LONDON SCHOOL OF HYGIENE & TROPICAL MEDICINE
(University of London)
FACULTY OF INFECTIOUS AND TROPICAL DISEASES
CLINICAL RESEARCH DEPARTMENT
CONSORTIUM ADMINISTRATOR
FURTHER PARTICULARS
1. ADVERTISEMENT
CONSORTIUM ADMINISTRATOR
We are seeking to appoint a full-time Consortium Administrator to manage a large new
Commonwealth Eye Health Consortium. Working closely with the programme leaders and director of Consortium, the administrator will take responsibility for the day to day running of the programme, taking a lead in administrative, logistical and financial aspects of the programme.
The Consortium will consist of several interrelated components, which will strengthen eye health systems and improve quality of eye care for many people throughout the
Commonwealth. These include training in public health for eye care, subspecialty clinical training, the development and training of teams to provide diabetic retinopathy services, clinical research fellowships and the development of high quality-low-cost tools for comprehensive eye care.
This is a busy and varied programme to manage, working with collaborators based overseas in a wide range of institutions. The post holder will use initiative to prioritise a heavy workload. An excellent oral and communication skills with ability to establish and maintain effective working relationship in a multi-cultural and multi-disciplinary environment is essential.
The post is available immediately and is funded until 31 st May 2019. Salary is on the
Professional Support Scale Grade 5 from £31,690 to £36,378 per annum (inclusive of
London Weighting). Appointment of salary will normally be at the minimum of the grade.
Applications should be made online via our website at jobs.lshtm.ac.uk
. The closing date is
1 st August 2014 and the reference for this post is MB3.
Online applications will be accepted by the automated system until 10pm on the closing date. Any queries regarding the application process may be addressed to jobs@lshtm.ac.uk
.
The supporting statement section should set out how your qualifications, experience and training meet each of the selection criteria. Please provide one or more paragraphs addressing each criterion. The supporting statement is an essential part of the selection process and thus a failure to provide this information will mean that the application will not be considered. An answer to any of the criteria such as “Please see attached CV” will not be considered acceptable.
Please note that if you are shortlisted and are unable to attend on the interview date it may not be possible to offer you an alternative date .

2. GENERAL INFORMATION
The London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine
The London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine is a world-leading centre for research and postgraduate education in public health. Part of the University of London, the School is the largest institution of its kind in Europe with a remarkable depth and breadth of expertise encompassing many disciplines. The School was recently cited as one of the top three institutions in the UK for research impact, and one of the top five in the world for collaborative research (Leiden Rankings 2013). In 2009, the School became the first UK institution to win the Gates Award for Global Health.
The School’s environment is a rich multicultural one: there are around 3500 students from
100+ countries following 24 taught masters courses delivered either in London or through distance learning, and about 400 undertaking a research degree. Over 40% of these students are from non-European countries. Alumni are working in more than 180 countries.
The School has about 1600 staff drawn from over 74 nationalities.
There are research collaborations with over 100 countries throughout the world, utilizing our critical mass of multidisciplinary expertise which includes clinicians, epidemiologists, statisticians, social scientists, economists, molecular biologists, immunologists, ophthalmologists, anthropologists, virologists, pharmacologists and nutritionists. At any one time around 100 School staff are based overseas, particularly in Africa and Asia. We have a strong commitment to partnership with institutions in low and middle income countries to support the development of teaching and research capacity.
The School has expanded greatly in recent years. Its research funding now exceeds £67M per annum, much of it from highly competitive national and international sources. It is home to numerous multidisciplinary centres, research groups and collaborative partnerships, in areas as diverse as malaria, tuberculosis, maternal, adolescent, reproductive and child health, mathematical modelling, non-communicable diseases, global mental health, epidemiology and evaluation of public health interventions. Our research contributes to health policy and practice in the UK and around the world.
Mission
To improve health and health equity in the UK and worldwide; working in partnership to achieve excellence in public and global health research, education and translation of knowledge into policy and practice.
Faculty of Infectious and Tropical Diseases
The Faculty of Infectious and Tropical Diseases encompasses all of the laboratory-based research in the School as well as that on the clinical and epidemiological aspects of infectious and tropical diseases. It is headed by Simon Croft, who is Professor of
Parasitology. The range of disciplines represented in the faculty is very broad and interdisciplinary research is a feature of much of our activity. The spectrum of diseases studied is wide and there are major research groups with a focus on malaria, tuberculosis, HIV/AIDS and other sexually transmitted diseases, vaccine development and evaluation, and vector biology and disease control. The Faculty is organised into four large research departments comprising: Pathogen Molecular Biology, Immunology and Infection, Disease Control, and
Clinical Research. There is close interaction between scientists in different research teams.
The Faculty has strong overseas links, which provide a basis for field studies and international collaborations in developed and developing countries. The teaching programme includes MSc courses, taught in-house and by distance learning, which are modular in structure, a variety of short-courses and an active doctoral programme (PhD and
DrPH).
Department of Clinical Research (Head: Professor Philippe Mayaud)
The Department of Clinical Research addresses infectious diseases of major public health importance in developing countries. Activities include trials of new therapies, vaccines and

