Human Resource Manager - Support Office

About Penda Health

Founded in 2012, Penda Health is committed to delivering high-quality, trustworthy, and patient-centred healthcare to Kenyan families. With 19 medical centres located in neighbourhoods across Kenya—and a growing virtual care platform, Pigia Penda—we make quality healthcare accessible, affordable, and convenient.

At Penda, patients come first. We listen closely to patient feedback, invest in tech-enabled systems to improve care delivery, and work with trusted partners to build healthcare solutions for the future. Our licensed, caring, and friendly medical teams are dedicated to getting patients back on their feet as quickly as possible, without overpaying.

We’re also proud to be a great place to work—bringing together passionate local and international professionals who go above and beyond every day to serve individuals, families, and communities. If you believe healthcare should be human, reliable, and accessible, you’ll feel at home at Penda Health.

About the Role

Penda’s ability to deliver excellent patient care depends on a strong, effective Support Office that enables and empowers frontline teams.

The HR Manager plays a key role in building this foundation by strengthening people practices, developing capability, and embedding clear standards across the Support Office.

The role works across all HR disciplines to ensure SO teams are skilled, aligned, and consistently delivering the level of support required to drive organisational outcomes. This role reports to the Director of People & Culture.

Key Responsibilities

• Culture, Engagement & Employee Experience

• Role models the Penda Way by leading with heart, demonstrating ethical judgment, and doing the right thing even when it is difficult.

• Strengthens the cultural bridge between support office and frontline teams by fostering collaboration, shared understanding, and a sense of connection so we operate as “One Penda.”

• Acts as a culture ambassador, reinforcing behaviours that drive Penda’s mission and vision across all Support Office teams.

• Supports Support Office engagement initiatives, including recognition moments, events, and touchpoints that strengthen belonging and team cohesion.

• Reviews Support Office eNPS themes and works with HoDs to implement meaningful, actionable improvements.

• Maintains presence in the Support Office to understand morale, emerging issues, and opportunities to strengthen culture and accountability.

• Ensures day-to-day HR interactions reinforce a service mindset: reminding Support Office teams that their work enables front-line teams, patient care, and organisational impact.

• Talent Processes, Workforce Planning & Onboarding

• Supports the Director of People & Culture by gathering workforce insights from HoDs and preparing inputs required for workforce planning and organogram updates.

• Supports the Talent Acquisition Manager with recruitment activities such as candidate coordination, assessments, screening support, and documentation.

• Owns and coordinates the Support Office onboarding process, ensuring new staff have a structured, high-quality introduction aligned to expectations.

• Monitors role transitions, probation status, and onboarding outcomes, recommending improvements to strengthen long-term performance.

• Employee Relations & Performance Management

• Partners with managers to set clear expectations, performance standards, and documentation aligned to organisational goals.

• Supports managers through fair and timely handling of employee relations issues, ensuring compliance and strong case documentation.

• Guides managers through the full performance management cycle, including performance reviews, KPI setting, feedback, development plans, performance improvement plans, and bonus alignment.

• Tracks recurring performance or behaviour patterns across Support Office teams and flags systemic issues for proactive resolution.

• Follows up with managers to ensure the timely closure of people issues and escalates where required.

• Learning, Development & Capability Building

• Works with the Director of People & Culture and HoDs to identify capability gaps and areas requiring targeted development.

• Leads Support Office trainings, learning programs, and capability-building initiatives, ensuring they address identified needs and strengthen performance.

• Supports leadership readiness by coordinating targeted learning pathways for potential future leaders.

• Tracks TalentLMS completion, compliance, and usage levels; follows up with HoDs to drive adoption.

• Evaluates feedback on learning activities and recommends enhancements to improve relevance and effectiveness.

• Supports the development of content for SLT meetings and All Hands sessions to reinforce culture, alignment, and organisational learning.

• Continuous Improvement, Stakeholder Support & Alignment

• Builds strong relationships with HoDs to understand people's challenges, support decisions, and anticipate HR needs.

• Reviews HR and people processes within the Support Office, identifies gaps or inconsistencies, and leads updates to HR policies and SOPs to strengthen clarity and alignment.

• Ensures revised policies are clearly communicated and consistently applied across all SO teams.

• Coordinates with HR Operations, Talent Acquisition, and other HR IPS functions to ensure seamless cross-functional HR service delivery.

• Tracks HR follow-ups, risks, and agreed actions, ensuring timely closure and escalation when needed.

• Provides people-related insights, observations, and recommendations to the Director of People & Culture to support strategic decision-making.

Qualifications, Skills, & Experience

• Higher diploma in Human Resource Management from a recognized institution. A bachelor’s degree is an added advantage.

• HR certification and active IHRM membership.

• 4 years of progressive HR generalist experience, ideally supporting multiple functions or departments.

• Hands-on experience in employee relations, performance management, HR coordination, and supporting talent processes.

• Experience working in a fast-paced, structured environment, ideally with exposure to both field and back-office operations.

• Strong understanding of HR policies, processes, and labor laws.

• High personal accountability with strong follow-through and attention to detail.

• Confident and assertive when reinforcing standards and guiding managers.

• Excellent communication and relationship-building skills.

• Ethical, fair, and emotionally intelligent in handling sensitive matters.

• Leads with heart while maintaining high performance expectations.

• Service mindset with an understanding that Support Office work enables frontline teams and better patient outcomes.