Job Openings at Penda Health

Role Summary

• When a Penda patient needs care we can't give them on-site, what happens next matters just as much as everything that came before it. That's where you come in.
• As our Referral Nurse, you'll build and own Penda's referral network across Nairobi, Kiambu, and Kajiado, ensuring that patients who need care beyond primary level reach the right facility, quickly and safely. The Referral Nurse establishes and maintains working relationships with liaison staff at receiving facilities, supports clinicians during active high-acuity referrals, and tracks referral outcomes to identify and close system gaps. Success looks like a referral network with documented agreements, rapid acceptance of urgent referrals, and a return-to-Penda pathway that ensures no patient's care ends at the point of referral. The role works closely with Penda clinical teams, ambulance providers, hospital liaison teams, the SHA provider relations team, and community health promoters.

What You'll Do

Network Development

• Maps every hospital, specialist clinic, diagnostic centre, and maternity facility within reasonable reach of each Penda location, covering Level 4, Level 5, and Level 6 public hospitals, private hospitals, faith-based facilities, and specialist providers.
• Establishes and maintains named relationships with clinical liaison staff, admissions teams, casualty nurses, and ward coordinators at each facility, and for high volume referral facilities, negotiates referral agreements, MOUs, and informal arrangements that define response times, communication channels, and escalation contacts.
• Owns a living referral directory for clinical and non-clinical staff, updating it whenever contacts change, facility services change, or new facilities open.

Referral Coordination & Patient Advocacy

• Coordinates urgent referrals across Penda's network and advocates for patients requiring higher levels of care, using relationships and system knowledge to unblock barriers to acceptance and admission.
• Arranges appropriate clinical accompaniment for high-acuity transfers and liaises with national and private ambulance providers to ensure transport coordination does not delay patient care.

System & Quality Improvement

• Tracks every referral made across the Penda network, including destination, receipt status, and outcome, and monitors referral acceptance rates against agreed facility standards.
• Identifies recurring failure points, such as facilities that consistently refuse referrals, night-time transport gaps, or conditional referrals, and proposes and implements practical solutions.
• Develops and maintains a standard referral documentation toolkit (referral letters, SBAR communication guides, discharge summary request templates) and trains clinical officers, nurses, and non-clinical staff on emergency communication and referral procedures.

Continuity of Care & Follow-Up

• Manages the return-to-Penda pathway, working with clinical and call centre teams to ensure patients referred out are followed up, recalled for chronic disease management where appropriate, and not lost to care after discharge.
• Partners with community health promoters to locate and recall patients who missed a referral appointment or were discharged from hospital without follow-up.

Culture

• Models Penda's values of passion for patient wellbeing, appreciation for colleagues, open-mindedness, trustworthiness, and reliability in every interaction with Penda staff and partner facilities, building the consistent, dependable presence that referral relationships depend on.

What You'll Bring

• Registered Nurse with a current, valid practising licence from the Kenya Nursing Council.
• At least 4 years of post-registration clinical experience.
• At least 2 years in referral coordination, patient navigation, hospital liaison, or case management — think hospital triage, a referral unit, an NGO health programme, an HMO, or a high-acuity outpatient facility.
• Experience across both public and private health facilities in Kenya, and a real understanding of how each one works.
• Confidence with SBAR communication, emergency referral protocols, and IMCI/emergency triage.
• The judgment to make fast, sound calls under pressure, and the people skills to build trust with everyone from casualty nurses to hospital administrators to anxious families.
• A knack for solving problems when the easy answer is "no."

What Success Looks Like

• Referral acceptance rate (proportion of urgent referrals successfully received by a facility).
• Time from decision to refer to patient departure from the Penda clinic.
• Proportion of referrals where appropriate accompaniment or transport was arranged.
• Clinician satisfaction with referral support (quarterly).
• Documented referral agreements in place at a defined number of facilities per quarter.
• Evidence of training delivered to clinical and non-clinical staff.

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Key Responsibilities

Support Managers

• Assist managers with ongoing employee support, enabling them to effectively manage their teams and ensure team members feel empowered and equipped to perform their roles successfully.
• Contribute to upholding positive and inclusive Penda Culture by advocating for the values and practices.
• Partner with Managers to identify and deliver coaching and training opportunities aligned with leadership development initiatives, supporting them in fostering strong leadership skills within their teams.
• Facilitate a smooth onboarding experience for new hires, guiding managers on established training resources and performance management processes.

