Head of Research Projects

Jacaranda Health is a Kenyan-founded health organisation that partners with governments to improve maternal and newborn health outcomes through scalable, technology-enabled solutions in public health systems. Since 2016, the organisation has worked alongside Ministries of Health and county governments to strengthen the quality of maternal and newborn care by combining clinical expertise, digital innovation, data science, and health systems support.

Operating across 24 counties in Kenya and expanding into Ghana, Tanzania, and Nigeria, Jacaranda reaches millions of mothers through its programmes and is recognised as a leader in applying data and technology to improve health outcomes at scale.

About the role

The Head of Research Projects provides strategic leadership for Jacaranda Health’s research portfolio, ensuring the organisation generates high-quality evidence that informs product development, programme design, organisational strategy, and policy engagement. The role oversees the design, execution, and dissemination of a diverse portfolio of research and evaluation projects, while setting the vision, priorities, and standards for research across the organisation. Leading a multidisciplinary team, the Head of Research Projects is responsible for ensuring studies are methodologically rigorous, operationally feasible, and aligned with Jacaranda’s mission and growth objectives.

A key aspect of the role is translating complex quantitative and qualitative findings into clear, actionable insights that drive decision-making across teams. The successful candidate will be able to critically assess whether research activities are addressing the organisation’s most important questions, identify emerging areas for inquiry, and ensure findings are communicated effectively to internal and external stakeholders. The role also requires strong product research expertise, including experience supporting product lifecycles through approaches such as user research, experimentation, and A/B testing. Working closely with Product, Technology, Programme, and Data teams, the Head of Research Projects will act as a strategic partner in shaping evidence-driven product and programme development.

Key dimensions of the role

The Head of Research Projects will have responsibilities including, but not limited to:

Strategic Leadership

• Develop and lead Jacaranda’s research strategy, ensuring alignment with organisational priorities and RD&E goals.
• Identify research priorities that strengthen programmes, support product innovation, and position Jacaranda as a thought leader.
• Ensure research is rigorous, relevant, scalable, and supports organisational decision-making.

Research and Technical Leadership

• Provide technical oversight across qualitative and quantitative research, including study design, product and UX research, analysis, and dissemination.
• Ensure research outputs meet the highest standards of quality, ethics, and scientific rigor.
• Translate evidence into actionable insights that inform products, programmes, and strategy.

Team Leadership

• Lead, mentor, and develop a high-performing research team.
• Foster a collaborative, learning-oriented culture and build research capacity across the organisation.
• Ensure strong cross-functional collaboration with Product, Technology, Programmes, and Data & Analytics teams.

Knowledge Generation and Influence

• Oversee the production and dissemination of high-quality research outputs, including reports, publications, and policy briefs.
• Represent Jacaranda with donors, governments, academic partners, and global health stakeholders.
• Ensure research findings are effectively communicated and applied to drive impact.

Partnerships and Operations

• Manage relationships with donors, research partners, and government stakeholders.
• Oversee departmental budgets, resources, and project delivery across multiple concurrent studies.
• Ensure projects are delivered on time, within budget, and to a high standard.

Skills and experience

The ideal candidate will possess, but is not limited to:

• Master’s degree in public health, Epidemiology, Statistics, Social Sciences, or related field.
• Expertise in understanding and leading departmental strategy.
• Experience leading relationships with donors, government, and academic partners.
• Proficiency in one or more data analysis software (Stata, R, SPSS, SAS, NVivo, Atlas, or similar).
• Technical expertise in research methods, design, and ethical standards.
• Deep understanding of Product (UX/UI) research and Product lifecycles.
• Experience leading research project budgeting and resource management.
• Keen commitment to data and research ethics

Don’t meet every single requirement? Studies have shown that women and people of colour are less likely to apply for jobs unless they meet every single qualification. At Millar Cameron, we are dedicated to supporting our Clients in building and supporting diverse and inclusive workplaces and culture, so if you’re excited about this role but your past experience doesn’t align perfectly with every qualification in the job description, we encourage you to apply anyway. You may be just the right candidate for this or other roles.

Since 2007 Millar Cameron has specialised in sourcing leadership and keyperson talent across a number of industries, including agribusiness, international development, industrial, consumer, financial and professional services, private equity, and technology, media and telecommunications. Our mission and purpose is to positively contribute to the development of Africa, and other emerging markets, through the provision of people.