Country Director - Kenya in Nairobi, Nairobi City at Clinton Health Access Initiative

The Clinton Health Access Initiative, Inc. (CHAI) is a global health organization committed to our mission of saving lives and reducing the burden of disease in low-and middle-income countries. We work at the invitation of governments to support them and the private sector to create and sustain high-quality health systems.

CHAI was founded in 2002 in response to the HIV/AIDS epidemic, with the goal of dramatically reducing the price of life-saving drugs and increasing access to these medicines in the countries with the highest burden of the disease. Over the following two decades, CHAI has expanded its focus. Today, along with HIV, we work with our partners to prevent and treat infectious diseases such as COVID-19, malaria, tuberculosis, and hepatitis. Our work has also expanded into cancer, diabetes, hypertension, and other non-communicable diseases, and we work to accelerate the rollout of lifesaving vaccines, reduce maternal and child mortality, combat chronic malnutrition, and increase access to assistive technology. We are investing in horizontal approaches to strengthen health systems through programs in human resources for health, digital health, and health financing. With each new and innovative program, our strategy is grounded in maximizing sustainable impact at scale, ensuring that governments lead the solutions, that programs are designed to scale nationally, and learnings are shared globally.

At CHAI, our people are our greatest asset, and none of this work would be possible without their talent, time, dedication, and passion for our mission and values. We are a highly diverse team of enthusiastic individuals across 40 countries with a broad range of skillsets and life experiences. CHAI is deeply grounded in the countries we work in, with the majority of our staff based in program countries. Learn more about our exciting work: http://www.clintonhealthaccess.org

CHAI is an Equal Opportunity Employer, and is committed to providing an environment of fairness, and mutual respect where all applicants have access to equal employment opportunities. CHAI values diversity and inclusion, and recognizes that our mission is best advanced by the leadership and contributions of people with diverse experience, backgrounds, and culture.

CHAI Kenya Programs Overview

CHAI partners with the Government of Kenya to strengthen the health system and accelerate progress toward universal health coverage through scalable, high-impact solutions. CHAI has worked in Kenya since 2005, beginning with the national HIV response; building the systems needed for affordable, quality diagnostic and treatment services for children and adults. The program has since expanded to address the country's leading causes of mortality and morbidity.

Across its portfolio, CHAI Kenya works at every level of care. The program is expanding domestic medical oxygen manufacturing to lower costs and improve availability, while building facility-level knowledge to optimize demand. It is also scaling high-precision cervical cancer screening technologies that enable earlier detection and faster treatment, supporting Kenya's goal to eliminate the disease by 2030. CHAI is also improving facility readiness through stronger care models, introduction of essential commodities and technologies, and systems for emergency and specialized obstetric, newborn, and immunization care. The infectious disease program is expanding differentiated service delivery for high-risk populations, integrating lung health screening for earlier diagnosis, and introducing point-of-care diagnostics and decentralized testing. In addition, CHAI Kenya works at the nexus of health, education, and social systems to expand access to assistive technologies. The program's focus spans the mobility, hearing, vision, and neurodivergent domains of disability, strengthening the full-value chain from production to service delivery.

CHAI also works across cross-cutting health system priorities, addressing critical shortages of health workers and specialists and supporting government and facilities to plan, prioritize, build resilient and efficient health systems and finance universal health coverage through its health financing and solarization initiative.

Position Overview

CHAI is seeking an exceptional, entrepreneurial leader to serve as Country Director for CHAI Kenya. The Country Director holds overall responsibility for CHAI’s strategy, operations, and programmatic impact in Kenya and serves as CHAI’s most senior representative in-country. This individual will build and sustain trusted relationships with national and county government, donors, and partners, while leading a high-performing, multi-program team through a complex and dynamic operating environment.

The Country Director will shape the long-term vision for CHAI Kenya's growth, working with the Kenya Ministry of Health, county governments, donors, regional and global CHAI programs, and senior leadership to build partnerships and chart a path to lasting impact. The Country Director will lead a complex, multi-program portfolio in alignment with CHAI's global strategy and Kenya's national health priorities.

This role reports to Regional Vice President, Eastern Africa and is based in Nairobi, Kenya.

• Lead CHAI Kenya's team of about 55 people and a multi-program portfolio to consistently deliver transformational impact within Kenya's health system, including through health system strengthening and integrated models of care.
• Elevate CHAI's role as a trusted partner and adviser to the Kenya Ministry of Health, relevant stakeholders, and safeguard CHAI's reputation as a highly capable organization whose primary agenda is to support government priorities.
• Build and maintain trusted relationships with key stakeholders across national and county government, international agencies, NGOs, the private sector, and donors.
• Maintain strong bidirectional communication with CHAI regional and global leadership to ensure CHAI's full capabilities are leveraged on the ground.
• Lead program design and expansion, including new program development in partnership with government, and guide each program toward scale and sustainable impact.
• Ensure rigorous design, execution, and monitoring and evaluation across the country portfolio, so program results meet or exceed commitments to donors.
• Represent CHAI externally with donors, technical partners, and at national and international fora.
• Build and lead CHAI Kenya's leadership team, and strengthen office processes, tools, and systems across the employee lifecycle — hiring, onboarding, learning, performance management, and career progression — to foster a culture of impact, curiosity, and inclusion.
• Establish and grow relationships with current and prospective donors to CHAI Kenya, and support fundraising to sustain and expand the program.
• Ensure strong financial management, accountability, and legal and regulatory compliance across the country program.
• Foster cross-pollination of ideas with other CHAI country directors and contribute to regional strategy for Eastern Africa.
• Given CHAI's lean staffing model, take on direct programmatic work where needed to support the country team.
• Undertake other responsibilities as assigned by CHAI regional leadership.

• Advanced degree in public health, business, or a related field, plus 15+ years of progressive experience in strategic program management, preferably in global health or international development; with a strong focus on strengthening health systems.
• 5+ years in a senior leadership and supervisory role, with a demonstrated ability to recruit, manage, evaluate, and develop staff, and to foster a diverse, results-oriented team.
• Exceptional analytical and problem-solving skills, with the ability to navigate complex organizational and government structures.
• Demonstrated success leading multi-team, integrated program strategies that achieve measurable health impact.
• Strong command of global health and health systems strengthening programs relevant to Kenya's portfolio, including infectious diseases (HIV, tuberculosis, malaria), reproductive, maternal, newborn, and child health, non-communicable diseases (including cervical cancer), and cross-cutting systems work such as health financing, digital health, health workforce, and assistive technology.
• Proven ability to navigate complex government processes with multiple stakeholders, and to negotiate and build consensus in a diplomatic, collaborative manner.
• Experience in a leadership role with direct operational and financial responsibility and accountability.
• Track record overseeing diverse program portfolios and delivering impact at scale.
• Strong understanding of fundraising strategy, with demonstrated success cultivating and managing donor relationships.
• Extensive experience managing technical teams to drive programmatic impact against ambitious goals.
• Experience managing budgets and guiding program leads on budget management.
• Experience working with decentralized or devolved government structures; familiarity with Kenya's devolved health system is an advantage.
• Strong interpersonal and communication skills in English (written and verbal), with a proven ability to build trusted relationships across cross-functional teams, senior leadership, and external partners.
• High proficiency in Microsoft Office, particularly Excel, PowerPoint, and Word.
• Willingness to travel frequently within Kenya and occasionally internationally.

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