Performance Management

• Support in implementing and executing the performance management process, collaborating with managers and the HR department.
• In collaboration with IPS leadership and managers, communicate a clear understanding of the performance expectations to staff right from onboarding.
• Assist in facilitating calibration sessions for performance reviews to ensure consistency and fairness in evaluation across teams. Review and analyze data and identify potential biases that may impact reviews.
• Collaborate with the HR leadership and managers, by providing support and guidance in adhering to processes and ensuring managers' PRs are completed annually.

Talent Management and Workforce Planning

• Partner with managers to understand current and future workforce needs and support people planning aligned with departmental priorities.
• Support managers in identifying development opportunities for team members, including career growth, capability building and internal mobility.
• Facilitate smooth onboarding of new hires by partnering with managers to ensure successful integration into the team, role and Penda culture, while supporting completion of onboarding milestones and probation requirements.
• Support internal talent movements, including transfers, promotions, secondments and acting appointments, ensuring processes are implemented fairly, consistently and in line with company policies.
• Partner with the Learning & Development team and relevant stakeholders to coordinate leadership and capability development initiatives that strengthen individual and team performance.
• Partner with the Talent Acquisition team and hiring managers throughout the recruitment process by supporting workforce planning, interview participation, candidate assessment, and hiring decisions, while ensuring alignment with business needs, team dynamics and Penda's values.
• Monitor workforce trends within assigned branches, highlighting risks relating to staffing levels, turnover, internal mobility and talent gaps, and recommend appropriate interventions.

Employee Relations

• Serve as the first point of contact for resolving employee relations issues within the assigned branches, ensuring adherence to legal and company policies. Independently handle less to medium complex matters with empathy, emotional intelligence, and a focus on fair and respectful resolution. Collaborate with managers and escalate complex issues to higher levels of HR leadership as needed.
• Utilize strong communication and active listening skills to understand people's concerns and perspectives. Approach all situations with empathy and emotional intelligence, fostering a respectful and collaborative environment for conflict resolution.
• Analyze trends and patterns in emerging people issues, identify potential root causes and areas for improvement. Propose and implement preventive measures alongside respective stakeholders.
• Collaborate with IPS Leadership to develop and implement systemic solutions for repetitive people issues. Advocate for changes in policies, procedures, or training programs to address identified gaps and prevent future occurrences.

Change Management

• Partner with managers to facilitate smooth transitions during organizational changes.
• Conduct regular pulse checks (eNPS) to gauge employee sentiments and provide data-driven insights to enhance communication and address concerns.
• Advocate for robust feedback mechanisms to identify and address challenges early on.
• Provide resources and training to equip managers with the skills and knowledge needed to lead their teams through change effectively.
• Facilitate open communication channels to encourage managers to share concerns and seek support.

Policies and Programs Implementation

• Collaborate with managers on effectively introducing and communicating new policies to employees. Develop and deliver training materials and workshops to ensure clear understanding and buy-in, as well as addressing employee concerns throughout the implementation process.
• Partner with managers and relevant stakeholders to identify areas for improvement in existing HR policies, processes, and programs.
• Assist with the implementation and evaluation of new or revised policies and programs, analyzing effectiveness and making adjustments as needed.

Coach, Inspire, Influence

• Build a team of great managers and specialists that are knowledgeable, driven and deliver impeccable results.
• Provide timely and actionable feedback to the team, bring a growth mindset by developing and coaching them.

Own the JDs and Comp/Ben of the Team

• Work closely with the HR Admin team to contribute to the development and ongoing maintenance of competitive benefits programs that align with employee needs. Stay informed of industry trends to recommend improvements.
• Partner with managers in conducting periodic reviews and revisions of JDs, ensuring they remain current and support operational effectiveness.

What You'll Bring

• 3–5 years of experience as an HR Generalist, including 2 years in a similar or related position.
• A bachelor's degree in Human Resources or a related discipline.
• Professional HR certification (CHRP is a plus) and active membership with IHRM.
• A solid grasp of Kenyan Labour laws, regulations, and best practices.
• The ability to build strong relationships across cross-functional teams and communicate and collaborate effectively.
• High self-awareness, with the flexibility to adjust your leadership approach to fit different teams.
• Exceptional communication skills and a proven ability to address conflict openly and constructively — you'll be setting the standard for how the whole organization communicates.