The Nairobi Hospital
Chief Executive Officer
Job summary
Reporting to the Board of Management, the purpose of this role is to provide strategic direction
and leadership to the Hospital. The role holder is responsible for leading the development and
execution of the Hospital’s long and short-term plans and is ultimately responsible for all day- today management decisions.
Key responsibilities
Strategic leadership

Provide strategic leadership in the conceptualisation, development and implementation of
corporate strategy, business plans and objectives.

Give leadership and direction to the Divisional Heads and senior management in
operationalising strategic plans and facilitating achievement of the Hospital’s agreed
objectives and goals.
Operational oversight

Ensure the design, implementation and monitoring of effective policies, protocols, procedures
and work instructions for all aspects of Hospital operations.

Establish and maintain effective systems of communication throughout the Hospital.

Champion evidence-based practice, patient centered care, customer excellence and continual
improvement.
Stakeholder management

Ensure effective linkages between the Board of Management and the Hospital and vice versa
and, between the Board of Management and the Kenya Hospital Association Members and
vice versa.

Provide strategic linkages with the corporate world, business community, government
agencies and other partners for the benefit of the Hospital growth.
Financial management

Ensure that the hospital has suitable, effective and robust clinical, financial and operational
policies, systems and procedures in place to meet corporate objectives, ensure maximum
utilization of available capacity and optimal returns.

Conduct periodic clinical, financial and other operational reviews in order to determine
whether short-and long-term objectives are being met and effect necessary changes in light of
strategic direction, market and business environment factors.

Ensure that prudent financial management and investment undertakings are made in such a
manner that the medium term and long term viability of the Hospital is safeguarded.
People leadership

Oversee effective management of human resources for optimal productivity through policies
and strategies that attract and retain qualified and competent staff.

Establish robust senior management capacity building and succession planning programs.
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Governance and control

Develop, implement and institutionalize appropriate levels of internal controls for all
operations of the Hospital.

Ensure compliance with all statutory, legal, social and regulatory requirements in the
execution of business strategies.
Brand oversight and corporate representation

Facilitate the positive projection of the Hospital’s corporate image and ensure that high
standards of corporate citizenship and social responsibility are maintained.

Actively represent the public face of the Hospital in the healthcare industry, business and
social circles.
Organisational positioning
Board of Management
Chief Executive Officer
Medical Director
Director Nursing Services
Finance Director
Head, Support Services
Head, Human Resources
Head, Procurement & Stores
Head, Marketing & Customer
Service
Principal, School of Nursing
Academic and professional qualifications and knowledge

Degree in any field.

Professional/ executive qualifications in advanced management, health systems management,
strategic management or finance.
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Experience

At least ten (10) years’ executive management experience.
Core technical competencies required for the role

Health sector industry knowledge with clear understanding of business dynamics of the health
sector;

Strong financial management orientation;

Ability to identify, create and foster an organisational culture that is supportive of and builds
upon the core values of the Hospital;

Advanced business skills to develop new or enhance existing clinical and operational
strategies, business plans, policies and programs;

Ability to engage strategically and build strong transformative relationships with stakeholders;