educational interventions; the development of new diagnostic tests; studies to elucidate the immunological and molecular correlates of pathogenesis and protective immunity, and to identify genetic polymorphisms conferring protection or susceptibility to infectious diseases; health services research which aims to identify the most efficient and cost-effective way to deliver health care; and health policy analysis. In addition to our many overseas collaborations, we have close links with the Hospital for Tropical Diseases, in purpose-built accommodation on th e main UCL Hospital campus, five minutes’ walk from the School. The
Wellcome Trust Bloomsbury Centre for Clinical Tropical Medicine is based in the
Department, and supports Clinical Fellows at all levels, most of whom are based overseas.
The Department’s main research interests include HIV and related infections; in particular, the interaction between HIV infection and tuberculosis, and other sexually transmitted diseases; malaria; trachoma; leprosy; diagnostic tests for resource limited settings; eye health; disability; and travel medicine.
Department of Disease Control (Head: Professor Joanna Schellenberg)
This multidisciplinary Department includes epidemiologists, entomologists, anthropologists and social scientists, clinical scientists, public health engineers and geographers. This range of expertise provides us with a battery of tools for focusing on the control of diseases that are insect-borne, water-borne or associated with poor hygiene – mostly in developing countries.
Much of the research can be categorised as: evaluating disease control interventions; investigating implementation strategies - including working with the private sector; understanding the factors underlying household behaviour in relation to family health; or determining how control resources can be targeted most efficiently. Particular attention is paid to research directed at current health policy issues, including the gap between policy and practice.
The Department's Environmental Health Group plays a leadership role in research and operational support for hygiene behaviour change, household water supply and sanitation.
Three key programmes which contribute to the work of the Group are the DFID funded consortium Sanitation and Hygiene Applied Research for Equity (SHARE), the Hygiene
Centre (Unilever) and the improved sanitation randomised, controlled field trial jointly funded by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation and International Initiative for Impact Evaluation (3ie).
The Department houses the largest research group in LSHTM working on malaria control.
Ongoing projects include: research capacity strengthening in Africa through the work of the
Malaria Capacity Development Consortium (MCDC); novel approaches to combating malaria in pregnancy (MiP) in both Africa and India; a number of projects which develop and evaluate delivery mechanisms to improve ACT access, targeting, safety and quality, all funded by the
ACT Consortium. In addition, staff are involved in studies of Seasonal Malaria
Chemoprevention (SMC) in West Africa and are supporting work on the large Phase 3 clinical trial study of the RTS,S malaria vaccine in children.
The Department is world-leading in applied entomology and insect borne diseases, and has provided a testing service for control products for over 20 years. The Arthropod Control
Product Test Centre Arctec provides access to the D epartment’s valuable mosquito colonies and in-house facilities for testing of repellents, insecticides and after-bite treatments. Its entomological field sites in Tanzania, Benin, The Gambia and Kenya are involved in a variety of vector borne disease control trials. The PAMVERC alliance between LSHTM and African partners work in partnership with WHO and the manufacturing industry on product development and evaluation under laboratory and semi-field conditions and in community trials.
Staff from the Department lead on studies investigating how meningococcal meningitis is spread in Africa and the impact of a new serogroup meningococcal A vaccine on reducing transmission (MenAfriCar Consortium). Staff are also assisting in the evaluation of the impact of introduction of a pneumococcal conjugate vaccine into the routine EPI programme of The Gambia and in the initial testing of a new pneumococcal protein vaccine in the same area.

