Jacaranda Overview

Jacaranda Maternity & Family Hospitals (www.jacarandamaternity.co.ke) is building one of Africa’s most trusted and scalable healthcare platforms, starting with maternal, neonatal, and Paediatric care. Across five hospitals serving lower-income communities in Kenya, we deliver over 200,000 patient interactions and 3,500 safe deliveries each year, combining world-class clinical quality with an aspirational, customer-centric experience.

We sit in the critical space between overstretched public health systems and expensive private care — and we do it profitably. Backed by leading global impact investors including Swedfund, Africa Health Master Fund, UBS Optimus Foundation, J&J Impact Ventures, and Boehringer Ingelheim, Jacaranda has built a powerful moat in maternal healthcare. We are now entering our next phase: scaling our operating model across Kenya and beyond.

This is a moment where execution matters more than advice — and that’s where this role comes in.

Chief of Staff Overview

Reporting to the CEO, the Chief of Staff (CoS) is responsible for behind-the-scenes coordination that would allow the CEO to more effectively run the business. He/She will facilitate efficient working within Jacaranda by ensuring that business strategy is clarified and executed across the company. The CoS will identify and solve strategic and/or cross functional operational issues, ranging from the most sensitive Board-level topics to more mundane administrative matters.

The CoS will work at the intersection of strategy, operations, and leadership, translating vision into actionable priorities and ensuring that the company delivers against its strategic objectives. This includes owning high impact, cross cutting initiatives, resolving complex company challenges and providing analytical insight to inform executive and Board level decision making.
This is a high visibility; high impact role designed as a leadership accelerator. The successful candidate will gain unparalleled exposure to all aspects of the company. 

Key Responsibilities

CEO Support

• Support the CEO in managing projects (some assigned, others proposed by the CoS) – to give a flavor of these projects, we want technology to streamline and optimize our human resource costs, wishing to leverage AI for clinical decision making, and launching a new ERP to help plug gaps in our existing HMIS, to improve patient journeys, and also improve margins;
• Central point of communication for the CEO, internally and externally; keep the CEO informed and help anticipate key issues affecting the business holistically;
• Prepare all materials and logistics for board meetings, and other corporate annual meetings of key constituents;
• Manage and prioritize workflows to ensure that meeting reports, minutes, correspondence and matters for attention are dealt with in a professional and timely manner;

Coordination of teams

• Facilitate communication and collaboration in decision-making, program management, and initiative implementation among senior management;
• Identify cross-functional challenges/bottlenecks and facilitate communication and solutions;
• Provide strategic analysis and thought leadership on competitive landscape; keep up with competitive and industry trends;

Strategic projects

• Help define the strategic vision for the organization and document business plans and initiatives; provide leadership to ensure follow-through on strategic initiatives;
• Prioritize key initiatives to drive maximum business, clinical, and team impact across our existing branches;
• Provide a strong voice and analytical/strategic insight to inform decisions on new business offerings, entry into new markets;
• Play a critical role in high profile acquisitions and financing projects;

Capacity building

• Assist in improving current processes and coordinate organizational procedures for optimized efficiency and productivity;
• Help provide training support for various team members from assisting with modeling and analytics;
• Serve as a role model for mentorship and knowledge sharing, both in day-to-day activities and in helping upgrade enterprise level systems and capabilities

Supervisory Responsibilities

The CoS will largely be an individual contributor, sitting on the executive committee and reporting to the CEO. That said, on a project basis other teams will report into the CoS
Additionally, we may build out a small team under the CoS including functions such as market analytics, marketing and communications, and IT (this is all TBC)
Over time, the CoS may also have oversight for any administrative resources to support our executive team.

Candidate Profile

• Bachelor’s degree in the related field required.  MBA or Master’s degree is preferred (but not required)
• 3+ years’ work experience – strong preference for someone with a management consulting background
• Strong analytical skills required (proficient in modeling and Excel)
• Strong presentation and written communication skills required (proficient in PowerPoint and Word)
• Ability to synthesize large quantities of information and distil into key action points
• Self-starter – ability to work in a self-directed way while keeping everyone informed
• Highest level of professionalism and confidentiality
• Personality profile to fit into a high-growth, entrepreneurial culture that requires teamwork and significant interaction with employees at all levels
• Ability to manage details but also think high level (dig through the weeds, but have the 10,000 foot view)
• Willing to work hard, get your hands dirty and run through walls to achieve results
• Passion for Jacaranda’s Mission

If this feels like the right role for you, feel free to apply directly through the portal.