Country Director - Kenya

About MSI

MSI Reproductive Choices is one of the world’s leading providers of sexual and reproductive healthcare. We believe that everyone should have the right to choose. From contraception to safe abortion and life-saving post-abortion care, we are committed to delivering compassionate, affordable, high-quality services for all.

Today, our organisation has over 9,000 team members working in 37 countries across the world. Our success lies in the fact that MSI teams are locally led, entrepreneurial and results-driven, and are passionate about delivering high quality, client-centred care in their own communities. As a social business, we focus on sustainable delivery, efficiency, and funding models that are built to last, so that the women and girls we serve today will have a choice in the future too.

We know that access to reproductive choice is life changing. For some, it can mean the ability to complete an education or start a career. For others, it means being able to look after the family they already have. For everyone, it means the freedom to decide their own future, creating a fairer, more equal world.

About the Programme

Marie Stopes Kenya (MSK), an affiliate of MSI Reproductive Choices, is registered in Kenya as a local Non-Governmental Organization (NGO) operating within the country. MSK has been providing access to high-quality and affordable sexual and reproductive health (SRH) services to all people across Kenya since 1985. MSK’s bold 2030 strategy states: “By 2030, no abortion will be unsafe, and everyone will have access to contraception”.

In Kenya, there is still a high rate of Maternal Mortality Rate (MMR) of 355 deaths per 100,000 live births and a total demand for family planning of 76% among married women aged 15-49 years and a modern contraceptive prevalence rate of 57%. We believe everyone, from whatever background, should be able to choose whether and when to have children and that services for post abortion care should always be accessible, affordable, and safe.

MSK is proud to offer a service delivery approach that is free from stigma, judgement, and discrimination, regardless of age, location, background, marital status, or economic status. MSK provides all modern methods of contraception and comprehensive post-abortion care (CPAC), ante- and post-natal care, sexual health counselling, gynecological check-ups, cervical cancer screening and treatment, and testing and treatment of HIV and other sexually transmitted infections. With over 200 permanent staff, MSK delivers services in 41 counties.

All management and coordination of activities is centralized in the country support office in Nairobi. MSK’s service delivery channels are adapted to fit the different contexts of each county. The goal is to maximise opportunities for building sustainable platforms that can provide lasting impact on the health outcomes of Kenyans. In 2023, 677,894 clients were reached through MSK’s service delivery points across the country.

MSK is committed to leaving no one behind by serving the poorest, most underserved people. MSK strongly focuses on reaching adolescents, communities living in extreme poverty, and other marginalized groups, such as people with HIV, people with disability, survivors of gender-based violence and disaster-affected populations.

Community-based events organized by community health volunteers and in collaboration with schools ensure sexually active girls pursuing their education can easily access services. In 2023, 43% of MSK’s FP and CPAC services offered were to clients aged 25 or younger with 18% being under 20 years.

About the Role

The Country Director, Kenya is responsible for delivering results for women and their families, driving programmatic excellence, and implementing best practice at scale in Kenya. They provide high quality services where they are needed the most, and their work directly contributes to preventing maternal deaths and making a sustainable impact on the lives of thousands of people every year. The CD is also responsible for ensuring Kenya’s social business model has a strong footing on both the social and business side.

The Country Director, Kenya is a key leadership position of a large and complex programme in one of MSI’s largest programmes. The CD represents the organisation in Kenya and is responsible for the overall strategy, management (programmatic, financial, and administrative), and development of Kenya’s national family planning and SRH programmes. They lead skilled, professional country teams to deliver life-saving services through clinical centres, mobile outreach teams, social franchising, and social marketing.

In addition, they are responsible for preparing and executing annual budgets, marketing plans and work plans; developing new business opportunities; overseeing financial, administrative and logistical resources; ensuring adherence to MSI minimum standards; and assuring quality operations in line with annual and long-term strategic goals and objectives. The Country Director manages for results, valuing and rewarding high performance, accountability, speed and efficiency and innovation, while keeping the client at the heart of everything we do.