Also based with the Department is the IDEAS (Informed Decisions for Actions) project, which aims to improve the health and survival of mothers and babies through generating evidence to inform policy and practice. The Department also includes a major grouping of researchers using spatial analysis in public health.
Department of Immunology and Infection (Head: Dr Colin Sutherland)
Research in the Department of Immunology and Infection centres on analysis of the host response to infection at the molecular, cellular and population levels. The goals are to develop a greater understanding of basic mechanisms of immunological protection versus pathology, and to apply this knowledge to the development of immunological interventions and the identification of correlates of immune status. Our work involves application of stateof-the-art cellular and molecular approaches to the in vitro analysis of pathogen-host cell interactions, to in vivo studies in models and to the study of immunity at the population level in disease endemic areas. Main areas of research include the regulation of acute and chronic inflammation; macrophage-pathogen interactions; cellular pharmacology; the production of cytokines during innate and acquired immune responses; T-cell function and antigen recognition; the mechanisms of immunopathology; the development of vaccines; and delivery systems for vaccines and drugs.
Current research includes the role of acute phase proteins in resistance to infection, homeostasis and inflammatory disease, mechanisms of macrophage activation, control of cytokine synthesis and mammalian lectin interactions (J. Raynes); intracellular trafficking and secretory pathways of cells of the immune system (T. Ward); the role of innate responses in resistance to the bacterial pathogens, Mycobacterium tuberculosis and Burkholderia pseudomallei , activity and regulation of natural killer cells and their effect on macrophage activation and recruitment, regulation of chemokine receptors during infection and granulomatous tissue responses in the lung against Cryptococcus neoformans and
Mycobacterium tuberculosis (G. Bancroft); longitudinal studies on immune correlates of protection against malaria in Uganda and a cluster-randomized trial on the impact of targeted interventions on malaria transmission in Kenya and Mali (T. Bousema); identification and evaluation of novel drugs and formulations for the treatment of leishmaniasis, malaria, human African trypanosomiasis (sleeping sickness) and American trypanosomiasis (Chagas disease). This research includes projects on miltefosine, AmBisome and topical paromomycin as well as on drug – immune response interactions and PK PD relationships (S
Croft); correlates of protection against tuberculosis and studies of BCG vaccination, human
CD8+ T-cell responses to mycobacterial antigens and synthetic peptides, use of whole blood assays in immuno-epidemiology (H. Dockrell); innate and adaptive immunity to malaria including activation of natural killer cells, cytokine regulation in clinical immunity and immunopathology, regulation of antibody production and immunoglobulin class switching (E.
Riley); induction and regulation of innate and adaptive immune responses to malaria preerythrocytic stage and blood stage parasites (J. Hafalla); using anti-malarial antibodies as a marker of malaria exposure & assessment of the use of sero-epidemiology to monitor and target malaria control measures www.seromap.com (C. Drakeley) transmission of
Plasmodium falciparum malaria including antibody responses to gametocyte-infected erythrocyte surface antigens, effect of gamete antigen variability on transmission, gametocyte sequestration and development and gametocyticidal drug therapy (C.
Sutherland); characterisation of protective immune mechanisms and defined antigens in attenuated vaccine models of schistosomiasis (Q. Bickle); impact of concomitant viral, bacterial, protozoal and helminth infections on induction of immune responses and immunopathology and T cell regulation and induction of mucosal immune responses during intestinal nematode infections (H. Helmby); anti-protozoal chemotherapy with focus on antileishmanial drug discovery and development including drug combinations and drug delivery systems, anti-leishmanial vaccine development and immunotherapies, models for drug and vaccine development and the role of macrophages in context of anti-leishmanial drug treatment (K Seifert); the identification and evaluation of novel drugs and drug delivery systems for leishmaniasis, trypanosomiasis and malaria, interaction between antiprotozoal drugs and the immune response (V. Yardley)

