Careers at Amref Kenya

ABOUT THE PROGRAMME

• The Wellcome Trust Climate, Health & Mental Health Programme supports Amref Health Africa's work across three interconnected areas: Climate and Health, Mental Health and Psychosocial Support, and Global Health Leadership. The programme brings together research, policy, advocacy and implementation to generate African-led evidence, strengthen policy influence and advance solutions that respond to emerging health and social determinant priorities.
• Within Amref, the programme is anchored in the Social Determinants of Health Unit and works across technical teams, country offices and external partners. Effective programme management is therefore critical to ensuring that technical and advocacy ambitions are translated into coordinated workplans, compliant grant delivery, sound resource stewardship and timely results.

JOB PURPOSE

• The Programme Manager is responsible for the effective planning, coordination and operational delivery of the Social Determinants of Health portfolio, with primary responsibility for ensuring that grant-funded programmes are implemented on time, within approved budgets and in accordance with donor and organisational requirements.
• Working closely with the Director, Social Determinants of Health and programme leads, the role translates programme priorities into integrated workplans, budgets, implementation schedules, management systems and reporting processes. The Programme Manager provides oversight across the Climate and Health, Mental Health and Global Health portfolios; coordinates delivery across technical, advocacy and support teams; anticipates and manages implementation risks; and ensures that leadership has timely information for decision-making and course correction.
• The role is expected to bring strong programme management discipline, sound judgement and a solutions-oriented approach to a complex, multi-stakeholder portfolio. It will work closely with Finance, Procurement, Legal, Human Resources, country offices, consultants and external partners to strengthen accountability, compliance, operational efficiency and quality of delivery.

PRIMARY RESPONSIBILITIES

Programme Planning and Delivery (25%)

• Lead the development, consolidation and monitoring of annual and quarterly workplans across the SDOH portfolio, ensuring alignment with approved grant objectives, budgets and delivery timelines.
• Translate programme priorities into clear implementation schedules, milestones, responsibilities and management trackers, and maintain visibility of progress across workstreams.
• Coordinate programme start-up, implementation reviews, re-planning and close-out processes, ensuring timely completion of required actions and documentation.
• Monitor delivery against agreed milestones and proactively identify dependencies, bottlenecks and emerging implementation risks, escalating material issues to the Director with practical recommendations.
• Coordinate programme governance and review meetings, ensuring decisions are documented, actions are assigned and follow-up is completed within agreed timelines.
• Promote consistent programme management standards, tools and ways of working across the portfolio.

 Grant Management and Donor Compliance (20%)

• Coordinate grant administration throughout the programme lifecycle, ensuring contractual obligations, donor conditions, reporting requirements and internal controls are understood and met.
• Maintain a consolidated view of grant deliverables, reporting deadlines, contractual commitments and compliance requirements, and follow up with responsible teams to ensure timely action.
• Coordinate operational and management inputs into donor reports, grant reviews, amendments and other submissions, working closely with technical leads and support functions.
• Ensure programme records, grant files, approvals and supporting documentation are complete, current and audit-ready.
• Coordinate preparation for audits, donor reviews and grant close-out processes, and follow through on management actions arising from reviews or assurance activities.
• Provide programme teams with practical guidance on applicable donor and organisational requirements, escalating areas requiring specialist advice.

 Financial and Resource Stewardship (20%)

• Lead programme budgeting, forecasting and periodic budget review processes in collaboration with the Director, programme leads and Finance.
• Monitor expenditure, burn rates, commitments and budget utilisation against approved plans, identifying variances early and coordinating corrective action.
• Coordinate budget revisions, reforecasts and resource allocation discussions to support delivery priorities while maintaining donor compliance and value for money.
• Maintain oversight of procurement plans, consultant and service contracts, and other programme commitments to support timely implementation and appropriate use of resources.
• Work with Finance and programme teams to strengthen financial accountability, documentation quality and timely resolution of outstanding financial actions.
• Identify opportunities to improve resource efficiency and ensure programme resources are deployed in line with agreed priorities.

 Risk, Quality and Performance Management (15%)

• Maintain and regularly review programme risk registers, ensuring risks, mitigating actions, owners and escalation points are clearly documented and actively managed.
• Monitor programme performance against agreed indicators, milestones and management commitments, drawing attention to areas requiring intervention or course correction.
• Coordinate quality checks on programme management processes, documentation and delivery systems to strengthen consistency, reliability and compliance.
• Support the Director and programme leads to assess implementation options, trade-offs and operational implications when plans or external conditions change.
• Ensure key management decisions, changes and lessons are captured and reflected in subsequent planning and implementation.
• Promote continuous improvement through periodic review of programme systems, processes and ways of working.