The Country Director is Kenya’s senior representative in the country of assignment. Reporting to Africa Regional Office of MSI, MSK is an implementing partner of the MoH, with whom MSK works closely

About You

We recruit talented, dynamic people with diverse backgrounds and experiences, all united by a belief in our mission and a focus on delivering measurable results. We’re proud to be an equal opportunities employer and are committed to creating a fully inclusive workplace, where everyone feels able to participate and contribute meaningfully. You must be open-minded, curious, resilient, and solutions-oriented, and committed to promoting equality, and safeguarding the welfare of team members and clients alike.

To perform this role, it is essential that you have the following skills:

• Proven experience of driving impact, quality and sustainability in programmes and improving operational standards
• Effective interpersonal skills with the ability to lead, motivate and guide Country Programmes. Proven ability to effectively communicate ideas, proposals, issues and implications at senior level.
• Excellent project management skills related to organisational development projects and international, cross- functional teams with a proven history of delivering results.
• Highly developed problem solving, diplomatic, networking and negotiation skills.
• Demonstration of ‘making things happen’, operating at pace and delivering effectively through others.
• Proven ability to effectively communicate ideas, proposals, issues and implications at senior level
• Strong Financial management skills

To perform this role, it is essential that you have the following experience:

• Experience of developing and successfully implementing business plans and growth strategies, with a track record of aligning resources with key priorities, keeping management teams focused on critical milestones and consistently achieving results.
• Experience of communicating a range of complex issues with the ability to convey an inspiring vision and purpose both within operations and where appropriate across other business functions.
• An understanding of major policies/ issues of large bilateral/multilateral donors strong working knowledge of business practices
• An international mind-set, with an understanding of, and empathy for, the development sector, together with an appreciation for cultural differences
• Experience in leading a social business preferably in a developing country.
• Experience of formulating and controlling budgets to ensure effective monitoring takes place.
• Understanding of the issues surrounding provision of reproductive health care services internationally.
• A reputation for ‘making things happen’, operating at pace and delivering effectively through others.

Personal Attributes:

We seek exceptional individuals who are aligned to MSI’s mission and entrepreneurial mindset. You must be a strong communicator, self-motivated and solutions-seeking, committed to driving social change in an environment that measures sustainable results and impact at an individual and global level. You must be able to work effectively with and across diverse teams and be comfortable with ambiguity. 

For this role, we’re looking for an individual who is:

• Energy, drive and unwavering commitment for MSI’s mission, with the ability to push boundaries, and make tough decisions and challenge others in line with our mission.
• Passionate about our clients and strives to consistently meet and exceed expectations, putting the clients at the centre of everything, and ensuring we deliver high quality, high impact services that meet their individual needs.
• Highly motivated with the ability to motivate and develop the skills of the team and inspire individuals and teams through situational leadership and by providing clear direction.
• Works as part of a team, providing support and flexibility to colleagues, demonstrating fairness, understanding and respect for all people and cultures.
• Ability to influence key stakeholders at all levels both internally and externally within the organisation. Acts as a true MSI ambassador
• A commercial mind-set, understanding the levers for profitability for success within the marketplace. Focuses on results, ensuring long term sustainability and increased impact.
• Takes accountability for the decisions made and the behaviours demonstrated.
• Aware of the emerging developments within our sector, with the ability to focus and articulate a vision of the future which inspires and excites others, while understanding the detail and looking for the evidence
• Highest levels of integrity, and a strong ethical sense
• Knowledge and experience of the region
• Ability to travel throughout Africa and internationally to represent the cluster both internally and externally.
• Someone who is both business- and data-literate.

Please click here to view the job framework

Location: Nairobi, Kenya

Full-time: 40 hours a week, Monday to Friday

Contract type: 3 year fixed term appointment.

Salary: Competitive Salary + Bonus + Benefits

Salary band: BG 11

Closing date: 15^th August (midnight GMT+1). Interviews may take place before this date for exceptional candidates.

For internal employees applying from an MSI country programme, the role will be positioned within the existing salary structure of the country. Local terms and conditions of the country will apply.