About Simprints

Simprints is a nonprofit tech company from the University of Cambridge. Our mission is to transform the way the world fights poverty. We build technology to radically increase transparency and effectiveness in global development, making sure that every vaccine, every dollar, every public good reaches the people who need them most. 

Simprints’ biometric technology helps verify coverage and increase impact on the frontlines. We have already reached over 850,000 individuals and are contracted to reach more than 1.4m people by the end of 2021 through flagship projects like our work with BRAC in Bangladesh and the Ministry of Health in Ethiopia.

Role Overview

We are looking for a full-time Technical Project Manager who is passionate about building and implementing technology-based solutions in service delivery and research projects around the globe. You will work closely with Simprints’ partners to gather requirements and oversee the delivery of robust solutions. This role is unique in its breadth, offering the opportunity to collaborate with almost every team at Simprints. You’ll have the chance to collaborate with partnership managers to build relationships with external stakeholders, work with engineers to build custom technical solutions, coordinate on-the-ground activities with our in-country teams; and analyse data with monitoring & evaluation (M&E) specialists. This post is based in Cambridge, UK, with remote working in the near term. 
Responsibilities

• Oversee successful delivery of our projects from start to finish, coordinating activities with both internal and external stakeholders 

• Create multi-disciplinary project teams and collaboratively define detailed requirements, prioritise deliverables and feature requests, align behind implementation plans, and oversee execution (including sprint planning)

• Actively manage the technical implementation and work closely with engineers to optimise timelines, resolve bottlenecks and understand limitations

• Build relationships with external partners to promote understanding and use of Simprints’ biometric solutions. Provide troubleshooting and remote supervision support 

• Proactively identify and mitigate project risks

• Collaborate with M&E to establish theories of change, define project metrics, monitor and analyse data, and close the feedback loop with partners to support successful implementation on the ground 

• Prepare and submit financial and narrative reports to partners and/or funders

• Travel to project sites to conduct or support trainings of trainers and monitor field activities, if needed and pending a travel risk assessment

What are the “must-have” skills and experience for this role?

• Significant project management and/or product management experience, ideally in the ICT4D space. You’ve deployed projects in developing country contexts. 

• Familiarity with data collection platforms, such as DHIS2, CommCare, ODK, OpenSRP, and/or other technology platforms commonly used in global development. You are knowledgeable about, have designed, or implemented workflows common among frontline workers in development programs (e.g. health care, aid distribution, research, education).

• Excellent written and verbal communications. You are empathetic and seek to understand different perspectives, bring clarity to ambiguous or ill-defined needs, can negotiate diplomatically when there are competing interests, and secure buy-in and alignment across stakeholder groups. 

• Attention to detail. Global development work is complex and unpredictable. To proactively anticipate risks, assess implicit requirements on top of contractual deliverables, and successfully meet ever-changing needs, you need to be able to translate a high-level idea into concrete, detailed action steps and documentation.  

• Strong training skills. We work across multiple sectors with a variety of stakeholders. Being able to tailor trainings to audiences of varying technical literacy levels, for a number of different use cases and workflows, is crucial. You are comfortable hosting virtual trainings as well as conducting in-person trainings in resource-limited settings. 

• Time management. You are organized, process-oriented, and attentive to following through on planned tasks and activities. You know how to allocate and shift resources to provide support to team members as needed, ensuring that project deliverables are met on time and on budget. 

• Permission to work in the UK.

Ideally, you will also have

• Grit and an appreciation of a challenging, fast-paced environment 

• Working proficiency in French, Arabic, Spanish, or other common languages  

• Experience with agile development methods and processes (e.g. scrum)

• An engineering mindset and passion for building technology solutions

• Interest in and/or experience in M&E or data analysis 

What we value

• Integrity. You have an unwavering commitment to ‘confronting the grey’ in all areas of your work, and encourage transparency in all your interactions.

• Intellect. You understand the importance of rigorously detailed data, and have a strong ability to synthesise complex and potentially competing requirements, and convert them into recommendations that drive business decisions.

• Problem-solving. You have distinctive problem solving skills and good business judgment.  You are capable of translating different privacy related scenarios into clear recommendations.

• Curiosity. You have a desire to think innovatively and explore and understand how different perspectives and complex data blend together to create the bigger picture and context.  

• Learning. You love learning new things, are able to think on your feet, and can pick up new tools and methods quickly.  

• Grit. You have a hands-on, can-do attitude and have the drive to dig deep into problems to discover pain points and features from multiple perspectives, and resilience to stay focused on a project to the end. 

• Passion. If being part of a team that designs and deploys technology for global health sounds exciting, we want to meet you! 

5 Reasons to join Simprints

Life is short. We believe work should be awesome, meaningful, and fun. At Simprints we’re taking on global development’s biggest challenges, powered by an amazing culture and incredible people. Work with us, and you will grow faster, learn more, and take on great responsibilities with the potential to make lasting change.

• Social impact. Work directly with our partners and users to deliver technology that has the potential to impact millions of lives. 

• An incredible, diverse team. Ask any “Simprintster” what their favorite thing about working at Simprints is, and the answer is likely to be “the people.” Our work is at the intersection of technology and global development, and we’ve managed to build an amazing team drawn from the best technology companies, iNGOs, UN agencies, and universities around the world. 

• Flexible hours. More efficient late at night? Better before the sun rises? That’s fine by us. We are looking for people who get the job done, not for people who work between 9 am and 5 pm.

• Unlimited paid time off. We set high standards and goals, but give people the freedom to choose when and how to recharge. Join a team that trusts you with the job.

• Professional development and wellbeing. We promote continual learning with self-directed learning objectives, external mentors, and regular one-on-one feedback. We also put our money where our mouth is with a dedicated ‘Learning & Wellness’ budget, managed by our Talent and Operations team.

Simprints is an equal opportunity employer. We pride ourselves in our firm commitment to improving diversity, equity, and inclusion in our workplace. We aim to attract, hire, grow, and retain the most qualified candidates regardless of race, gender, ability, religion, nationality, age, sexuality, and other differences. We encourage interested and suitable candidates who are part of underrepresented groups to apply for this position.

What’s next?

Traditional recruitment processes are open to a lot of subconscious bias: your name, where you studied, previous employers and a host of other factors can lead to your candidacy being treated differently to others. We’ve built a recruitment system that seeks to minimise that bias as much as possible.

To apply: 

• Submit your CV at www.simprints.com/careers. You’ll receive a response and a link to an initial assessment. Not everyone is great at face-to-face interviews, and we want to make sure that you have the best chance to show yourself off in the best light. 

• Submit the initial assessment. Once we’ve received your completed assessment, they will be blinded and given to a panel of reviewers to be scored independently. 

• Technical assessment. Top-scoring applicants will then be invited to a more detailed technical assessment. 

• Video interview and digital experience half-day. The in-depth interview is an opportunity to understand your motivations for joining Simprints, assess cultural and technical fit, and provide you a chance to ask any questions you have about the role and company.  The final step of our recruitment process also includes a virtual “experience half-day.” While these are normally held in-person at our office in Cambridge, we’re currently holding these virtually because of the pandemic. The experience day is intended to ensure that Simprints is a good fit for you just as much as you are a good fit for us. You’ll have a chance to meet some of the team and demonstrate your skills in a few more technical exercises that simulate what it’s like to work as a Technical Project Manager at Simprints.