Lead Application Development Engineer at The Nairobi Hospital

REF: TNH/HRD/LADE/01/2025

The overall purpose of this role is to champion continuous optimization of the hospital operations and ensure innovation and renewal of core processes and continuous availability of hospital systems, networks, databases, and data security systems to guarantee reliability and optimum support of hospital operations in line with the strategic objectives

The primary objective of this role is to lead the optimization and transformation of hospital operations by leveraging cutting-edge technology. The successful candidate will drive the development, integration, and Continuous optimization of core hospital systems to ensure operational efficiency, patient-centric innovation, and robust data security

ROLES AND RESPONSIBILITIES

• Work hand in hand with the Director ICT in planning product development, building and delivering enhanced product features to integrate with HMIS to deliver innovative solutions that enhance patient care, operational efficiency, and data security.
• Design a breakdown structure, backlog grooming, assign development tasks to developers and ensure definition of done standards are met.

Application Development

• Collaborate with the Director ICT to plan and oversee product development initiatives, focusing on delivering scalable, secure, and efficient applications integrated with the Hospital Management Information System (HMIS)
• Lead agile development practices, including backlog grooming, sprint planning, Code Reviews and adherence to "definition of done" standards to ensure timely and quality feature delivery.
• Champion innovation by introducing emerging technologies such as Artificial Intelligence (AI), Machine Learning (ML), and cloud-based solutions to enhance hospital operations and patient care.
• Ensure the system analysts performs performance testing, usability testing, regression testing, automated testing, unit testing & end-to-end testing before feature release. Also ensure all pre-release functional, performance, security testing are documented.

Quality Assurance & Testing

• Supervise system analysts in conducting comprehensive performance testing, code reviews, usability testing, regression testing, and automated end-to-end testing.
• Document all pre-release functional, performance, and security tests to guarantee the reliability and security of released features.
• Report to the Director, ICT while overseeing the design, implementation, and maintenance of the hospital’s IT infrastructure, including hardware, software, networks, and data systems

IT Infrastructure Management

• Oversee the design, implementation, and maintenance of the hospital’s IT infrastructure, ensuring high availability, scalability, and resilience of hardware, software, and network systems.
• Ensure seamless integration of third-party tools and systems, such as HL7, FHIR, and PACS, for interoperability and data exchange.
• Work hand in hand with the Director Transformation Services & ICT to prepare the ICT annual budget and monitor its implementation upon approval to ensure cost containment and value for money

Strategic Planning & Budgeting

• Collaborate with the Director Transformation Services & ICT to develop the ICT annual budget and monitor its execution to ensure cost-effective technology investments.
• Identify opportunities for process automation and system optimization, ensuring alignment with the hospital's strategic goals.
• Ensure implementation of all hospital approved quality management systems including ISO standards, environmental management system (EMS) and  occupational health and safety (OH&S) among others to ensure full compliance of the ICT division to the guidelines

Compliance and Governance

• Ensure adherence to hospital-approved quality management systems, including ISO standards, Environmental Management Systems (EMS), and Occupational Health and Safety (OH&S) protocols.
• Uphold data protection and cybersecurity best practices to comply with GDPR, HIPAA, and other healthcare regulations.

Leadership and Mentorship

• Lead, mentor, and inspire a high-performing ICT team, fostering a culture of innovation, collaboration, and continuous improvement.
• Act as a technical advisor, guiding the team on architecture, system design, and emerging trends in healthcare IT.
• Any other responsibilities that may be assigned to the job holder by the supervisor from time to time.

 General Responsibilities

• Perform other duties as assigned by the Director ICT to support the hospital’s mission and strategic objectives.

EDUCATION AND EXPERIENCE

• Master’s degree in information technology, Computer Science, Computer Engineering or any other related fields from a recognized institution.
• Bachelor’s degree in information technology, Computer Science, Computer Engineering or any other related field from a recognized institution with not less than 12 years hands on experience
• Minimum of 10 years’ information technology enterprise experience including computer operations management, multiple roles in systems implementation, architecture, security/compliance, business-wide strategic planning responsibility with 5 years at management level.
• At least 5 years of leadership experience in application development and technology management within a healthcare or similar setup - enterprise.

CORE COMPETENCIES

• A distinguished professional history demonstrating an in-depth understanding of information technology.
• Ability to lead, influence and drive change initiatives in support of business strategies within the department/unit. Leadership skills, ability to coach and mentor
• Knowledge of Enterprise/Hospital Information Systems.
• Knowledge of CRM data and database systems; understanding of data security and other compliance responsibilities.
• Database and applications management skills
• Strategic thinking and strong business acumen
• Budget preparation skills

Technical Expertise:

• Advanced knowledge of enterprise-grade Hospital Information Systems (HIS) and their integration with CRM, EHR, LIMS, and PACS.
• Familiarity with cloud computing platforms (e.g., AWS, Azure) and DevOps practices (CI/CD, Docker, Kubernetes).
• Demonstrated mastery in modern programming languages (e.g., Python, RUST, GO, TypeScript, Java, C#), frameworks, and development tools.
• Extensive experience with software design, architecture, and development best practices.
• Knowledge of enterprise and hospital information systems remains relevant but should emphasize integration and customization for business-specific needs.

Leadership and Team Management:

• Proven ability to lead development teams, fostering collaboration and productivity.
• Experience coaching and mentoring junior developers to enhance skill sets and align with organizational goals.
• Ability to resolve technical and interpersonal challenges within a development team.