Department of Pathogen Molecular Biology (Head: Professor John Kelly)
Research in the Department of Pathogen Molecular Biology focuses on the molecular biology and genetics of pathogens and their hosts in the context of improving the understanding and control of infectious diseases. Aspects of pathogen biology of interest include: (i) determining the mechanisms of infection of globally important viral, bacterial and parasitic pathogens; (ii) deciphering the genetic diversity of selected disease agents in natural populations and to determine its epidemiological impact, (iii) studying immune evasion mechanisms of particular disease agents, (iv) exploiting parasitic, bacterial and viral pathogens as model biological systems and (v) developing practical applications including improved diagnostic tests and the identification and characterisation of vaccine candidates and drug targets.
PMBD currently has funding to investigate, amongst others, the malaria parasite
(Plasmodium spp), Chagas disease (Trypanosoma cruzi), African sleeping sickness
(Trypanosoma brucei), amoebic dysentery (Entamoeba), the Leishmania species, bacterial food borne pathogens (Campylobacter jejuni and Yersinia enterocolitica), gastric ulcers/cancer (Helicobacter pylori), pseudomembranous colitis (Clostridium difficile), plague
(Yersinia pestis), paddy field melioidosis (Burkholderia pseudomallei), Tuberculosis
(Mycobacterium tuberculosis), Pneumonia (Streptococcus pneumoniae), Bluetongue viral disease of livestock, Herpesviridae, SARS, the hemorrhagic fever virus (RVFV) and the enteric rotavirus that cause significant diarrhoeal disease in infants developing countries.
The long-term aim of PMBD research is to gain a fully rounded understanding of the complex and dynamic ways by which pathogens modulate virulence and interact with the human host.
Such a holistic approach will vastly increase the scope for the rational of design of long-term intervention strategies to reduce the burden of infectious disease. In recent years such a mission has been significantly enhanced by the availability of whole genome sequences.
Members of the Department are, or have been, involved in several pathogen genome projects including Herpes, Campylobacter jejuni, Yersinia pestis, Clostridium difficile,
Entamoeba and Trypanosome species. In particular, post genome studies have facilitated research on more complex parasites such as Plasmodium, Entamoeba and Trypanosome species. The interpretation and exploitation of this basic information is the platform for numerous new avenues of research on pathogenesis, epidemiology and the evolution of virulence.
Teaching
The School offers 19 one year full-time taught courses leading to the Master of Science
(MSc) degree of the University of London and the Diploma of the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine (DLSHTM). The Faculty of Infectious and Tropical Diseases runs or contributes substantially to ten of these courses and the “Immunology of Infectious Diseases” course is run from within the Department of Immunology and Infection. In addition, the
Faculty is responsible for the three-month Diploma in Tropical Medicine and Hygiene
(DTM&H), the Diploma in Tropical Nursing and offers a range of specialist short courses lasting usually one or two weeks. Five MSc courses are also offered by Distance-based
Learning, including one on Infectious Diseases.

The Disability and Eyes (ICEH) Group is part of the Faculty of Infectious and Tropical
Diseases, and consists of the following groups / activities:

