Role Summary
The Director, Advocacy and Strategic Partnerships is a member of the Senior Leadership Team (SLT) responsible for driving Living Goods Kenya’s overarching advocacy, donor and development partners partnership, and resource mobilization strategies. The role is split between 70% Kenya-focused strategy and strategic partner ecosystem management and 30% Regional/Global influence and thought leadership. The Director owns the external narrative, leverages evidence to position Living Goods (LG) as a thought leader, and leads regional coalition building, while providing strategic oversight to the Kenya Government Relations function. The Director will also work closely with the Global Business Development, Advocacy, and Communications teams across Kenya, Uganda, Burkina Faso and the United States to optimize strategic and operational synergies.
Key Responsibilities
Strategy, Leadership & Department Oversight (25% - Country)
- Lead the development and execution of Living Goods Kenya's advocacy strategy, encompassing policy, strategic partnerships, health financing, and resource mobilization, in support of organizational priorities, ensuring alignment with donor requirements, organizational values, and budget commitments.
- Provide leadership, line management, and mentoring to the Advocacy and Strategic Partnerships team (including the Senior Government Advisor), fostering performance, accountability, and professional growth.
- Strengthen organizational capacity for advocacy and influence by embedding strategic relationship building & stakeholder management, political acumen, and influencing skills across Program Delivery, Digital Health, and other government-interfacing roles to drive successful partner and county-level engagements.
- Oversee departmental annual planning, budgeting, performance tracking and Monitoring, Evaluation, and Learning (MEL), ensuring sound financial stewardship, timely financial accountability, and effective measurement of advocacy, influence, and systems-change outcomes.
- Foster cross-functional collaboration within Living Goods to integrate advocacy and strategic partnerships capabilities across all departments and maximize impact.
Strategic Advocacy and Policy Influence (25% - Country)
- Represent Living Goods as the primary decision-maker on national and sub-national steering committees and executive policy boards, delegating day-to-day Technical Working Group (TWG) activities to the Senior Government Advisor.
- Build and leverage executive relationships across government, including the Ministries of Health, National Treasury, Labour, Social Protection, Education, Devolution, and the Council of Governors, to influence policy, secure political commitment, resolve implementation barriers, and advance sustainable community health systems.
- Cultivate and strengthen multi-stakeholder partnerships across government agencies (e.g., SHA, DHA), civil society organizations (CSOs & coalitions), and the private sector to align advocacy priorities and advance policy and systems change.
- Serve as Living Goods’ primary external spokesperson, overseeing media engagement, strategic communications, and evidence-based thought leadership (op-eds, white papers) to elevate the organization's influence and policy agenda.
Donor Engagement, Resource Mobilization & Health Financing (20% - Country)
- Lead relationships with bilateral, multilateral, philanthropic and private sector donors (e.g., Global Fund, Gavi, World Bank, USAID, bilateral/philanthropic partners) to align donor financing with MoH community health (CH) priorities.
- Partner closely with the Global Business Development, Advocacy, and Communications (BDAC) team to co-develop fundraising strategy, donor pitches, proposals, storytelling and content production to strengthen strategic positioning with current and prospective funders.
- Lead Living Goods Kenya's health financing agenda by advancing domestic resource mobilization, influencing public financing for community health and primary health care, and supporting the costing, budgeting, and operationalization of government-led community health investments.
Global & Regional Influence & Representation (30% - Regional/Global)
- Provide strategic input into Living Goods' regional advocacy priorities, messaging, and positioning, drawing on country experience and emerging policy and financing trends. Build and strengthen regional partnerships, coalitions, alliances, and networks to advance primary health care (PHC), community health worker (CHW) professionalization, and shared advocacy priorities.
- Represent LG at high-profile regional and global convening forums (e.g., CPHIA, AHAIC, World Health Assembly) to position LG as a global thought leader.
- Contribute to regional policy dialogue and knowledge exchange by showcasing country evidence, lessons learned, and best practices to influence regional agendas and partner priorities.
- Guide country teams across regions to track, navigate, and unlock global funding mechanisms (Global Fund, Financing Facility, etc.) and leverage regional partnerships that support country resource mobilization objectives.
Qualifications & Experience
- Master's degree in Public Health, Public Policy, International Relations, Health Economics, or related field.
- At least 10–15 years of progressive senior leadership experience in strategic advocacy, global health, donor relations, or public affairs.
- Experience in leading and designing advocacy, policy and/or strategic communication programmes at Country and/or regional level is required.
- Proven track record of building global/regional strategic partnerships, securing institutional funding, and influencing multi-sectoral government departments and multi-lateral donors.
- Demonstrated experience in high-level advocacy representation on country, regional and international platforms.
- Deep expertise in the global health ecosystem, donor mechanisms (Global Fund, Gavi, World Bank), and health financing trends.
What We Offer
- Competitive Salary Package with Annual Review
- Comprehensive Retirement Benefits
- Private Medical Cover
- Life Assurance
- Competitive Parental Leave (4 months fully paid maternity leave, 4 weeks paternity leave)
- 25 working days of paid annual leave
- Education Support
- Daily Healthy Snacks and Fruits
- Flexible / Hybrid Working Arrangements