 Stakeholder and Cross-functional Coordination (10%)

• Coordinate implementation across SDOH technical and advocacy teams, Amref country offices, consultants, partners and relevant support functions.
• Build effective working relationships with Finance, Procurement, Legal, Human Resources and other corporate teams to ensure programme needs are anticipated and addressed in a timely manner.
• Facilitate clear information flow between programme leadership and delivery teams, ensuring priorities, decisions and dependencies are understood.
• Coordinate consultant and service-provider engagement from an operational perspective, including workplans, deliverables, timelines, contracting interfaces and follow-up.
• Support the planning and operational coordination of key programme meetings, partner engagements, convenings and strategic events where required.

 Reporting, Learning and Operational Improvement (10%)

• Prepare concise programme management updates, dashboards and decision-support information for the Director and programme leadership.
• Coordinate periodic portfolio reviews and contribute programme management analysis to annual planning, donor reviews and management discussions.
• Document implementation lessons and operational insights and ensure these inform future planning, risk management and process improvement.
• Maintain fit-for-purpose programme management systems, dashboards and trackers that provide reliable and timely information for decision-making.
• Promote effective use of digital collaboration and programme management tools to improve visibility, coordination and efficiency across the portfolio.

Qualifications

Education and Experience

• Master's degree or equivalent in Public Health, International Development, Project or Programme Management, Business Administration, Social Sciences or a related field.
• At least eight (8) years of relevant experience in programme or project management, including at least three (3) years in a managerial or programme leadership capacity. Experience working at the intersection of climate and health will be considered an added advantage.
• Proven experience managing complex donor-funded programmes, preferably within health, international development or a multi-country environment.
• Demonstrated experience in programme planning, grant management, budgeting, financial monitoring, procurement coordination, risk management and donor reporting.
• Experience coordinating multidisciplinary teams, country offices, consultants and external partners across multiple workstreams.

Knowledge, Skills and Competencies

• Strong programme and project management capability, with the ability to translate strategic priorities into practical plans, systems and delivery milestones.
• Sound financial and resource management skills, including budgeting, forecasting, expenditure monitoring and value-for-money considerations.
• Strong understanding of grant and donor compliance requirements, programme controls, risk management and audit readiness.
• Ability to analyse complex programme information, identify risks and dependencies, and make sound recommendations to support management decisions.
• Strong stakeholder management and influencing skills, with the ability to work effectively across technical teams, support functions, country offices, partners and donors.
• Ability to coordinate multiple priorities and deliverables simultaneously while maintaining quality, timeliness and attention to detail.
• Proven ability to improve systems and processes and to use digital tools, dashboards and data to strengthen programme visibility and decision-making.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills, including the ability to prepare concise management reports, presentations and donor-facing documentation.
• High levels of integrity, accountability and judgement, with a strong commitment to organisational policies, safeguarding, equity and inclusion.
• Ability to work independently, exercise initiative and remain effective in a fast-moving and evolving programme environment.

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ABOUT THE PROGRAMME

• The Wellcome Trust Climate, Health & Mental Health programme brings together three interconnected pillars within the Social Determinants of Health (SDoH) Unit: Climate and Health, Mental Health and Psychosocial Support (MHPSS), and Global Health Leadership. The programme combines research and evidence generation, policy and advocacy, partnership building, knowledge translation and institutional learning to strengthen African-led responses to emerging health challenges and influence regional and global policy agendas.

JOB PURPOSE

• Reporting to the Director, Social Determinants of Health, the Administrative & Operations Officer provides cross-cutting operational and administrative support to the SDoH Unit, ensuring the efficient day-to-day functioning of a multi-country technical portfolio and the timely delivery of programme activities.
• The role coordinates unit administration, procurement, travel and logistics, consultant and vendor processes, financial administration, event support, documentation and selected people-operations activities. Working closely with programme staff and corporate support departments including Finance, Procurement, HR, Legal, ICT and Administration, the position helps translate technical workplans into well-organised operational delivery while ensuring compliance with Amref policies and donor requirements.
• The incumbent is expected to execute established operational processes accurately and on time, maintain reliable systems and records, analyse and report routine operational information, identify practical improvements and resolve day-to-day issues within delegated authority while escalating exceptions appropriately.

