
Monitoring, Evaluation & Reporting:
Monitor and evaluate training outcomes to measure their impact on staff competencies and site performance.
Implement continuous improvement processes based on evaluations, participant feedback, and key metrics.
Prepare detailed reports on training activities, progress, and sustainability achievements.
Requirements
Qualifications:
Education: Masters degree in a relevant field (e.g., Life Sciences, Education, Public Health). PhD degree preferred and particular focus in health education. Strong experience in clinical research and trials preferred. Certification in clinical research (e.g., ACRP) is an advantage.
Experience:
At least 5 years of experience in clinical research or training within a clinical trial setting.
Experience working on collaborative training initiatives, preferably with international organizations or partners such as The Global Health Network.
Previous experience in building sustainable capacity programs and using train-the-trainer approaches.
Experience delivering GCP and clinical trial training in African contexts is highly desirable.
Skills and Competencies:
Strong knowledge of ICH-GCP, clinical trial regulations, and quality management systems.
Proven ability to design and deliver sustainable training programs that build local capacity.
Excellent instructional design skills and experience with diverse training methodologies.
Effective facilitation, presentation, and communication skills across multicultural, multidisciplinary teams.
Ability to evaluate and adapt training programs for long-term impact.
Proficiency with e-learning platforms and digital tools is a plus.
Desired Attributes:
Strong leadership, mentoring, and capacity-building abilities.
Commitment to sustainable development and knowledge-sharing.
Collaborative mindset with the ability to engage external partners like The Global Health Network.
High organizational skills and attention to detail.
Adaptable to fast-paced, evolving research environments.
Work Environment:
This position can be based in Zimbabwe, Rwanda, Tanzania or South Africa, with occasional travel to other office locations as necessary. The role may require flexible working hours to support remote teams and ensure systems are running smoothly across time zones.
Please apply online providing a covering letter specifically highlighting how your existing skills and experiences support fulfilling the responsibilities of this role.