Country Director, Kenya at ThinkWell

What You'll Do

Technical Leadership

• Lead program strategy, coordination, and execution in Kenya, ensuring timely and effective delivery across multiple projects and alignment with strategic objectives
• Provide strategic and technical oversight across all projects in ThinkWell Institute's Kenya portfolio, coordinating closely with project directors and leads across technical and operational teams. Navigate matrixed management structures to ensure coherent implementation, alignment with national and county health priorities, and delivery of high-quality results
• Provide technical leadership to in-country teams to design and implement program activities and associated learning outputs aligned with ThinkWell Institute's thought leadership goals
• Provide direct technical assistance in health financing, with a particular focus on the purchasing of primary care services, including through contracting with public and private providers, health insurance, and public sector budgets
• Monitor program progress through review of the evidence, regular field visits, and meetings with policymakers and other partners, service providers, communities, and other stakeholders. Track progress through discussions with project leads and propose timely course corrections where needed
• Ensure production of high-quality learning outputs. Provide written input into technical documents, project status reports, blogs, and articles for publication and dissemination on ThinkWell Institute's website, external sites, and at conferences
• In collaboration with partners, monitor strategic and environmental opportunities and challenges. Work together with the country partners and ThinkWell Institute leadership to adjust and refine the strategy as needed to seize opportunities and mitigate risks
• Communicate with other ThinkWell Institute project managers globally to build, share, exchange, and disseminate technical knowledge
• Oversee monitoring, evaluation, research, and learning functions, staff, and outputs across the Kenya portfolio

Team Management

• Recruit, onboard, and lead outstanding team members across all operational and programmatic areas; provide line management or matrixed oversight of staff based in Nairobi and across multiple counties
• Collaborate with in-country and US-based Talent team on all human resources-related functions: recruitment, employee relations, performance management, benefits, compensation, and staff duty of care (safety & security)
• Lead by example, delegate effectively, demonstrate integrity, motivate, and inspire others
• Create a positive, respectful country team operating culture and environment, and engage respectfully with employees at all levels across the firm
• Support the professional development, coaching, and performance management of team members across projects, ensuring alignment with ThinkWell Institute's values and operational realities
• Coordinate country-level staffing strategies to ensure efficient resource use, role clarity, and collaboration across the Kenya portfolio
• Lead and coordinate country-level project start-up and close-out processes, ensuring teams are aligned on scope, roles, systems, and close-out deliverables

Finance, Operations and Contracts Administration

• Work with ThinkWell Institute Global Business Operations team to maintain operational excellence for the Kenya office including policies, procedures, and systems as well as banking, inventory management, licensing, insurance, visas, business registrations, etc
• Take responsibility for the effective use of donor resources and compliance with all rules, regulations, and laws
• Partner with contracts and compliance staff globally to operationalize systems that ensure consistent adherence to all company and external requirements across operational and programmatic activities in Kenya
• Ensure stringent management of financial systems, including financial tracking, recording of financial transactions, financial risk management, and fraud prevention. Oversee monthly financial projections and cash flow
• Oversee project budget management and projections to ensure compliance with donor requirements, consistency with implementation plans, and effective coordination with finance and program teams
• Manage and monitor project sub-contracts and local procurement of goods and services, including consultants, to ensure compliance with ThinkWell Institute and donor requirements, proper documentation, and alignment with project objectives and budgets

External Representation

• Actively engage with key stakeholders in Kenya to contribute to ongoing discussions around health financing reforms more broadly and the purchasing of primary health care using learnings from ThinkWell Institute's work in in-country and globally
• Represent Thinkwell Institute, consult and coordinate with key stakeholders within government, donors, and other entities to build the Institute's program and reputation
• Represent ThinkWell Institute in-country and be the focal point with all local, external clients, partners, donors, etc
• Publish papers, articles, and blogs. Present at conferences and contribute to technical working groups to share ThinkWell Institute project-related technical innovations, priorities, and results. Build ThinkWell Institute's reputation as a thought leader in the field

New Business Development

• In collaboration with ThinkWell Institute management, gather new business intelligence and partner information lead the design and execution of new projects, including building relationships and proposal development
• Collaborate with Design Lab and other global teams to identify, analyze, and pursue new business information and contacts locally
• Play a organization-wide leadership role, participate in company initiatives and teams to build intellectual and human capital in the technical area of specialization

we are:
ThinkWell Institute core values are our fundamental organizational guiding principles. They define our corporate culture, influence our behavior at work and help us achieve our mission. Our values are:

• Think big
• Influence the conversation
• Empower others
• Be exceptional
• Always question
• Relate authentically
• Evolve by learning

you are:

ThinkWell Institute core competencies are foundational skills and behaviors that align with our values and are expected of all employees.

• An entrepreneurial, results-oriented ‘do-er' with a willingness to take risks, think big, and challenge conventional wisdom
• Demonstrates a strong commitment to operational excellence by optimizing processes and delivering high-quality results, while upholding the highest standards of integrity, accountability, and ethical conduct
• A change-maker who reaches independent judgment with an open mind, influences the conversation, and seeks innovation
• Able to help create an empowering environment in which everyone feels free to take initiative, be accountable, and fail intelligently (learn from mistakes)
• A collaborative colleague who engages constructively with people from different cultures, orientations, and perspectives and maintains positive relations in a virtual world
• Principally motivated by a growth mindset, meaning the pursuit of knowledge, experience, and self-improvement. You always question and continuously learn
• Authentic, honest, direct, self-aware, and open to giving and receiving feedback

Requirements

• At a minimum, BA/BS and 12+ years of experience or graduate degree and 10+ years of relevant experience in health systems strengthening with preferable focus on health financing; Experience in multiple countries preferred
• Substantive, relevant work experience in one of ThinkWell Institute's core technical areas including health financing, health systems strengthening, and related international programming;
• Extensive experience managing large, complex projects in Kenya:
• Track record in successful strategic pursuit of new business opportunities
• Demonstrated ability to guide teams in the design, implementation, quality assurance, and publication of technical reports/articles related to health system strengthening; preferably with at least one co-authored publication in a peer-reviewed journal
• Demonstrated team and people management abilities with a focus on growing staff, mentoring, and coaching junior professionals;
• A senior leader, able to rally staff around ThinkWell Institute's mission and priorities;
• Proven track record in budgeting and financial management;
• Demonstrated ability to engage effectively with external strategic partners, donors, government ministries, and stakeholders;
• Full written and verbal fluency in English as well as verbal fluency in Kiswahili;
• Outstanding cross-cultural communication skills, including the ability to relate respectfully with staff at all levels, ages, genders, nationalities, and orientations as well as across work areas;
• Ability and willingness to travel in-country and internationally up to 25%. The incumbent will be expected to travel within Kenya and periodically outside of Kenya to attend ThinkWell Institute meetings