Director, Strategy

ABOUT VILLAGEREACH

VillageReach transforms health care delivery to reach everyone. We are driven by a vision of a world where each person has the health care needed to thrive. VillageReach’s goal is to reduce inequities in access to quality primary health care for 350 million people by 2030. We work with governments, the private sector, partners and communities to build responsive primary health care systems that deliver health products, information and services to the most under-reached. As a locally driven and globally connected organization, VillageReach has offices in the Democratic Republic of Congo, Kenya, Malawi, Mozambique and the United States. 

Summary

The Director, Strategy is a new position which will lead and strategically advise on VillageReach’s relationships with African governments, inter-governmental institutions in Africa, multi-lateral institutions that work in global health in Africa, and non-state actors working or with interests in the health space in Africa. This position will collaborate across the organization to increase the visibility of VillageReach amongst ministers of health in Africa, institutions that work in health in Africa, and strengthen strategic collaboration with relevant non-state actors. The Director, Strategy will support the CEO and President in building strategic relationships with a broad range of African governments, African institutions, and stakeholders working on health in Africa. The ideal candidate will have deep knowledge of the complex global health landscape in Africa, have a strong commitment to improving health equity, and a track record of working with ministers of health. The location of this role will be in either Seattle, USA or Nairobi, Kenya.

Description

Essential Duties and Responsibilities include the following. Other duties, responsibilities, and activities may change or be assigned at any time.

• Advise the CEO & President on strategic relationships that contribute to increasing the visibility, influence and leadership of VillageReach in the global health space.
• Support the CEO & President in securing collaboration and partnerships that are aligned with the strategic vision and direction of VillageReach.
• Lead the design and implementation of high-impact initiatives of the CEO & President while ensuring alignment with VillageReach’s priorities.
• Develop, maintain and grow a portfolio of strategic relationships with African Governments, particularly the leadership in Ministries of Health.
• Develop, maintain and grow a portfolio of relationships with the leadership of African inter-governmental institutions at both continental and regional levels.
• Identify current opportunities for strategic collaboration and partnership for health in Africa with relevant partners and develop strategic relationships that drive resources towards VillageReach’s priorities.
• Maintain extensive knowledge of VillageReach’s programs to create links between VillageReach strategic priorities and those of the institutions working in health in Africa.
• Lead engagements with relevant institutions working on health in Africa and manage relationships to position VillageReach as a preferred partner.
• Develop and maintain close working relationships within VillageReach to ensure the vision of the CEO for strategic relationships with African governments, continental institutions and partners is realized.
• Represent VillageReach at relevant meetings to interact with key stakeholders and strategically influence partnership decisions to include VillageReach.
• Support Board Responsibilities as needed.
• Promote VillageReach’s values of Diversity & Inclusion, Innovation, Collaboration, and Excellence.
• Any other duties that may be requested by the supervisor.

Competencies:

VillageReach has ten (10) Organizational Competencies that describe how we work together and get things done that are grouped into three strategic areas of Achieving Great Results, Setting Direction and, Bringing Others With you. For a full description, please download our Organizational Competency document.

Achieving Great Results:

1. Risk Taking and Innovation

• Key Behaviors: Comfort with ambiguity, curiosity, adaptability, unconstrained and undeterred creativity, resourcefulness.

2. Business Judgement

• Key Behaviors: Getting to root causes, understanding environment, navigating complexity and ambiguity, entrepreneurial energy.

3. Building Strong Teams

• Key Behaviors: Trust in Subject Matter Experts (SME’s); radical candor to resolve conflict, hold each other accountable as colleagues, focused on results, commitment to mission.

Setting Direction:

4. Compelling Communication

• Key Behaviors: Clear and evidence-based communication, audience adaptability, curious listener. 

5. Resilient Self Leadership

• Key Behaviors: Self-aware, plan how one shows up, emotionally intelligent, use one’s own agency and takes accountability.

6. Stewardship and Personal Alignment

• Key Behaviors: Take ownership, display ethical conduct, effective at resource management, alignment of personal objectives with organizational goals and mission, focus on continuous improvement and sustainability.

Bringing Others with You:

7. Influencing Leadership

• Key Behaviors: Cultivate trust, influences to make change, navigate the matrix structure.

8. Radical Partnership

• Key Behaviors: Share information and credit, address conflict, increase impact through collaboration, political and contextual awareness.

9. Cultivates a Growth Mindset

• Key Behaviors: Seek out diverse input, demonstrate flexibility in thinking and curiosity, embrace challenges, demonstrate persistence, seek learning opportunities.

10. Cultural Intelligence and Inclusion

• Key Behaviors: Continuous learning and ally-ship across cultural lines, challenge prejudice and bias, modeled in one’s own behavior.

