The Mwanza Intervention Trials Unit (MITU) based at the National Institute for Medical Research (NIMR) campus in Mwanza, Tanzania is a collaborative research unit of NIMR and the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine (LSHTM). The mission of MITU is to contribute to improving health through the development and evaluation of interventions against public health problems by conducting research, including clinical trials, to the highest international standards. MITU also aims to enhance the capacity to carry out such research in Tanzania and to contribute to the translation of research findings into health policy. The Unit is now inviting applications from suitably qualified candidates to fill the below position that will be based at NIMR campus, in Mwanza city.
Position: SENIOR FINANCE OFFICER
We are seeking to appoint an ambitious and highly motivated senior finance officer with extensive experience in accounting and financial management. They will be responsible for developing financial plans for new research projects and core activities of the Unit, and in overseeing day to day financial operations with minimal supervision. He/she will be supervised by the Associate Director of Finance and Administration as part of the finance team of the Unit.
Principal responsibilities
- Provide financial services for the Unit, be able to communicate with funders, auditors and external partners.
- Take part in financial decision making and be conversant with donor policies and procedures.
- Preparation of year-end audit files and liaising with auditors during the process and implementation of any financial audit recommendations (both internal and external).
- Contribute in developing financial control systems and procedures, in consultation with the Asssociate Director of Finance and Administration and finance team.
- Strengthen financial management and/or accounting systems, including the provision of support and training for management accounting software and keeping these under review.
- Hold regular meetings with Project leads and discuss any budgetary or financial issues.
- Prepare and submit quarterly financial reports as well as ad hoc reports to LSHTM and to donors/funders.
- Support the partner organisations to prepare and submit their financial reports.
- Closely monitor financial ledgers to ensure that financial controls over expenditure are operating correctly.
- Monitoring expenditure to ensure that the project remains within budget and develop and monitor systems to mitigate risk, fraud, and waste.
PERSON SPECIFICATION
Essential criteria for selection
- A master’s degree in relevant field (accounting, finance, business administration) and/or a professional accounting qualification (CPA/ACCA or equivalent).
- Extensive experience working in similar organisations.
- Experience of managing grants from international donor such as DFID, NIH, ERC, MRC, USAID etc.
- In depth knowledge of financial software applications, databases and spreadsheets, including Microsoft Office, ERP Navision, QuickBooks Enterprise, and other commercially available accounting software programs.
- Experience in preparing financial reports and ability to present financial information to senior management and funders.
- Proven experience of preparing and monitoring budgets and financial projections.
- Strong organisational skills with proven ability to work effectively within a team, assess priorities and manage workload with minimum supervision.
- Excellent oral and written communication skills in English.
- Self-motivation and effective time management skills.
Desirable criteria for selection
- Excellent oral and written communication skills in Swahili.
- Ability to coach, mentor and develop financial capacity of project staff.
- Excellent diplomatic skills and a proven ability to establish and maintain interpersonal and professional relationships with counterparts and representatives from other key stakeholders.
MODE OF APPLICATION
E-mail applications to recruitment@mitu.or.tz with the following:
- Detailed supporting statement/letter – describing your qualifications, experience and skills related to the essential and desirable criteria within the person specification. 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 include a daytime mobile telephone number and e-mail contact details.
- Curriculum vitae (CV) including names and addresses of two referees (one must be from your most recent employer or training institution).
CLOSING DATE FOR APPLICATION
- Applications received later than 22nd July 2022 will not be considered.
- You will be informed by email if selected for interview and only shortlisted candidates will be contacted.
- Interviews will be held at the NIMR Mwanza Centre, Isamilo, Mwanza or remotely through zoom or other online platform.
Mwanza Intervention Trials Unit (MITU) has launched a new trial of human papilloma virus (HPV) vaccine (“Add-Vacc Trial”). HPV vaccination has been included within the Tanzania national vaccination programme since 2018 and is delivered to girls around 14 years of age to protect them from cervical cancer. Apart from being the main cause of cervical cancer, HPV virus also causes other health problems including anogenital warts and other less common forms of cancer, such as penile cancer, anal cancer and throat cancer.

Staged consent process
Over the course of three years, the Add-Vacc trial will investigate the benefits of adding male vaccination to the existing national programme of female HPV vaccination in Tanzania. A number of countries have begun vaccinating boys in addition to girls – known as gender neutral vaccination. Vaccinating males can protect them from health problems caused by HPV virus infection while at the same time preventing them from passing the virus on to their unvaccinated female partners. This could help reduce the amount of HPV infection and associated health problems in the community.

Country side where the trial will take place
Twenty-six communities will be randomly assigned to receive either the intervention (male HPV vaccination plus female vaccination as part of the ongoing national vaccination programme) or the control condition (only female vaccination as part of the ongoing national vaccination programme). A single dose of male HPV vaccination will be provided to males 14-18 years of age. Two household surveys will be conducted – one before male vaccination is implemented and another one three years later, to assess whether this added vaccination reduces the amount of HPV infection present in the communities. Social science research will be conducted as part of this trial to help the research team to better understand community knowledge and perceptions of HPV vaccination.