PRINCIPAL RESPONSIBILITIES

Unit Administration & Executive Support (~20% LoE)

• Provide day-to-day administrative support to the Director, SDoH and the wider Unit, helping organise priorities, schedules and routine information flow.
• Coordinate calendars, meetings, travel schedules and internal communications, anticipating dependencies and ensuring relevant materials are available in advance.
• Prepare agendas, meeting packs, minutes and action trackers, and follow up agreed actions to support timely closure.
• Maintain organised unit filing systems, shared drives, contact lists, templates and document repositories with appropriate access and version control.
• Coordinate onboarding and administrative arrangements for staff, consultants and interns in collaboration with HR, ICT and line managers.

Programme Operations, Workplanning & Coordination (~15% LoE)

• Support translation of annual and activity workplans into operational schedules, trackers, procurement plans, travel plans and logistical requirements.
• Maintain operational trackers for key programme activities, deadlines and dependencies and provide routine status updates to the Director and relevant team members.
• Coordinate operational communication between the SDoH Unit, country offices, partners and corporate support functions, ensuring requests are complete and followed through.
• Support programme start-up, implementation reviews and close-out activities by ensuring required documentation, approvals and administrative steps are completed.
• Compile routine operational inputs for programme reviews, donor reports, presentations and management updates.

Procurement, Contracts, Consultants & Compliance (~20% LoE)

• Coordinate procurement requests in accordance with Amref policies, delegated authority and donor requirements, ensuring specifications, approvals and supporting documentation are complete.
• Support preparation, processing and tracking of consultancy contracts, service agreements, purchase orders and related documentation.
• Maintain procurement, contract, consultant and vendor trackers, proactively flagging upcoming expiries, pending actions and documentation gaps.
• Liaise with Procurement, Finance, Legal and programme teams to ensure timely processing and resolution of routine queries.
• Support due diligence, vendor onboarding and administrative compliance processes for consultants and service providers.
• Maintain complete audit trails and support responses to routine compliance, audit and document requests.

Travel, Logistics & Event Support (~20% LoE)

• Coordinate international and domestic travel including flights, accommodation, visas, insurance, travel approvals, per diems and itinerary documentation.
• Provide end-to-end logistical support for workshops, meetings, conferences, field missions and partner convenings, both virtual and in-person.
• Coordinate venues, participant invitations and registrations, materials, transport, equipment and other event requirements in line with approved budgets and procurement procedures.
• Support operational planning for major convenings including COP, UNGA, WHA, AHAIC and other regional or global events, working with technical leads and external partners.
• Maintain accurate travel, participant and logistical records and support post-event reconciliation and documentation.

Financial Administration & Budget Support (~15% LoE)

• Prepare purchase requisitions, payment requests, advance requests, expense documentation and other routine financial paperwork accurately and on time.
• Monitor operational expenditures against approved activity budgets and maintain expenditure and commitment trackers in collaboration with Finance and programme colleagues.
• Support budget monitoring, reconciliation, forecasting and follow-up of outstanding advances, invoices or supporting documents.
• Verify that financial documentation is complete, accurate, properly approved and audit-ready before submission.
• Support consultants, vendors and programme colleagues with routine guidance on required finance and administrative documentation.

People Operations, Systems & Continuous Improvement (~10% LoE)

• Coordinate selected administrative aspects of recruitment, onboarding, leave planning, induction, consultant engagement and staff transitions in collaboration with HR and line managers.
• Maintain unit dashboards, operational tools and routine data required for planning and management oversight.
• Support consistent use of templates, filing conventions and standard operating procedures across the Unit.
• Identify recurring administrative bottlenecks and propose practical process improvements, including appropriate use of digital tools, automation and AI-enabled solutions within Amref standards.
• Provide reliable service to internal and external stakeholders and uphold confidentiality, safeguarding, professionalism and Amref values in all interactions.

Qualifications

Education and Professional Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in Business Administration, Project Management, International Relations, Development Studies, Procurement, Finance, Public Administration or another relevant field.
• Relevant professional qualification or training in administration, procurement, project operations or a related area is an advantage.

Experience

• Minimum of four (4) years' relevant experience in administration, programme operations, project support or a similar role, preferably within an NGO, development, research or multi-country environment.
• Practical experience supporting procurement, travel, logistics, financial administration, consultant/vendor processes and document management.
• Experience maintaining trackers, workplans, shared repositories and operational records to a high standard.
• Experience supporting donor-funded programmes and working with cross-functional teams is an advantage.
• Exposure to HR-related coordination such as recruitment logistics, onboarding or staff transitions is desirable.

