Health Workforce Digital Transformation Director

Job Description

Amref has leveraged digital technologies for health worker capacity building for more than a decade. Our digital learning tools, such as Jibu and Leap, have facilitated the scale of our programmes in over 30 countries within the sub-Saharan Africa region. We are continuously seeking new ways to adapt and incorporate digital technology to improve health workforce performance and efficiency. We therefore seek an outstanding and highly ambitious individual to join Amref Health Africa’s Institute of Capacity Development (ICD) ‘s Senior Leadership Team to drive the next stage of growth in digital learning and innovation.

ABOUT THE ROLE

Under the leadership of the Director, the Institute of Capacity Development (ICD), the Health Workforce Digital Transformation Advisor will provide technical leadership in defining the health workforce digital transformation strategy for Amref’s Learning for Life (L4L): Building a Resilient and Responsive Health Workforce in Africa programme which sits within ICD. This 4-year programme, in partnership with the Mastercard Foundation, will be implemented in Kenya, Senegal and Zambia during this first phase. The estimated ratio of health workers per population in Africa is 11.2 workers per 10,000 people, far below the World Health Organisation (WHO) recommended ratio of 44.5. The global shortage of health workers is estimated to increase from 12 to 18 million by 2030, translating to a shortage of six million health workers. Africa also has the world’s fastest-growing population, which presents governments and policymakers with opportunities and challenges to ensure sufficient livelihood opportunities for its young population. To address these challenges and accelerate the current Universal Health Coverage (UHC) gains, Amref is implementing this innovative, multi-country, multi-million dollar programme to contribute to increased and sustainable job creation within primary health care (PHC) sectors across Africa.

Reporting to the Director of ICD, the Health Workforce Digital Transformation Advisor will be charged with steering ICD’s creative engine and fostering a culture of ingenuity. S/he will identify emerging trends, develop strategic digital learning strategy, and integrate cutting-edge solutions to improve the productivity and employability of health workforce. They will act as a catalyst for change, bridging the gap between abstract ideas and practical implementation while ensuring alignment with Amref’s corporate strategy.

As the holder of this position, you will have responsibility for the overall leadership, development, planning and delivery of the strategic direction of the L4L programme digital transformation strategy, working closely with internal (country offices, Amref International University) and external stakeholders and partners. You will participate in decision-making, advocating for and implementing digital learning policies and strategies within ICD. You will be a compelling thought leader representing Amref and ICD to governments, donors, partners, the health development community, and other stakeholders to position the digital learning agenda.

PRINCIPAL RESPONSIBILITIES

• Lead the development and execution of the L4L health workforce digital transformation strategy to drive growth, creativity in programming and competitive advantage.
• Identify and analyze new technologies, market trends, and industry insights to inform the L4L digital transformation strategy.
• Build and manage product lifecycles of a diverse health workforce digital portfolio through incremental improvements, breakthrough initiatives, and solutions.
• Facilitate collaboration across the organization to ensure the integration of digital learning and innovative solutions into Amref’s programmes, products, services, and operations.
• Oversee the digital transformation pipeline, ensuring a steady flow of business opportunities for increased health workforce productivity.
• Engage with external ecosystems, such as regulatory bodies, training institutions, research institutions, and other partners, to identify needs, co-create and implement novel health workforce solutions.
• Champion a culture of innovation within ICD by promoting risk-taking and learning from failure.
• Secure funding and resources, including presenting business cases to the ICD and Amref leadership and external stakeholders to operationalize the health workforce digital transformation strategy
• Measure and report on the impact of digital learning and innovation initiatives, including performance metrics and return on investment.
• Mentor and develop team members to build a strong, cross-functional team capable of executing the digital transformation agenda
• Stay abreast of legal and regulatory developments that could impact the digital transformation agenda or the adoption of new technologies.

KNOWLEDGE AND EXPERIENCE

• A minimum of 10 years of experience with a proven track record, preferably in the private sector, focused on developing, managing, and scaling digital solutions to address challenges and meet needs in sub-Saharan Africa.
• A master’s degree in Digital Health or a related field.
• Requisite business acumen and experience to identify entrepreneurial opportunities using digital solutions
• A broad understanding of digital transformation strategies, their current limitations, future trends and health workforce industry requirements.
• Demonstrable experience of initiating the change and adoption process of innovations.
• Ability to apply design thinking in identifying, setting and managing client expectations, increase customer satisfaction and play a leadership role in managing client relationships.
• Strong operational, people management and resource skills gained in complex, fast-paced environments.
• Significant stakeholder management experience, across countries in the health and development sectors, including government and donor engagement, prior knowledge and existing networks of their strategies, and trends in international development.
• Experience in identifying improvement opportunities and course correcting as necessary. You have the ability to sense make data and maintain an adaptative approach to project implementation.
• You have a relevant university degree plus relevant postgraduate qualification in information technology.

SKILLS AND COMPETENCIES

• Strong analytical skills, and apt at turning abstract discussions into concrete ideas.
• Excellent communication – oral and written - skills including developing and delivering proposals and reports.
• Ability to perform optimally within tight deadlines, flexible attitude.
• Demonstrable innovative and critical thinking and problem solving skills
• Curious: genuine inquisitiveness with a bias toward asking and learning, and an authentic interest in others and what they might have to share.

Application deadline is September 17, 2024

Duly note that Amref Health Africa does not require applicants to pay any money at whatever stage of the recruitment and selection process and has not retained any agent in connection with recruitment. Although Amref may use different job boards from time to time to further spread its reach for applicants, all open vacancies are published on our website under the Vacancies page and on our official social media pages. Kindly also note that official emails from Amref Health Africa will arrive from an @amref.org address.

Amref Health Africa is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children, young people and vulnerable adults and expects all staff to share this commitment. Amref Health Africa is an equal opportunity employer and has a non-smoking environment policy.

About the Organization

Amref Health Africa was founded in 1957 and has since grown to become the largest African-based international health development organisation; currently implementing more than 180 programs, reaching more than 40 million people across 35 African countries; and a staff complement of over 2,000. Headquartered in Nairobi, Kenya, Amref Health Africa has offices in ten countries in Africa – Burkina Faso, Ethiopia, Guinea (Conakry), Kenya, Malawi, Senegal, South Sudan, Tanzania, Uganda and Zambia. An additional eleven advocacy and fundraising offices are located in Europe and North America.

Amref Health Africa is driven by its vision of ‘Lasting health change in Africa’ and its mission ‘To catalyze and drive community-led and people-centred health systems while addressing social determinants of health’. We believe that the power to transform Africa's health lies within its communities, and therefore strive to ensure that health systems are not only functional but that communities are empowered to hold these systems accountable for the delivery of quality and affordable health care.

For more information visit our website www.amref.org