Dr. Victoria Ewing who is coordinating the implementation of this trial said, “This trial is important because giving a single dose of HPV vaccine to males might provide a simple and cost-effective way to reduce the amount of HPV infection in the community. We are excited to be the first to conduct a trial of HPV vaccination in boys in sub-Saharan Africa.”
This trial is led by Prof. Debby Watson-Jones and Dr. Kathy Baisley from the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine, and John Changalucha from MITU.
Same habitus in new field? How mobile phone communication reproduces masculinities and gender inequality in intimate relationships in Mwanza, Tanzania.
Mshana, G., Malibwa, D., Aloyce, D., Peter, E., Mchome, Z., Kapiga, S., & Stöckl, H.
Journal of Social and Personal Relationships, 026540752210979.
Comparison of Immune Responses after One Dose of HPV Vaccine in a Dose-Reduction HPV Vaccine Trial in Adolescent Girls in Tanzania to the Costa Rica Vaccine and India HPV Vaccine Trials.
Baisley, K., Kemp, T. J., Kreimer, A. R., Basu, P., Changalucha, J., Hildesheim, A., Porras, C., Whitworth, H., Herrero, R., Lacey, C., Schiller, J. T., Lucas, E., Mutani, P., Dillner, J., Indangasi, J., Muwonge, R., Hayes, R. J., Pinto, L. A., & Jones,
SSRN Electronic Journal.
DOI: https://doi.org/10.2139/ssrn.4055428.
Immunogenicity and Safety Results Comparing Single Dose Human Papillomavirus Vaccine with Two or Three Doses in Tanzanian Girls – the DoRIS Randomised Trial.
Jones, D. W., Changalucha, J., Whitworth, H., Pinto, L. A., Mutani, P., Indangasi, J., Kemp, T. J., Hashim, R., Kamala, B., Wiggins, R., Songoro, T., Connor, N., Mbwanji, G., Pavon, M., Lowe, B., Mmbando, D., Kapiga, S., Mayaud, P., Dillner, J., … Baisley, K.
SSRN Electronic Journal.
DOI: https://doi.org/10.2139/ssrn.4055429.
Longitudinal inconsistencies in women’s self-reports of lifetime experience of physical and sexual IPV: evidence from the MAISHA trial and follow-on study in North-western Tanzania.
Abramsky T, Harvey S, Mosha N, Mtolela G, Gibbs A, Mshana G, Lees S, Kapiga S, Stöckl H.
BMC Womens Health. 2022 Apr 15;22(1):120.
DOI: 10.1186/s12905-022-01697-y.
PMID: 35428296
The prevalence and incidence of HIV in the ART era (2006-2016) in North West Tanzania.
Mosha NR, Todd J, Mukerebe C, Marston M, Colombe S, Clark B, Beard J, Mtenga B, Slaymaker E, Boerma T, Zaba B, Urassa M.
Int J STD AIDS. 2022 Jan 18:9564624211065232.
DOI: 10.1177/09564624211065232.
PMID: 35040735
Coping responses to intimate partner violence: narratives of women in North-west Tanzania.
Dwarumpudi A, Mshana G, Aloyce D, Peter E, Mchome Z, Malibwa D, Kapiga S, Stöckl H.
Cult Health Sex. 2022 Mar 4:1-15.
DOI: 10.1080/13691058.2022.2042738.
PMID: 35244501
Adolescent mental health research in Tanzania: a study protocol for a priority setting exercise and the development of an interinstitutional capacity strengthening programme.
Obasi, A., Seekles, M., Boshe, J., Dow, D., Mmbaga, B., Ngakongwa, F., Okello, E., Renju, J., Shayo, E., Simbee, G., Todd, J., & Oriyo, N.
BMJ Open, 12(2), e054163.
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1136/bmjopen-2021-054163
ABOUT THE PROGRAM
Supported by the Fogarty International Center at the National Institutes of Health, this research training program is designed to increase the number of clinical investigators in Mwanza with rigorous training in patient-oriented HIV research. Applicants interested in mentored research training in the following HIV-related research topics are encouraged to apply:
- HIV prevention and vaccine research
- Implementation of HIV testing and treatment
- Women’s health and HIV
- HIV and co-infections
- HIV and cardiovascular disease.
Participants in the program may be sponsored to enroll in the MSc in Epidemiology and Biostatistics or PhD program at the Catholic University of Health and Allied Sciences (CUHAS).
APPLICATION REQUIREMENTS
The following documents are required to apply for the Fogarty Research Training Program:
- One-page summary of your education and experience to date, your career goals, and a brief summary of your proposed research project
- Curriculum Vitae
- Letter of support from your mentor
APPLICATION PROCESS
For full details on the application requirements and application process, please visit the Application Portal webpage using the link below.
APPLICATION DEADLINE
Applications close on 1 May 2022 at 11:59 EAT.
SHARE WITH YOUR NETWORK
If you are interested in sharing this research training program within your own networks, please download the printable poster and flyer below.
If you would like more details about the program, please contact lir2020@med.cornell.edu