Head of Strategy & Corporate Communications at Kenya Mortgage Refinance Company (KMRC)

Purpose of the Job

• The holder of the position will be responsible for conducting research and facilitating execution of the Company strategy, preparing and coordinating preparation of annual business plan; pursue innovation as well as develop systems that support monitoring and evaluation of the Company’s performance.
• The position will also be responsible for coordinating corporate communications; develop and maintain relationships with strategic partners, investors and stakeholders to achieve sustainability, vibrancy and competitive advantage.
• The position requires the incumbent to have a proven track record of undertaking research, developing and implementing corporate strategy at a senior level in a dynamic and adaptive organisation.

Duties and Responsibilities

Managerial Roles and Responsibilities:

• Provide strategic and administrative direction in all matters affecting the successful execution of company’s strategy and generally ensure that the Company offers services aligned to its mandate.
• Initiate, co-ordinate, participate in the conceptualization, development and execution of KMRC’s strategic plans, business plans and objectives, and facilitate the implementation and monitoring of the same.
• Undertake periodic research of products & services and advise management on emerging opportunities and potential challenges while at the same time benchmarking with international best practices.
• Lead the institutional framework and business transformation process necessary to enhance the position of KMRC in the Mortgage Refinance market.
• Drive all business development initiatives which include creating proposals for services, revenue base diversification, forecasting and monitoring & evaluation among others.
• Provide leadership and coordinate all departments to set up high-level goals and performance-oriented objectives by working together on attaining such goals and closely monitoring the operations.
• Support mobilization of resources for the KMRC in line with the Company’s mandate.
• Provide leadership in the development and execution of the company’s communication strategy and communication functions.
• Develop a robust investor relations strategy and provide leadership on its implementation.
• Manage the company’s reputation through effective, consistent and clear communication between internal and external stakeholders.
• Oversee and manage stakeholder conferences, workshop, briefs and all external communication.
• Establish and maintain an effective system of communications throughout KMRC to ensure that the responsibilities, authorities, and accountabilities of the entire workforce are clearly defined and understood.
• Oversee development and implementation of corporate social responsibility initiatives and ensure that KMRC’s image is well projected and protected, and

Operational Roles and Responsibilities

• Conduct research and strategic reviews of KMRC’s performance on a quarterly basis to determine whether the institution is meeting its short and long-term objectives and develop measures that guarantee sustainable competitive advantage and market share
• Enforce compliance with strategic planning reporting requirements by linking the plans to independent performance management and departmental processes.
• Provide leadership in business growth and customer service in line with the corporate business plan, and business development strategy for KMRC.
• Undertake research on the mortgage market including volumes, participants, loan terms and yields, default and loss experience and the wider housing market, including volumes, values, characteristics, legal practices and issues.
• Generate reports required for business planning and decision making.
• Coordinate market research programmes, surveys on new products and services and other surveys.
• Formulate business development, diversification and marketing strategies
• Coordinate the analysis of financial trends, competitor behaviour, shareholder issues, and anything else that could impact the business and present the findings to management.
• Ensure KMRC is appropriately and strategically positioned with Primary Mortgage Lenders, analysts, investors, and all stakeholders.
• Promote the interests and expansion of the company’s business terms by ensuring growth strategies and targets are met.
• Provide strategic linkages with the corporate world, business community, government agencies and other social partners for the benefit of KMRC’s growth.
• Coordinate the preparation of the Annual Reports.
• Gather market intelligence on customer needs, products and competition to facilitate informed market strategy decision-making.
• Formulate and execute the strategic direction of the Company to ensure appropriate positioning and branding.
• Create an appropriate strategy, framework and tactics for effective delivery of a very compelling investor relations road map and marketing/communication plan.
• Provide insights on market activity and present them to the leadership team.
• Uphold and enhance positive corporate image.
• Provide marketing initiatives through creating marketing plans and executing on marketing and business development programs and other marketing outreach programs.
• Oversee the management of media and other stakeholder engagement including interviews, and preparation of informative press briefs, press releases, newsletters, publications and branding/marketing materials to be disseminated to external and internal stakeholders to enhance accurate information dissemination to the public on all matters of concern to KMRC.
• Develop and implement appropriate and strategic networks, collaboration, linkages and partnerships with the stakeholders nationally and internationally to support KMRC.
• Perform any other duties as may be assigned from time to time

Key Result Areas:

The jobholder’s accountability areas are outlined as follows:

• Review of Strategic corporate plans through comprehensive business and business environment analysis for the Company’s growth, profitability and sustainability.
• Successful planning, budgeting, utilization and reporting on financial resources assigned to the department.
• Effective and optimal organization of assets and resources assigned to the department.
• Effective leadership, supervision and management of manpower resources assigned to the department.
• Maximisation of productivity in the department through process-oriented improvements
• Continuous process improvement of services offered by the department.
• Continuous monitoring of SLAs, Governance policies, Risk and Compliance policies implemented in the department.
• Successful implementation of the department’s strategic goals and key strategic areas.
• Effective periodic research of products & services and advising of opportunities and challenges to be dealt with.

Required Skills Knowledge and Skills Required:

The jobholder must possess:

• Bachelor’s degree in economics, statistics, mathematics, project planning & management, social sciences or any other related fields.
• Master’s degree in economics, statistics, project management, social sciences or any other related fields.
• Professional qualifications in a relevant field of study, or its equivalent.
• Membership in a relevant professional body.
• A minimum of ten (10) years of related work experience in strategy, planning, research and development, of which five (5) must be in senior management.
• Ability to understand and document workflows and business processes.
• Must have demonstrated ability to handle departmental budgets, resources, processes, projects and relationships.
• Should have thorough knowledge of the relevant financial sector as well as knowledge of regulatory requirements affecting the sector.
• Must be capable of functioning effectively both as a team player and a team leader.
• Must demonstrate high level of integrity.
• Must have strategic leadership skills with ability to build strategic relationships.
• Should have high level problem solving and decision-making abilities.
• Should be an effective communicator with the ability to handle high level communication.
• Should be result oriented with ability to deliver desired outcome.
• Should demonstrate ability to identify and respond to risk areas within the department.
• Should have effective people management and conflict resolution skills.