Department Manager, Laboratory

ABOUT PENDA HEALTH

Penda Health is an award-winning, innovative healthcare company dedicated to delivering high-quality, compassionate, and trustworthy care to every patient we serve. Our vision is for everyone in Africa to have healthcare they can trust — care that is accessible, reliable, and centred on people.

Today, our team of 600+ passionate professionals proudly operates 20 Medical Centres across Nairobi, Kiambu, and Kajiado Counties, offering a wide range of outpatient and diagnostic services.

At Penda, our culture is built on a place where our people grow, our patients feel valued, and our communities thrive — because we're Here When It Matters.

ROLE OVERVIEW

You willl be in charge of:
Laboratory technical leadership: Providing technical expertise and advice to Penda on laboratory services, including testing, equipment, reagents, processes, and technical requirements, and guiding decisions that affect laboratory service delivery.
Quality assurance: Ensuring quality across the full laboratory testing pathway, from sample collection and identification, handling and processing, testing, quality control, result validation, reporting, and follow-up of errors or incidents, to ensure results are accurate, reliable, and clinically useful.
Regulatory and standards compliance: Ensuring laboratory services comply with KMLTTB requirements and other applicable regulatory, professional, and quality standards, and leading the identification and closure of compliance gaps.
Operational and team support: Providing technical direction to laboratory teams, supporting consistent implementation of laboratory processes and SOPs across Medical Centers, identifying capability gaps, and working with Branch Managers and HRBPs to address staffing, performance, training, and other operational needs.

KEY RESPONSIBILITIES

Be a Penda Leader

• Model and champion the Penda Way — accountability, integrity, collaboration, and excellence — across the laboratory cadre.
• Coach and mentor Laboratory In-Charges, strengthening leadership capability, ownership, and operational discipline.
• Promote cross-departmental collaboration with Branch and Regional Managers through clear communication and timely follow-through.
• Lead regular lab forums and meetings that foster connection, alignment, and knowledge sharing across sites.
• Create a positive, empowering environment where lab teams feel valued, motivated, and aligned with Penda’s mission and values.

 Drive Operational Excellence

• Own delivery of laboratory KPIs across all medical centers — including quality control, turnaround time, utilization, and efficiency metrics.
• Standardize and improve workflows, SOPs, and reporting tools to ensure compliance, scalability, and effective service delivery.
• Drive adoption and optimal use of EMR and digital tools for accurate results management, traceability, and performance monitoring.
• Identify and resolve operational gaps promptly in collaboration with RMs, BMs, and support teams.
• Champion exceptional patient experience by upholding the Penda Patient Journey and using feedback data to drive improvement.

 Lead Talent Development & Performance

• Partner with HR and RMs to recruit, onboard, and retain skilled and values-aligned laboratory professionals.
• Ensure structured onboarding and ongoing coaching for In-Charges to meet operational, leadership, and quality expectations.
• Identify skill gaps through audits, data, and feedback, and coordinate targeted learning, mentorship, and refresher sessions.
• Monitor completion of mandatory and role-specific training through Talent LMS and support continuous professional growth.
• Build a strong leadership pipeline by nurturing In-Charges as future department leaders and quality ambassadors.

Ensure Quality, Compliance & Continuous Improvement

• Develop, implement, review, and maintain laboratory SOPs and quality systems that are aligned with regulatory requirements, internal policies, and accepted laboratory best practices. 
• Conduct and oversee laboratory audits, inspections, and quality checks across Penda Medical Centres to assess compliance, identify risks, and ensure consistent quality of laboratory services. 
• Strengthen adherence to quality control procedures, equipment calibration, and biosafety protocols.
• Collaborate with laboratory Incharges and Medical Center teams to strengthen implementation of quality standards, providing technical guidance and coaching where gaps are identified.
• Use audit findings, quality indicators, incidents, and other laboratory data to identify recurring risks and opportunities for improvement, and ensure that effective practices and improvements are shared and adopted across the network. 
• Promote a culture of continuous improvement by identifying and scaling high-performing practices and innovations.

Lead Departmental Initiatives & Support Growth

• Lead laboratory initiatives that enhance efficiency, quality, and cost-effectiveness across medical centers.
• Collaborate with Innovation, IT, Procurement, and Supply Chain teams to optimize equipment, systems, and reporting processes.
• Support new branch openings by ensuring timely lab setup, licensing, and operational readiness.
• Oversee implementation and growth of laboratory services such as Point-of-Care Testing (POCT) and ensure effective integration into operations.
• Contribute to cross-functional projects that strengthen clinical operations and overall service delivery.

Education & Qualifications

• Diploma in Laboratory Technology from a recognized institution.
• Registration with the Kenya Medical Laboratory Technicians and Technologists Board (KMLTTB) with a valid practicing license.

Experience

• Internally: A minimum of 2 years’ experience in laboratory technology practice at Penda, with at least 1 year of experience as a laboratory in-charge. Experience as a branch manager is an added advantage.
• Externally: Minimum of 3–4 years’ experience in laboratory technology practice, with at least 2 years in a supervisory or technical leadership role with responsibility for laboratory service oversight, quality assurance, and team leadership. 
• Proven experience managing lab operations, quality systems, and compliance in a busy healthcare environment.
• Demonstrated ability to lead teams, implement SOPs, and drive performance improvement.

Skills & Competencies

• Strong leadership and coaching ability with a focus on empowerment and accountability.
• Excellent knowledge of laboratory quality systems, biosafety, and diagnostic workflows.
• Strong planning, coordination, and analytical skills.
• Effective communication and collaboration across multidisciplinary teams.
• High integrity, accountability, and alignment with the Penda Way