Grace Kariuki

I am a versatile Programme Manager with substantial practical experience in planning, implementing, and managing national and regional projects, especially in the health sector. I am focused, proactive, and committed to delivering the highest service standards while utilizing best practices in providing project and technical leadership to ensure compliance with quality standards, timelines and other requirements. I possess excellent interpersonal and communication skills in dealing with staff, donors, partners, and beneficiaries. My key strengths include superior networking skills, staff leadership, project implementation, strategic thinking while meeting strict deadlines, and a keen eye for detail.

Over the past 15 years, I have had the privilege of being at the forefront of the management of major health sector initiatives across Eastern, Southern and Western Africa. In my most recent role as the Program Coordinator at the Strategic Health Purchasing Africa Resource Centre (SPARC) implemented by AMREF Health Africa, I led the process of the project setup, developing the program management and implementation plans focusing on strengthening health-purchasing systems to meet Universal Health Coverage across Sub-Saharan Africa. As Programme Manager for International Network of Religious Leaders Affected or Infected by HIV & AIDS (INERELA+) headquartered in Johannesburg, I provided oversight of 18 country networks in Africa, Asia and South America to ensure the implementation of religious-led interventions on HIV prevention, behavioural change and treatment and support services for people living with HIV, gender-related interventions and ASRHR.

Before this, as a consultant (Technical Lead) for Genesis Analytics Pty Ltd and Mott MacDonald International Health (South Africa), I led processes towards the implementation of the UNAIDS Technical Support Facility (TSF) for strengthening Health systems in countries of the Eastern and Southern Africa. In these roles, I worked closely with multiple partners across Ministries of Health, National AIDS Councils, civil society organizations and other development partners. 

In these and other roles, I have garnered a wealth of technical and hands-on experience in the areas of leadership, sound program management and budgeting, capacity development interventions, mentoring, operational oversight, leading projects in consortia as well as fully owning and ensuring the submission of accurate and timely donor reports. During this time, I have worked with several Global and Regional development partners such as The Global Fund, Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, USAID, UN agencies, SIDA, AidsFonds (Netherlands) Norwegian Aid, WHO, Save the Children and Bread for the World (Germany) to name a few. As such, I am conversant with various donor processes and optimizing relations that deliver shared value. Program areas I managed include health system strengthening, HIV and AIDS, maternal, newborn and child health (MNCH) and adolescent and youth health and social interventions and gender-transformative interventions. 

Master of Arts in Rural Sociology and Community Development