Palladium is seeking a Director, Digital Platforms & Business Development to lead and scale the Nairobi Digital Hub as a multidisciplinary engineering organization across software, data, cloud, DevOps, QA, security, and UX. This senior leadership role balances technical strategy, execution oversight, product creation, and commercial growth, focusing heavily on digital health solutions and technology-enabled services. You will drive product creation, shape partnership ecosystems, and manage high-performing teams to deliver impactful digital solutions.
Primary Responsibilities
Portfolio Leadership and Team Management
- Lead and scale the Nairobi Digital Hub as a multidisciplinary engineering organization across software, data, cloud, DevOps, QA, security, and UX.
- Provide executive oversight of major digital and platform implementations, balancing innovation, delivery discipline, risk, and financial performance.
- Represent Palladium as a senior digital and engineering leader with clients, funders, governments, and private sector partners.
- Ensure projects align with Palladium’s platform strategy and Digital Hub delivery model.
- Recruit, mentor, and retain strong engineering and product talent while building sustainable delivery capacity and clear career pathways.
- Foster a builder culture grounded in ownership, accountability, learning, and delivery excellence.
Technical Strategy and Execution Oversight
- Define and lead Palladium’s digital platform strategy across interoperable architecture, open-source/public goods ecosystems, data platforms, analytics, and AI.
- Set and uphold engineering standards for architecture, code quality, security, scalability, documentation, and DevOps.
- Oversee the design, build, and operation of shared platforms, accelerators, and reusable components.
- Drive a product- and platform-led delivery model supported by modern engineering practices such as Agile, CI/CD, cloud-native, API-first, and modular design.
- Provide senior technical leadership on architecture, integration, and interoperability across sectors.
- Ensure platforms are secure, scalable, compliant, and supported by reusable reference architectures and blueprints.
Growth and Business Development
- Originate, develop, and close digital platform and product opportunities, with a strong focus on digital health solutions, data platforms, and technology-enabled services.
- Lead end-to-end business development, including pipeline creation, client engagement, solution design, pricing, and deal closure.
- Drive product creation and commercialization, packaging digital platforms into scalable, repeatable offerings (e.g., SaaS, managed services, digital health solutions).
- Build and execute market entry strategies, particularly in digital health and adjacent sectors.
- Establish and grow strategic partnerships with technology firms, digital health companies, startups, investors, and ecosystem partners to support co-creation and co-investment.
- Identify and pursue new revenue streams, including private sector clients and blended finance opportunities beyond donor-funded work.
- Lead or contribute to proposal development, including technical design, commercial structuring, and value proposition articulation.
- Act as a client-facing commercial leader, capable of pitching, negotiating, and closing complex digital and platform deals.
Product & Platform Creation and Commercialization
- Lead the design, development, and launch of digital products, with emphasis on digital health platforms and interoperable solutions.
- Define product vision, roadmaps, and go-to-market strategies for platform-based offerings.
- Ensure platforms are designed for scalability, reuse, and commercial viability, including SaaS and managed service delivery models.
- Collaborate with engineering, product, and commercial teams to bridge product development and revenue generation.
- Continuously iterate offerings based on market demand, client feedback, and emerging digital health trends.
Required Qualifications & Experience
- Education: BA/BSc/HND in Computer Science, Information Technology, Engineering, or a related field.
- Experience: 15+ years in software engineering, digital platforms, or technology leadership roles.
- Demonstrated success in business development, sales, or commercial roles, including originating opportunities, shaping deals, and closing revenue-generating engagements.
- Proven experience leading engineering teams and growing digital platform engineering teams at scale.
- Strong understanding of cloud platforms (AWS, Azure, GCP); modern software architectures (microservices, APIs, event-driven systems); and data platforms and analytics.
- Proven experience in building partnerships and ecosystems, particularly with technology firms, digital health organizations, or platform providers.
- Experience operating at the intersection of technology, product development, and commercial strategy.
- Track record of delivering complex digital solutions in multi-stakeholder environments.
Core Capabilities
- Strong commercial acumen with the ability to drive revenue and close complex deals.
- Ability to translate product, engineering, and market needs into compelling platform offerings.
- Expertise in partnership development and ecosystem building, especially in digital and health tech.
- Excellent communication with technical and non-technical audiences.
- Comfort operating in ambiguity and building new models.
- Strong people leadership and coaching skills.
Desired Criteria
- Experience in building or scaling digital health, health tech, or data-driven health platforms or products, not just projects.
- Exposure to managed services or SaaS-style models.
- Experience working with or alongside startups and technology vendors.
- Background in global development, DPI, or large-scale public-sector digital programs.
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