Vacancies at Lwala Community Alliance (LCA)

Job Summary 

Lwala Community Alliance is seeking to employ a dedicated and skilled Junior Applications  Engineer to support the development, maintenance, and integration of digital health solutions  that enhance healthcare delivery. In this role, you will work with platforms such as CommCare,  Salesforce, eCHIS, OpenFN, Jira, Superset, Registry Systems, and CHT. Additionally, you will  contribute to integrating AI, machine learning models, FHIR servers, and ODKs to improve  system efficiency and functionality. 

As part of LCA’s digital health team, you will help design and optimize technology-driven  interventions that support frontline health workers, improve data-driven decision-making, and  drive impactful health outcomes. This position is ideal for someone passionate about public  health, experienced in digital systems especially in resource-constrained settings and eager to  explore AI and machine learning applications in healthcare.

Key Responsibilities 

• Application Support & Maintenance: 
  • Assist in configuring and maintaining digital health applications, including  CommCare, Salesforce, and eCHIS. 
  • Support troubleshooting, resolving system issues, and maintaining high system  availability. 
• Data Integration & Management: 
  • Help integrate multiple data sources into systems like PowerBI, Superset, and  OpenFN for reporting and dashboards. 
  • Collaborate to ensure consistent and high-quality data across platforms.
• Development & Implementation: 
  • Assist in adapting and testing eCHIS for Lwala’s community health programs.
  • Support the integration of health machine models, FHIR servers, and ODK tools  into existing systems. 
  • Participate in implementing open-source software and contribute to community  health systems like the Community Health Toolkit (CHT). 
• AI and Machine Learning Integration: 
  • Understand or be willing to learn AI, machine learning, and their applications in  health systems. 
  • Assist in developing and integrating predictive health machine models into  Lwala’s technology stack. 
• System Scalability: 
  • Support the preparation of digital systems for scaling to new program areas.
  • Monitor and recommend improvements for system performance and scalability. 
• Collaboration & Training: 
  • Work with cross-functional teams, including Ministry of Health technical teams  and other partners, to align technology with program needs. 
  • Provide training and technical support to users of digital systems, including ODK  implementations. 

Qualifications & Experience 

Education: 

• Degree in Computer Science, IT, Statistics, or a related field. 

Experience: 

• Minimum 3 years of experience in a related role, such as software development,  database administration, or systems analysis. 
• Exposure to health informatics, FHIR servers, or community-based health projects in  Kenya is an added advantage. 

Technical Skills: 

• Basic knowledge of databases (e.g., CouchDB, PostgreSQL). 
• Familiarity with programming languages like JavaScript, ReactJS, or NodeJS. Experience with JSON, XLS forms, and tools like CommCare, OpenFN, and ODK. Knowledge of health technologies such as FHIR servers, predictive health machine  models, and AI tools is a strong plus. 
• Willingness to learn new technologies, including AI, machine learning, eCHIS, PowerBI,  and Superset. 

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Overview

The Senior Manager-Community Health is a position designed to deliver a core component of the community-led health model and Lwala’s work.  It is central in overseeing organizational efforts to advocate for and build strong community health systems, train and grow the community health workforce, and demonstrate the effectiveness of primary healthcare.  This position reports to the Director of Primary Healthcare. It is at the core of delivery and requires exceptional operational excellence, program development and management skills, ability to manage and coordinate diverse teams, and agility in managing relationships with the Ministry of Health. Lwala’s approach to program delivery is through health systems strengthening that centers Ministry of Health leadership ensuring that all interventions we implement can be taken over by the government.  

Key Responsibilities

As the Senior Manager-Community Health, you will play a critical role in driving the delivery of our model, ensuring that community health interventions are delivered with programmatic excellence to achieve sustainable outcomes in health outcomes throughout Kenya. 

Program Leadership:

• Work with the Director of PHC and other programs to execute community health program vision and goals.
• Ensure coherence in community health program implementation across counties.
• Provide direction and guidance to program managers, ensuring alignment with the organization’s mission and objectives.
• In line with national standards for community health and proven industry practice, deliver across counties and ensure programmatic impact and growth.

Program Design, Implementation and Documentation:

• Oversee the implementation of comprehensive community health programs in line with Kenya’s community health strategy and Professionalized CHW (proCHWs) principles that meet community needs and achieve organizational objectives. 
• Lead program managers across focus counties in the timely development and execution of program work plans, and budgets, and ensure adherence to program quality and standards at all times. 
• Support county teams in the development of county-detailed implementation plans in partnership with the county community health focal persons and respective directors.
• Work with the R&L teams to ensure that monthly monitoring data are in place to track program outcomes and impact. 
• Develop/ update Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) for programme delivery and learning that ensure that implementation processes are documented and adhered to.
• Monitor and report program performance against Key Performance Indicators (KPIs), and oversee the development of detailed implementation plans in line with approved work plans.
• Support program scale-up to new counties and maintain program quality at all times. 
• Oversee implementation of learning pilots in community health and be responsible for collaboration with any external parties and harvesting lessons that could lead to the incorporation of those pilots or parts of them into core programming or policy.

Partnership Development

• Cultivate and maintain strategic partnerships with local communities, the Ministry of Health at county and national levels, peers, and relevant stakeholders 
• Responsible for hosting donor visits, representing the organization in donor conversations, and contributing content for the development of grant proposals. 
• Technical lead on all matters relating to community health and may be called upon to be the lead on technical grants in this area.
• Work with External Affairs teams to ensure that Lwala is well positioned as a technical partner to county departments of health and that our innovations are taken up by government partners at the county and national levels.

Team Leadership and Management:

• Great people manager, ensuring collaboration and camaraderie among diverse teams in different locations and a shared sense of purpose.
• Supervise community health team members ensuring effective performance and accountability. 
• Foster a collaborative and inclusive work environment that promotes professional growth and development of the team. 
• Performance management of the community health team and ensuring a culture of high performance.
• Ensure county teams are adequately supported and their needs for optimal performance are met in collaboration with relevant departments.

Financial Oversight and Compliance

• Significant responsibility for budget management and oversight that includes preparation of annual work plans and budgets for the community health program, monthly projections, and forecasting and monitoring the delivery of community health program burn rates.
• Authority to incur and approve community health program activity requests ensuring strict adherence to expenditure ceilings and alignment with approved work plans and budgets.
• Work closely with the team, director of PHC, and director of finance and operations to steward financial resources and ensure probity in program spending. 
• Monitor program expenses and activity reports to ensure compliance with grant requirements and organizational finance policies and procedures. 
• Collaborate with the finance team to prepare accurate and timely grant budgets and reports as needed. 

Qualifications and Experience

• A minimum of 8 years of senior-level experience in Program Management, preferably in the field of community health, public health or international development. 
• Master’s degree in a relevant field such as public health, development studies or related discipline.
• Proven track record of successfully designing, implementing, and evaluating complex programs in Kenya. 
• Strong leadership and management skills, with the ability to inspire and motivate teams to achieve organizational goals. 
• Attention to detail, highly methodical and ordered, and high affinity for maintaining standards and consistency in program implementation.
• Exceptional strategic thinking and problem-solving abilities, with a results-oriented approach. 
• Experience in cultivating and maintaining partnerships with diverse stakeholders especially the MoH and local communities. 
• Excellent writing, communication and interpersonal skills, with the ability to to effectively engage with stakeholders at all levels. 
• Demonstrated commitment to community development, the communities that we serve, social justice, and health equity.