Eye Research Group

Non Eye Research Group

Disability Teaching / Education
The International Centre for Eye Health (VISION 2020)
(Co-Heads: Professor Allen Foster and Professor Clare Gilbert)
The International Centre for Eye Health has the goal to promote the VISION 2020 global initiative for the elimination of avoidable blindness through research, training and information.
Its core activities are: a) Research into the control of major blinding diseases with current emphasis on:
 needs assessment surveys (i.e. national prevalence surveys; rapid assessment surveys)
 childhood blindness
 trachoma
 cataract
 refractive errors and low vision. b) Training
 Training in Public Health for Eye Care Masters: At least 13 full time masters students in Public Health for Eye Care (mainly ophthalmologists and other eyecare workers from developing countries)
 Annual Alumni workshop: for all MSc students, 6 months after graduation
 Short courses: one week Understanding Eye Health Systems workshop; Tropical
Ophthalmology
 Links Programme: linking hospitals and universities between the UK and overseas. c) Information: collection and dissemination of information of relevance to VISION 2020 to all stake holders through the internet, CDs, and paper copy.
The International Centre for Evidence in Disability (ICED)
(Co-Heads: Professor Allen Foster and Dr Hannah Kuper)
The Centre draws together a diverse range of researchers from within LSHTM. It places a strong emphasis on translating research outcomes into practice and is closely linked to international agencies to help achieve this goal.
The focus of the research includes the following areas:

surveys to estimate the magnitude and causes of disability

synthesis of data to estimate the global magnitude of disability

assessing the impact of disability on inclusion and participation in society

optimizing health and rehabilitation service delivery to persons with disability

assessing the effectiveness and cost-effectiveness of interventions to prevent or alleviate disability.

The Commonwealth Eye Health Consortium
The Commonwealth Eye Health Consortium as part of the International Centre for Eye
Health, will consist of several interrelated components, which will strengthen eye health systems and improve quality of eye care for many people throughout the Commonwealth.
These include training in public health for eye care, subspecialty clinical training, the development and training of teams to provide diabetic retinopathy services, clinical research fellowships and the development of high quality-low-cost tools for comprehensive eye care.
Public Health for Eye Care Fellowships
Training in public health for eye care will be provided through Masters programmes at the
International Centre for Eye Health in London and the University of Cape Town, South Africa.
We will also develop open educational resources on core subjects in public health for eye care. These will be made freely available over the Internet for training institutions throughout the Commonwealth and elsewhere.
Clinical Fellowships
The Commonwealth Eye Health Consortium will work through a Commonwealth-wide network of training institutions to deliver a programme of subspecialty clinical training. There is a need for a variety of training opportunities to address different needs, which reflect different roles, programmes and stages of professional development. Most of these training opportunities will involve South-South collaborations.
Diabetic Retinopathy Team Training Network
The growing burden of diabetic retinopathy in Africa requires an integrated multidisciplinary team response. The Commonwealth Eye Health Consortium will work through an established network of hospital-based links between multiple African and UK eye units to build teams. An initial detailed consultation and assessment process will lead to the development of regional guidelines for screening and management of diabetic retinopathy and a training action plan.
The training programme will be provided through regular visits from the UK based team.
Research Fellowships
Several clinical research fellowships (PhD and postdoctoral level) will be made available through the consortium funding. Applicants and their academic host institution will be awarded funding through a competitive process. These will provide advanced research methods training, an opportunity to develop, conduct and analyse a study, and to communicate the findings. Research questions will focus on issues of ophthalmic public health importance in LMIC, including trachoma, diabetic retinopathy and retinopathy of prematurity.
Technology for Eye Health
The Commonwealth Eye Health Consortium will develop low-cost tools for comprehensive eye examination and testing in any setting: Portable Eye Examination Kit (Peek). This system is based on smartphones with specially designed applications and miniature attachments; Initial components are currently being tested in Kenya. An established electronic patient record system, OpenEyes, will be implemented in several countries to replace paper records.

3. JOB DESCRIPTION
Post:
Grade:
Responsible to:
Department:
Consortium Administrator
PSP 5
Clinical Research
Director (The Commonwealth Eye Health Consortium)
The post holder will be responsible for providing proactive administrative and financial support to The Commonwealth Eye Health Consortium (the Consortium).
Main duties and responsibilities :
Administration

PA support to the Director in the day to day running of the Consortium, ensuring effective administrative procedures and systems are in place.

Provide support for Training Fellowships ensuring resources are utilized appropriately and as approved by the Funder.

Organise travel arrangements which include booking flights, travel visas, completing insurance forms and cash advances.

Arrange the reimbursement of expenses including checking that expense claims comply with the Funder and School regulations.