Knowledge, Skills and Competencies

• Strong administrative, organisational and operational coordination skills, with the ability to manage multiple priorities and meet deadlines.
• High attention to detail and commitment to accuracy, completeness, documentation quality and compliance.
• Ability to implement organisational systems, policies and procedures consistently and to identify when exceptions require escalation.
• Good numerical and analytical skills, including the ability to maintain expenditure trackers, reconcile routine information and prepare clear status updates.
• Strong digital literacy, including Microsoft 365 (Teams, SharePoint, Excel, Word and PowerPoint) and familiarity with ERP or workflow systems; ability to adopt new digital and AI-enabled tools responsibly.
• Strong interpersonal and customer-service skills, with the ability to work effectively with technical teams, country offices, vendors, consultants and corporate support functions.
• Practical problem-solving skills and initiative in resolving routine operational challenges and improving processes.
• Professional discretion, confidentiality, integrity and respect for safeguarding, equity and organisational standards.
• Excellent spoken and written English.
• Willingness to travel when required to support programme activities and major convenings.

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JOB PURPOSE 

• The HR Generalist supports the HR Business Partner, HQ in delivering reliable, responsive and employee-centred human resource services across the employee lifecycle. The role combines strong day-to-day people operations with future-focused HR practices by coordinating recruitment and onboarding, employee relations and experience, performance and talent processes, learning and future skills, workforce analytics, digital HR solutions and compliance. Through accurate service delivery, practical guidance, data-informed insights and continuous improvement, the role helps create an inclusive, agile and digitally enabled workplace while ensuring HR programmes and processes are implemented in line with organisational policies and applicable employment requirements.

PRIMARY RESPONSIBILITIES 

HR Operations, Employee Lifecycle and Service Delivery

• Coordinate employee lifecycle processes, including appointment, onboarding, probation and confirmation, contract changes and renewals, transfers, leave administration, separation and offboarding.
• Prepare accurate and timely employment documentation, employee correspondence and HR confirmations, and maintain trackers for contracts and other time-bound actions.
• Maintain complete, accurate and confidential employee records in the HR information system and personnel files, in line with data protection and records-management requirements.
• Support payroll and benefits administration by providing validated employee changes, completing routine reconciliations and resolving data discrepancies within agreed timelines.
• Provide first-line guidance to employees and managers on HR policies, processes and self-service tools, resolving routine queries and escalating complex or sensitive matters appropriately.
• Monitor recurring service queries and employee pain points and recommend practical improvements to the HR Business Partner.

Talent Acquisition, Onboarding and Workforce Planning Support

• Support workforce planning by maintaining current headcount and vacancy information, tracking upcoming contract decisions and identifying emerging staffing or capability needs for review by the HR Business Partner.
• Coordinate recruitment processes from approved requisition through appointment, including job posting, application management, shortlisting administration, interview scheduling, candidate communication, pre-employment checks and appointment documentation.
• Support hiring managers to apply fair, inclusive and competency-based selection processes and maintain complete recruitment records in line with organisational policy.
• Coordinate onboarding and induction, including pre-boarding arrangements and scheduled follow-up, to help new employees integrate quickly and understand performance, culture, safeguarding and compliance expectations.
• Maintain recruitment and onboarding dashboards, monitor agreed timelines and candidate or new-joiner experience, and flag delays or improvement opportunities.
• Support development of talent pools for recurring and critical roles in line with approved workforce priorities.

Employee Relations, Experience, Wellbeing and Culture

• Provide first-line support on routine employee relations matters, maintain accurate case records and refer complex, high-risk or sensitive cases to the HR Business Partner.
• Support fair and consistent implementation of employee relations processes, including attendance, conduct, grievance and performance-related matters, within established procedures.
• Coordinate employee listening, engagement, wellbeing and recognition initiatives; analyse feedback and track agreed actions with relevant leaders and teams.
• Gather feedback at key moments in the employee journey and use it to recommend improvements to employee experience and HR service delivery.
• Promote an inclusive, respectful and psychologically safe workplace by reinforcing organisational values, equity and inclusion, safeguarding expectations and relevant people policies.