People management and change leadership skills; and

Public relations and stakeholder engagement skills.
Core behavioural competencies
Competency
Description
Strategy
Strategic thinking
A CEO who possesses strategic thinking is able to think broadly
around the many issues which affect organisations operating in
increasingly complex environments. When developing a strategy
for his/her own organisation, s/he is able to take a long-term view,
to see beyond the obvious and to relate the potential impact of
wider issues to his/her own organisation.
Systems thinking
A CEO who possesses systems thinking understands that
independent actions or activities can affect disparate parts of
his/her organisation. S/he is knowledgeable about a wide range of
functions across the business and how they interrelate, taking
account of the impact of change across functions when developing
strategy and considering change to existing systems or processes.
Awareness of the external
environment
A CEO who possesses an awareness of the external environment
is conscious of developments and trends in the world at large.
S/he considers ongoing changes in society, government and
legislation, his/her own industry and market, imagining the likely
impact of these developments on his/her own organisation.
Initiating change
A CEO who initiates change is alert to the need for change before
that need becomes manifest in the external or internal
environment. S/he seeks to influence changing events,
encouraging the implementation of new policies, systems and
practices. S/he is proactive in communicating the need for change
to others and in monitoring the effects of change on the
organisation.
Culture
Quality focus
A CEO who possesses a quality focus demonstrates a personal
commitment to high standards of excellence and challenges
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others to meet or exceed those standards. S/he introduces,
develops and evaluates quality assurance systems and processes,
creating a culture of continuous improvement within his/her
organisation.
Teamwork focus
A CEO who possesses a teamwork focus fosters active cooperation among his/her colleagues in the pursuit of Board goals,
resolving conflict by exploring differences in an open and sensitive
way. S/he builds team spirit and cohesion across functional
boundaries in his/her organisation, encouraging a ‘team approach’
to problem solving and offering his/her own help and support.
People resource focus
A CEO who possesses a people resource focus has consideration
for and respect the needs and feelings of other people. S/he is
tolerant of differing points of view, recognising and valuing others’
contributions, abilities and opinions.
Organisational learning
focus
A CEO who focuses on organisational learning creates an
organisational climate which encourages people to learn from
their successes and failures. S/he promotes the development of
systems and processes which enable all of the organisation’s
stakeholders to give feedback, and use this information to re-focus
business strategy, develop new organisational structures, revise
existing functions and identify new products and services.
People
Communicating
A CEO who is well-developed at communicating is, first of all, a
good listener. S/he communicates with others in a clear and
concise manner and checks to ensure that messages have been
understood. S/he gains influence by the effective use of
information, targeting his/her communication to meet the
information needs of his/her audiences.
Creating a personal impact
A CEO who creates a personal impact makes an immediate
positive impression on others. S/he establishes a rapport quickly
and projects an aura of authority and credibility, persuading others
to give their agreement and commitment. In situations where
pressure or conflict arises, s/he retains his/her composure, using
personal influence to achieve compromise.
Giving leadership
A CEO who is good at giving leadership provides a clear sense of
direction to others. S/he is ready and able to take charge of a
situation, organising resources and guiding others towards the
successful completion of the task at hand.
Promoting development of
others
A CEO who promotes the development of others actively seeks to
encourage others to develop their own skills and talents. S/he
creates a positive organisational climate which fosters learning
and development by evaluating his/her own and others’
performance fairly and objectively, providing honest and
constructive feedback, and acting as coach or mentor when
appropriate.
Networking
A CEO who possesses the skill of networking uses informal
’systems’ to get things done. S/he establishes, maintains and
develops a wide range of contacts which enables him/her to
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gather information and utilise the strengths and abilities of others
in order to enhance organisational and personal performance.
Operations
Governance
A CEO who is skilled at governance knows and understands
his/her regulatory, fiduciary, and legal responsibilities. S/he
respects his/her ethical and moral obligations and acts with
integrity at all times, setting high standards of ethical behaviour
for everyone in the organisation.
Decision making
A CEO who possesses the skill of decision making is willing to
commit to a definite course of action and can support or defend
his/her decisions with confidence. S/he makes firm and timely
judgements based on factual information and reasonable
assumptions, using a variety of information sources and
management tools and techniques.
Contributing specialist
knowledge
A CEO who is able to contribute specialist knowledge possesses a
breadth and depth of technical knowledge and experience in
his/her field.
S/he maintains and develops this knowledge
throughout his/her professional life, keeping abreast of
developments in his/her own and related industries and markets.
S/he are willing to share his/her knowledge and experience with
others, applying his/her specialist skill to improve the overall
performance of the organisation.
Managing performance
A CEO who is skilled at managing performance seeks constantly to
maximise organisational effectiveness by monitoring and
reviewing performance. S/he strives to balance performance
based on short-term objectives against achievement of longerterm strategic goals. S/he requires that sufficient data about
financial and other parameters of organisational performance are
available, assimilating it quickly and interpreting it objectively
against appropriate benchmarks.
Analysing situations
A CEO who is able to analyse situations ensures that all of the
relevant information has been gathered, linking it together to
establish cause and effect and to identify any relationship between
issues. S/he probes the facts and challenges assumptions,
ensuring that all aspects of an issue are considered and debated
thoroughly.
Additional skills

Results oriented leader with the ability to lead a diverse group of professionals;

Highly developed problem solving, negotiation and conflict resolution skills; and

Highly developed interpersonal and communication skills.
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