Amref Health Africa, founded in 1957, stands as the largest African-based international health development organization. The institution has made significant progress in improving health outcomes across Africa, currently running more than 180 programs that reach over 40 million people across 35 countries. With its headquarters in Nairobi, Kenya, and country offices in Burkina Faso, Ethiopia, Guinea (Conakry), Kenya, Malawi, Senegal, South Sudan, Tanzania, Uganda, and Zambia, Amref has established itself as a leader in community-driven health systems.
Additionally, Amref has eleven advocacy and fundraising offices in Europe and North America, which support its mission and programs throughout the continent. Guided by its vision of achieving lasting health change in Africa, Amref Health Africa’s mission focuses on catalyzing and driving community-led, people-centered health systems while addressing social determinants of health. The organization believes that lasting transformation in Africa’s health sector must be driven by its communities — ensuring that health systems remain functional, accountable, and responsive to local needs.
Amref is currently implementing a large-scale, multi-country initiative titled Building a Resilient and Responsive Health Workforce in Africa, under its Africa Health Collaborative (AHC) Program. In partnership with the Mastercard Foundation, the program’s goal is to address the critical shortage of health workers across the continent by promoting job creation and entrepreneurship within the primary health care (PHC) sector.
To support the successful implementation of this initiative, Amref is seeking to recruit a qualified and motivated Project Associate – Health Entrepreneurship (HENT Associate), who will be based in Nairobi, Kenya, under a contract engagement.
About the Role
The Project Associate – Health Entrepreneurship will provide technical support in the area of health entrepreneurship for the Africa Health Collaborative (AHC) Program, which focuses on building a resilient and responsive health workforce in Africa. This four-year program, supported by the Mastercard Foundation, is being implemented in Kenya, Senegal, and Zambia in its first phase.
The role recognizes the current challenge that Africa faces in healthcare workforce shortages, with only 11.2 health workers per 10,000 people, far below the World Health Organization’s recommended ratio of 44.5 per 10,000. With Africa’s population continuing to grow rapidly, there is an urgent need to expand employment opportunities within the healthcare sector to address both workforce and service delivery gaps.
Reporting to the PHC Program Manager, the HENT Associate will oversee the health entrepreneurship pillar of the program and play a critical role in building and strengthening ecosystems that enable entrepreneurship and innovation among the primary healthcare workforce, including Community Health Promoters. The position will involve close collaboration with stakeholders at national and county levels to ensure that program interventions align with Kenya’s job creation and health system strengthening priorities.
Key Responsibilities
The Health Entrepreneurship Associate will perform a wide range of responsibilities grouped under five key areas: Project Management, Health Entrepreneurship Support, Monitoring and Evaluation, Health Ecosystem Strengthening, and Program Development.
1. Project Management
The HENT Associate will provide technical oversight and coordination for entrepreneurship activities under the Africa Health Collaborative (AHC) Program. This will include:
- Offering technical expertise to ensure that entrepreneurship initiatives align with the overall goals and objectives of the AHC program.
- Collaborating closely with project leads and the PHC Program Manager to manage stakeholder relationships and ensure smooth coordination across all program components.
- Conducting regular risk assessments to identify potential challenges and developing mitigation strategies that ensure the continuity and success of program activities.
- Monitoring progress and ensuring that deliverables are achieved within agreed timelines and quality standards.
- Supporting the development of work plans, activity schedules, and resource allocation frameworks for entrepreneurship-related initiatives.
2. Health Entrepreneurship Support
The associate will lead the design, implementation, and scaling of entrepreneurship initiatives across the healthcare ecosystem. Responsibilities will include:
- Leading strategic mapping and analysis of entrepreneurship opportunities within the health sector, particularly focusing on public and private financing options such as the Social Health Insurance Fund.
- Providing targeted business development support to health workers and entrepreneurs to strengthen their supply chains, operational efficiency, and sustainability.
- Establishing and coordinating inter-university and inter-institutional social entrepreneurship networks to promote innovation among tertiary-level students and graduates.
- Conducting entrepreneurship skills mapping among young people and facilitating targeted training programs that address gaps within the health ecosystem.