Arrange Committee, Consortium and other meetings both in the UK and overseas.

Provide administrative support for the Director and Consortium and as required.
Financial

Assist in preparation of regular financial reports for submission to the Funder for the
Consortium.

Arrange reimbursement of expenses on submission of appropriate receipts and supporting documents and against allocated budget line.

Monitor income and expenditure information from LSHTM Finance System (Agresso) to check that accurate and appropriate coding is maintained.

Develop and maintain an accurate financial record system for effective management of the budgets.

Understand and adhere to the Financial Regulations of LSHTM and funding organization.
Communication

As main point of contact, liaise by email, telephone and face to face.

Work with the Director in preparing narrative reports, publicity materials, case studies for advocacy use and as required by the Funder and Committees

Build and maintain effective professional working relationships with stakeholders and partner institutions.

Assist the Director in preparing reports, publicity materials and reviews as required by the Funder and Committees.

Liaise with Faculty Administrator, Department Administrator, Research Operations
Office and Finance Office as appropriate.
Other

Contribute to the smooth running of the Consortium, liaising with other staff within the
Disability & Eyes (ICEH) Group when required.

Attend relevant Disability & Eyes (ICEH) Group and Department meetings where possible, liaising with the Department and Faculty Administrators, as and when required.


Provide cover for other administrative staff where appropriate.

Adhering to Faculty and School policy and procedures at all times.

Undertake other duties as requested by senior members of the Consortium.
This post has busy periods November and May each year due to year end accounts, reporting and budget preparations, so holiday requests for longer than one week during these times should be avoided.
4. PERSON SPECIFICATION

Proven experience of administrative and financial management in a busy office environment including monitoring budgets and producing reports.

Excellent interpersonal skills including the ability to establish and maintain effective working relationships in a multi-cultural and multi-disciplinary environment together with the ability to communicate and negotiate at all levels.

Excellent written and oral communication skills; ability to present information accurately and in a clear format.

Excellent organizational skills; proven ability to use initiative, prioritise heavy workload with minimum supervision and meet multiple deadlines.

Excellent IT skills including use of Microsoft packages, spreadsheets, databases and electronic record keeping.

Experience of advocacy and narrative report writing, particularly to donors

Experience of Committee work, including organizing travel, preparing papers and taking minutes.

Proven ability to work independently and as part of a team with high level of personal motivation and flexibility.
Desirable:

Experience of updating and uploading website content.

Experience of providing one to one PA support & diary management

Experience of professional support work within a higher education or similar bodies.
5. SALARY AND CONDITIONS OF APPOINTMENT
The post is available immediately and is funded until 31 st May 2019. Salary is on the
Professional Support Scale Grade 5, £31,690 - £36,378 (inclusive of London Weighting).
Appointment of salary will normally be at the minimum of the grade. Annual leave entitlement is 30 working days per year for all staff (pro-rata for part-time staff). In addition to this there are 6 fixed-date "Director's Days".
6. ASYLUM AND IMMIGRATION
The School will comply with the Immigration, Asylum and Nationality Act 2006, which requires all employees to provide documentary evidence of their legal right to work in this country prior to commencing employment. Candidates will be required to bring their passport (and visa if applicable) to interview so that it can be copied and verified.
For support staff vacancies, it is not likely that the School would be able to make a successful application for a Certificate of Sponsorship. For this type of post, it is unlikely that we would be able to appoint an individual who is not currently eligible to work in the UK.
Further information about Certificate of Sponsorship and eligibility to work in the UK, can be found at: www.ukba.homeoffice.gov.uk/employers/points

7. APPLICATIONS
Applications should be made online via our website at http://jobs.lshtm.ac.uk
The reference for this post is MB3 . Applications should also include the names and email contacts of 2 referees who can be contacted immediately if shortlisted. Closing date for the receipt of applications is 1 st August 2014. Online applications will be accepted by the automated system until 10pm on the closing date. Any queries regarding the application process may be addressed to jobs@lshtm.ac.uk
.
The London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine is committed to being an equal opportunities employer