REQUIREMENTS

To perform this job successfully, an individual must be able to perform each essential duty satisfactorily. The requirements listed below are representative of the knowledge, skill and/or ability required. Reasonable accommodation may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.

Supervisory Responsibilities:

This position has no supervisory responsibilities currently but may with time supervise at least 1 (one) employee. Carries out supervisory responsibilities in accordance with the organization’s policies and applicable laws. Responsibilities include interviewing, hiring, and training employees; planning, assigning and directing work; monitoring performance; rewarding and disciplining employees; and addressing complaints and resolving problems.

Education & Experience:

• Master’s degree in Public Health, Business/Public Administration, Law or a related field.
• Advanced certification in leadership and management, and/or project management is highly desirable.
• At least 10 years of relevant professional experience at the international level with proven experience in developing and managing complex strategic initiatives.
• Prior experience working in Africa with senior leadership in global health, at country and organizational levels.
• Strong leadership, stakeholder engagement, administrative, project management, presentation, reporting, communication, and diplomacy skills, including experience in high-level collaborations and partnerships.
• Ability and willingness to work in challenging and changing environments, and to see through challenges and find solutions.
• Critical thinking, results-oriented ability to creatively align organizational and partner priorities.
• Excellent writing skills with ability to translate complex information into clear language.

Other Qualifications:

• Established cultural competency in partnering with racial, cultural and linguistically diverse groups.
• Willingness to relocate to Nairobi
• Demonstrated understanding of challenges with working in rural, underserved and low-income context; experience living in and/or working in a low-income country a plus.
• Proficient in Microsoft Office Suite (Word, PowerPoint, Outlook, Excel) and comfortable in a fast-paced technical environment.
• Fluency in English required.

Environment and Physical Demands:

VillageReach employees typically work in a shared, open environment with task and conference rooms accessible to employees for privacy and meetings. The noise level in the work environment is usually quiet. Due to the time zone differences across our USA, Kenya and Country Offices and location of other global staff, we have established core collaboration hours between 6am Pacific Time and 18:00 South Africa Time (GMT+1) Monday through Thursday. All staff, regardless of location, are expected to be available between these hours. During Daylight Savings Time, this allows for 12 hours per week (3 hours/day) of collaboration time and during Standard Time, 8 hours (2 hours/day). We do not hold cross-office meetings on Friday.

COMMITMENT TO DIVERSITY & INCLUSION:

VillageReach is an Equal Employment Opportunity Employer committed to workforce diversity. We believe that diverse, equitably weighted perspectives foster an organizational capacity to create novel solutions that improve health in the most under-reached and hard-to-reach areas. To align our values, innovations and impact, VillageReach is committed to recruiting and retaining a diverse global workforce.

APPLICATION INFORMATION:

This is an immediate hire and therefore resumes will be reviewed on a rolling basis until August 30th. To apply, please submit your resume and a cover letter to our online portal: http://www.villagereach.org/join-us/.  In your cover letter, please address (1) Why you are interested in this position, (2) What is one reason you think you’d be a good fit for this position and, (3) what is one strength you would bring to this position?

Hiring Process:

The hiring process will include the following steps:

1. Review submitted applications
2. Conduct 20-30 minute screening interviews for shortlisted candidates
3. Conduct skills and value-based interviews for 3-5 candidates.
4. Request that top candidates submit a practical assessment (designed to take no more than two hours to complete). Sometimes the assignment will occur before the interview.
5. Conduct final interview if necessary
6. Request references 
7. Make offer 
8. Conduct background check

Only shortlisted candidates will be contacted, but candidates who proceed to step 2 will be notified if they are not chosen for step 3.

Safeguarding:

VillageReach is committed to promoting the welfare of children, young people, adults, and beneficiaries with whom it engages. We expect everyone working with us to share this commitment through our code of conduct.All offers of employment will be subject to satisfactory references and appropriate screening checks, which may include criminal records. VillageReach participates in the Misconduct Disclosure Scheme and, in line with this Scheme, we will request information from job applicants’ previous employers about any findings of sexual exploitation, sexual abuse, and/or sexual harassment during employment, or incidents under investigation when the applicant left employment. By applying, the job applicant confirms his/her understanding of these recruitment procedures.

Compensation & Benefits:

VillageReach has an established compensation structure that is based on the relevant market and internally transparent. The range for this position if hired in the US is $120,600 to $149,400. If hired in Kenya, the range is $100,100-$140,900. We hire people into the established range based on one’s experience and education and considering internal equity. We do not inquire about salary history. Please refer to our compensation overview on our website for more information and for more information on employee benefits.