- Partnering with innovation hubs, youth networks, and technology partners to co-create scalable, community-driven solutions for the healthcare sector.
- Supporting the organization of innovation challenges, boot camps, and accelerator programs aimed at promoting health-related entrepreneurship.
- Collaborating with stakeholders to develop and deliver training programs on social entrepreneurship, business development, and supply chain management tailored for health sector entrepreneurs.
- Supporting the development, testing, and scaling of innovative business models such as Village Savings and Loan Associations (VSLAs), Social Franchising, Social Marketing, and other entrepreneurship approaches that enhance the financial inclusion and sustainability of health sector enterprises.
3. Monitoring, Evaluation, Research, and Learning
A key component of the position involves ensuring that all entrepreneurship-related interventions are evidence-based and continuously improved through data and research. The Associate will:
- Support monitoring and evaluation processes to assess program progress and measure the impact of entrepreneurship activities within the AHC program.
- Facilitate the collection, analysis, and reporting of data on entrepreneurship interventions using internal and external monitoring systems such as dashboards, CHW registries, and project-specific tools.
- Document and disseminate best practices, success stories, and lessons learned from implementation to inform future programming.
- Collaborate with the monitoring, evaluation, and research teams to conduct operational research aimed at identifying best practices in health entrepreneurship.
- Contribute to the design and implementation of data-driven methodologies, work plans, and learning frameworks that strengthen the entrepreneurship ecosystem in the PHC sector.
4. Health Ecosystem Strengthening
The role requires active engagement in ecosystem building and stakeholder coordination to ensure that entrepreneurship efforts are sustained and integrated into the broader health system. The Associate will:
- Support policy engagement activities at both national and county levels, with a focus on addressing youth involvement and entrepreneurship gaps in the healthcare system.
- Build and maintain strong partnerships with key health sector actors, government departments, regulators, academic institutions, and private sector entities.
- Represent Amref Health Africa in technical working groups, conferences, and workshops related to health entrepreneurship.
- Collaborate with Amref’s technical teams to co-design and institutionalize interventions that promote entrepreneurship and innovation within the health sector.
- Foster the development of a robust health entrepreneurship ecosystem that encourages innovation, collaboration, and sustainability across multiple stakeholders.
5. Program Development
The Associate will also contribute to program design and fundraising efforts to ensure sustainability and scale-up of successful entrepreneurship models. Responsibilities include:
- Actively participating in concept note and proposal development processes aimed at attracting new funding for entrepreneurship-related programs.
- Engaging with donors, partners, and stakeholders to develop strategic partnerships that expand the reach and impact of Amref’s entrepreneurship initiatives.
- Supporting the integration of entrepreneurship components into new and existing Amref programs to ensure holistic health system strengthening.
Required Education and Experience
- A university degree in Economics, Health Systems Management, Business Administration, or other related social sciences.
- At least three years of relevant experience in youth or health entrepreneurship.
- Demonstrated experience in working with multidisciplinary teams within the development or private sectors.
- Experience in delivering technical assistance or institutional capacity-building initiatives is an added advantage.
- Strong reporting, presentation, and analytical skills.
- Willingness to travel domestically and internationally when required.
Skills and Competencies
- Strong strategic thinking and analytical abilities.
- Excellent oral and written communication skills for diverse audiences.
- Effective coordination, problem-solving, and networking abilities.
- Proven stakeholder engagement and relationship management skills.
- Strong decision-making, planning, and organizational abilities.
- Ability to perform effectively under pressure and deliver within strict timelines.
Application Guidelines
Interested candidates should submit their application consisting of a detailed cover letter and an updated CV outlining relevant skills and experience. The closing date for applications is October 9, 2025.
Applications should be submitted via email following the instructions provided in the official job posting.
Amref Health Africa emphasizes that it does not require applicants to make any form of payment at any stage of the recruitment process and has not engaged any recruitment agents. Official correspondence from Amref Health Africa will only come from an @amref.org email domain.
Amref Health Africa is committed to creating a safe and inclusive environment. The organization upholds the principles of safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children, young people, and vulnerable adults. It is an equal opportunity employer that values diversity and operates in a non-smoking environment.
