East Africa Business Manager, Viya Health Enterprises (VHE)

Position Title: East Africa Business Manager, Viya Health Enterprises (VHE)

Reports to: Vice President, Social Business Unit & Global Operations

Based in: Kenya, Uganda, or Ethiopia

Travel: 10-25% international travel

Application Deadline: June 30, 2023

Who we are?

PSI is an International NGO that has a network of locally rooted, globally connected organizations working to achieve consumer-powered healthcare: people-centered health systems that ensure quality, affordable care wherever and whenever it is needed. PSI’s origins in sexual and reproductive health have grown into a broader mission. Today, PSI works with the public and private sectors as well as local communities, prioritizing people’s voice and choice and developing solutions to meet their essential health needs. Over the past five decades, PSI has helped push boundaries, break taboos, set trends, and develop innovative solutions to complex global health challenges.

Viya Health Enterprises is a subsidiary of PSI NGO and part of PSI’s Income Generating Wing/Social Business Unit with operations in 23 countries and a growing annual sales revenue. It is a social business registered in East Africa and with offices in Kenya, Uganda, and Ethiopia. Viya Health Enterprises harnesses the power of technology and leverages PSI’s legacy of product social marketing to better support individuals in their health journeys. From periods to pleasure, Viya provides the tools and resources to make the right decisions for their bodies, health, and future. Viya Health Enterprises’ goal is to deliver a frictionless user experience both through our own delivery and in partnership with others – connecting content and community with products and services and always keeping our consumer as our CEO.

Join us!

We are looking for an entrepreneurial leader who can quickly bring the Viya vision to life in East Africa. Working with a small but mighty team, this role is focused on creating a solid foundation for business operations, prioritizing efficiency, and driving innovations that will support an ambitious growth agenda for Viya as a digitally enabled social business in the sexual health and wellness space.

Viya Health Enterprises was established in a few countries in East Africa, which are currently managed as distinct entities and handle a diverse portfolio of products. The goal of this role will be to consolidate operations, where appropriate, revisit and revise existing business plans with a look towards optimization of product portfolio and growth – particularly in digital innovations – collaborate on fundraising and financing support in line with social impact goals and business objectives and build, manage and mentor a diverse team with a focus on meeting critical health needs while delivering positive bottom-line performance.  If you are hungry to be at the start of something big, to really be able to make your mark and believe that consumers should have greater control over their health choices then this might just be the role for you.

Sounds like you? Read on!

Your Contribution:

• Manage the current business and drive the growth of the future business, with the identification and execution of new products and digital opportunities that deliver business and social impact.

• Provide overall direction and deliver on a multi-country health care business in East Africa. Build out the range of products and possibly services delivered that meets the needs of current and future consumers. Responsible for P&L management in Kenya and Uganda, and close business support to operations in Ethiopia. Responsible for developing multi-year business plans, funder budgets (donor), donor and investor management, and, within the portfolio of companies in the region, ensure the business delivers on planned results, seeking top and bottom-line growth.

• Responsible for positioning VHEs work in the broader East Africa community. Ensuring the balance between profitability and social impact is carefully managed and that VHEs is a positive impact contributor to the sexual health and wellness impact segment. This includes identifying and managing partner relationships, seeking financing and funding support for growth-oriented business plans, ensuring evidence and learning is integrated into business model design, to contribute to the broader digital and public health community.

• Lead the development of efficient systems to support timely delivery and quality assured programming. VHE in East Africa is still in start-up mode. This role will initially support the development and delivery of business operations needed for efficient business management. Once established this role will transition to supporting the appropriate management of business operations in line with policies and efficient business practice. As newer technologies or approaches become available, this role will support the adaption and change management processes for system adjustment.

• Lead the development of a people management strategy, building on global best practice and prior experience. The power of an organization are its people. And culture is critical to organizational success. This individual will be responsible for setting the organizational tone, establishing and building a cohesive and high performing team, recruiting and supporting team members and building the HR function. Manage for results, valuing and rewarding high performance, accountability, speed and efficiency and innovation, while keeping the client at the heart of everything we do.

• Represent VHE to the governments, donors, and other key stakeholders.

• Responsible for preparing and executing annual budgets and work plans; developing new business opportunities; overseeing financial, administrative, and logistical resources; ensuring adherence to VHE’s minimum standards, policies, and procedures; and assuring quality operations in line with annual and long-term strategic goals and objectives.

What are we looking for?

• University Degree in Business Administration, Finance, Marketing, or related degree. A postgraduate qualification, e.g., MBA will be advantageous.

• Digital business development, preferably in health – or pharma experience preferred.

• 15 years’ experience, of which at least 5 years should be managing a P&L. Multi-country management experience preferred.

• Experience of growing a business in terms of financial and social impact, preferably with a strong digital business component.

• Proven general management experience in operationally demanding and challenging environments (to include staff recruitment, training, and supervision of teams).

• Designed and delivered strategic and annual business plans.

• Board Management experience.

• Experience of fundraising and managing income generation from funders, donors and/or commercial activities.

• Experience delivering proven results by making informed decisions with the use of management information.

• Demonstrable experience of Digital health/MIS and emerging online commerce platforms.

• Proven experience of change management, including identifying required change, leading the change program, and ensuring change is embedded and sustained.

• Financial management experience, including internal controls and accountability. Ideally the individual should have managed a social business; however, they must have experience managing and improving the bottom-line impact of an organization.

• Previous experience identifying and sharing best practice and encouraging innovation within dispersed teams.

• Strong communication skills.

The candidate we hire will embody PSI’s corporate values:

Measurement: You use hard evidence to make decisions and guide your work. You set clear goalposts in advance and explain clearly if you need to move them.

Pragmatism: You’ll strive to deliver the best possible result with the resources available. You won’t be paralyzed by a need to make things perfect.

Honesty: You own your mistakes and are open about your shortcomings – it’s the only way you’ll learn and improve.

Collaboration: You’ll quickly establish a mental map of whom you can rely on for what, on your team, at headquarters, and in our country offices – if you try to do it all yourself, you won’t succeed.

Trust: You accept limits to your sphere of control and give colleagues the benefit of the doubt.

Commitment:  You are in it for the long haul and want to grow with the organization, just like PSI serves its consumers and partners with host-country governments through thick and thin.