Performance, Talent, Learning and Future Skills

• Coordinate key stages of the performance management cycle, including goal setting, check-ins, review periods, documentation, completion tracking and follow-up with managers and employees.
• Support talent review, succession and employee development processes under the guidance of the HR Business Partner and relevant specialist teams.
• Coordinate learning-needs inputs and learning activities, including nominations, logistics, attendance, evaluation and maintenance of accurate training records.
• Track individual development plans, career-development actions and agreed learning commitments and provide completion and impact updates.
• Support initiatives that build future-relevant capabilities, including digital fluency, data literacy, collaboration, adaptability and people-management skills.

People Analytics and Workforce Insights

• Maintain accurate workforce dashboards and trackers covering headcount, vacancies, contract status, recruitment, onboarding, turnover, absence, performance, learning and other agreed people indicators.
• Compile and analyse workforce data, identify patterns and emerging risks, and prepare concise reports and insights for the HR Business Partner and management decision-making.
• Support data quality checks, reconciliations and consistent use of workforce definitions across HR records, systems and reports.
• Translate employee and workforce data into practical follow-up actions and track whether agreed interventions deliver the intended improvement.

HR Technology, Automation and Continuous Improvement

• Promote effective use of the HR information system, employee and manager self-service tools and approved digital workflows, and provide user guidance where required.
• Identify opportunities to simplify, standardise or automate repetitive HR processes while maintaining appropriate controls and a positive employee experience.
• Use approved digital and artificial intelligence-enabled tools responsibly to improve accuracy, insight and turnaround time, while ensuring data privacy, human oversight and compliance with organisational requirements.
• Maintain clear process maps, user guides and standard operating materials and support adoption of new HR tools and ways of working.
• Gather user feedback after process or technology changes and recommend refinements based on service data and employee experience.

Policy, Risk, Governance and Change Support

• Support consistent application of organisational HR policies, procedures and internal controls and monitor completion of required documentation.
• Help ensure HR processes comply with applicable employment legislation, data protection, safeguarding and organisational requirements.
• Prepare documentation for internal and external audits, maintain agreed action trackers and support timely closure of HR findings and risks.
• Support people-related change initiatives through accurate employee data, coordinated communications, stakeholder follow-up and practical adoption support.
• Contribute operational insights to policy and process reviews and help communicate approved changes in clear and accessible language.
• Handle employee information with discretion and maintain strict confidentiality in all HR activities.

Qualifications

Academic Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in Human Resource Management, Business Administration or a related field.

Professional Qualifications / Memberships

• Higher Diploma in Human Resource Management, CHRP qualification or an equivalent professional credential.
• Current membership of the Institute of Human Resource Management or another relevant professional body, as applicable.

Experience

• Minimum of three (3) to five (5) years of relevant experience in an HR generalist or comparable role.
• Demonstrated experience supporting HR operations, recruitment and onboarding, employee relations, performance and learning processes, HR reporting and compliance in a diverse work environment.
• Practical experience using an HR information system and workforce data to support service delivery and decision-making.
• Exposure to HR digitalisation, process improvement, employee-experience or organisational-change initiatives is an advantage.

Knowledge, Skills and Competencies

• Sound knowledge of end-to-end HR operations, employee lifecycle processes and contemporary people practices.
• Working knowledge of Kenyan employment legislation, HR compliance, governance, data protection and safeguarding requirements.
• Ability to provide responsive, accurate and practical HR support while maintaining a strong employee and manager service orientation.
• Strong employee-relations judgement, including the ability to recognise risk, maintain accurate records and escalate matters appropriately.
• Strong planning, project-coordination and organisational skills, with the ability to manage competing priorities and deliver within agreed timelines.
• Strong interpersonal, written and verbal communication skills and the ability to build effective working relationships across teams and levels.
• Analytical capability, including the ability to interpret workforce data, identify trends and present clear, decision-relevant insights.
• Digital literacy and proficiency in HR information systems, Microsoft Office applications, reporting tools and employee self-service platforms.
• Curiosity and confidence to learn and responsibly apply emerging HR technologies, automation and artificial intelligence-enabled tools.
• Process-improvement mindset, with the ability to identify inefficiencies, propose practical solutions and support adoption of new ways of working.
• Adaptability and change orientation, with an interest in future workforce capabilities and evolving employee expectations.
• Ability to handle sensitive and confidential information with professionalism, discretion and integrity.
• Commitment to equity, diversity, inclusion, safeguarding, wellbeing and a positive employee experience.
• Collaborative, accountable and service-oriented approach, with a commitment to continuous learning and high-quality delivery.