Background information about the job or company

The Higher Education Loans Board, HELB, is the leading financier of higher education in Kenya. It is a State Corporation under the then Ministry of Higher Education, Science and Technology. HELB was established by an Act of Parliament (Cap 213A) in 1995.The mandate of the Board is to disburse loans, bursaries and scholarship to students pursuing higher educa...

Responsibilities or duties

The job holder is responsible for overseeing and providing leadership in the formulation, implementation, monitoring, evaluation and reporting on the institution’s Strategic Plan and Performance Contract, monitoring, evaluation and reporting on corporate performance. The role provides oversight on policies and strategies on customer engagement, Quality Management Systems (ISO), knowledge management and innovation, business intelligence, research that leads into new products and services, and analysis of emerging trends for business process re-engineering to identify process improvement opportunities and redesign processes.

Duties and responsibilities will entail:

• Coordinating and developing the Board’s corporate strategy and monitoring its implementation.
• Analyzing key performance indicators for the formulation of departmental plans, programs and activities aligned to the corporate mission and governmental priorities.
• Coordinating the performance contracting process.
• Coordinating continuous monitoring and evaluation of the strategy and making course corrections.
• Coordinating the organizational budget planning cycle through aligning the budget with the strategic plan.
• Coordinating periodic management strategy review meetings.
• Analyzing key performance indicators for the formulation of departmental plans, programs and activities aligned to the corporate mission and governmental priorities.
• Overseeing the monitoring and evaluation of all the Board’s programs and projects.
• Developing, reviewing and maintaining the monitoring and evaluation framework.
• Compiling and disseminating various monitoring and evaluation reports.
• Monitoring and evaluating execution of the approved performance contract and providing performance evaluation feedback reports to departments.
• Establishing and coordinating the mainstreaming of an innovative culture within the organization and establishing monitoring and evaluation frameworks to assess innovation systems and programs.
• Establishing partnerships with both public and private entities to enhance access to resources and finances required for implementation of innovations and motivating the generation and management of innovations to help establish and maintain an innovation lab and hub.
• Developing and implementing the research strategy and annual research plan, and planning, designing and carrying out research and surveys and preparing reports.
• Coordinating the development and review of the Board’s policies, guidelines, procedures and manuals in liaison with all departments.
• Establishing and managing research partnerships both locally and externally.
• Managing outsourced research activities.
• Disseminating and sensitizing on the organization’s policies and guidelines.
• Facilitating the development of new products and services through research in liaison with relevant departments.
• Carrying out periodic environmental analysis on business trends.
• Overseeing the Board’s business intelligence systems and activities.
• Designing suitable tools for research and reporting formats of analyzed data to facilitate decision making.
• Managing online and physical resource centres and libraries for efficiency in information gathering, storage and retrieval.
• Advising and coordinating the implementation of business process re-engineering initiatives.
• Maintaining the Board’s quality management system through quality assurance programs.

Qualifications or requirements

For appointment to this grade, an officer must have:

• Served for a cumulative period of fifteen (15) years relevant work experience, three (3) of which must have been in the grade of Assistant Director, Research and Planning or in a comparable position.
• Bachelor’s degree in Economics, Statistics, Mathematics with Economics, Strategic Management, Business Development, Development Studies, Business Administration or equivalent qualifications from a recognized institution.
• Master’s degree in Economics, Statistics, Mathematics with Economics, Strategic Management, Business Development, Development Studies, Business Administration or equivalent qualifications from a recognized institution.
• Leadership course lasting not less than four (4) weeks from a recognized institution.
• Membership to a relevant professional body and in good standing where applicable.
• A valid practicing certificate where applicable.
• Certificate in computer applications.
• Shown merit and ability as reflected in work performance and results.

Experience needed

Fifteen (15) years relevant work experience, three (3) of which must have been in the grade of Assistant Director, Research and Planning or in a comparable position.

• Coordinating and developing the Board’s corporate strategy and monitoring its implementation.
• Analyzing key performance indicators for the formulation of departmental plans, programs and activities aligned to the corporate mission and governmental priorities.
• Coordinating the performance contracting process.
• Coordinating continuous monitoring and evaluation of the strategy and making course corrections.
• Coordinating the organizational budget planning cycle through aligning the budget with the strategic plan.
• Coordinating periodic management strategy review meetings.
• Analyzing key performance indicators for the formulation of departmental plans, programs and activities aligned to the corporate mission and governmental priorities.
• Overseeing the monitoring and evaluation of all the Board’s programs and projects.
• Developing, reviewing and maintaining the monitoring and evaluation framework.
• Compiling and disseminating various monitoring and evaluation reports.
• Monitoring and evaluating execution of the approved performance contract and providing performance evaluation feedback reports to departments.
• Establishing and coordinating the mainstreaming of an innovative culture within the organization and establishing monitoring and evaluation frameworks to assess innovation systems and programs.
• Establishing partnerships with both public and private entities to enhance access to resources and finances required for implementation of innovations and motivating the generation and management of innovations to help establish and maintain an innovation lab and hub.
• Developing and implementing the research strategy and annual research plan, and planning, designing and carrying out research and surveys and preparing reports.
• Coordinating the development and review of the Board’s policies, guidelines, procedures and manuals in liaison with all departments.
• Establishing and managing research partnerships both locally and externally.
• Managing outsourced research activities.
• Disseminating and sensitizing on the organization’s policies and guidelines.
• Facilitating the development of new products and services through research in liaison with relevant departments.
• Carrying out periodic environmental analysis on business trends.
• Overseeing the Board’s business intelligence systems and activities.
• Designing suitable tools for research and reporting formats of analyzed data to facilitate decision making.
• Managing online and physical resource centres and libraries for efficiency in information gathering, storage and retrieval.
• Advising and coordinating the implementation of business process re-engineering initiatives.
• Maintaining the Board’s quality management system through quality assurance programs.

• Analytical skills.
• Strategic, innovative and critical thinking.
• Interpersonal skills.
• Negotiation skills.
• Leadership skills.
• Team building ability.
• Mentoring and coaching.
• Demonstrates managerial, administrative and professional competence as reflected in work performance.

• Served for a cumulative period of fifteen (15) years relevant work experience, three (3) of which must have been in the grade of Assistant Director, Research and Planning or in a comparable position.
• Bachelor’s degree in Economics, Statistics, Mathematics with Economics, Strategic Management, Business Development, Development Studies, Business Administration or equivalent qualifications from a recognized institution.
• Master’s degree in Economics, Statistics, Mathematics with Economics, Strategic Management, Business Development, Development Studies, Business Administration or equivalent qualifications from a recognized institution.
• Leadership course lasting not less than four (4) weeks from a recognized institution.
• Membership to a relevant professional body and in good standing where applicable.
• A valid practicing certificate where applicable.
• Certificate in computer applications.
• Shown merit and ability as reflected in work performance and results.