Partnership Officer - Private Sector

Can you walk into a corporate boardroom, or a major commercial bank, speak their language of market share and commercial return, and walk out with an agile partnership that changes the lives of thousands of young women?

About Tiko

Tiko is an African nonprofit committed to strengthening the potential and resilience of adolescent girls across Africa. We address the “Triple Threat” of unintended pregnancy, HIV infection, and sexual and gender-based violence by building local health ecosystems that provide stigma-free, no-cost, quality-assured services.

Our model brings together key local actors: community-based organizations (CBO) with peer mobilisers who act as health companions to girls; public and private health clinics that deliver care; and retail partners that redeem Tiko Miles -our behaviour-change incentive programme that rewards service uptake and feedback.

We invest in partners by strengthening CBO capacity, training frontline workers and providers, supporting clinic quality improvement, and compensating partners based on performance. Our technology platform connects all actors by enabling referrals, verifying service delivery, facilitating payments, and generating real-time data.

Tiko operates in six countries: Kenya, Ethiopia, Uganda, Burkina Faso, South Africa, and Nigeria, with additional offices in Portugal, the Netherlands, and the United Kingdom. For a clear overview of our work, we recommend watching this short video.

Globally, our team consists of +250 enthusiastic, international colleagues. Whether you are working from our biggest office in Nairobi, the fast-growing office in South Africa, or from home, our people are young, and our culture is global and dynamic. Our work environment is fast-paced, informal, and friendly.

For this position, we welcome applicants from Johannesburg, South Africa.

The Job

We are looking for a high-energy, entrepreneurial Partnership Officer - Private Sector to join our ZA Country Operations Team in Johannesburg. Reporting directly to the Country Director, you will take complete ownership of conceptualising, rapid-testing, and scaling high-impact, innovative collaborations with non-state actors.

Your mission is to co-create and execute agile delivery models that expand our programme's reach and scale sustainable interventions addressing the
Triple Threat facing Adolescent Girls and Young Women (AGYW): HIV, unintended pregnancies (SRHR), and Sexual & Gender-Based Violence (SGBV).

The Partnerships Focus

You will design and manage Public-Private Partnerships (PPPs) across the South African ecosystem, experimenting with models that span multiple mature sectors:

• Pharmaceuticals & Retail Clinics: Strengthen the delivery of HIV and SRHR services inside major retail franchisors (e.g., Clicks, Dis-Chem) and independent pharmacies/GPs, optimizing commodity supply chains for the last mile.
• Telecommunications: Prototype and scale digital health solutions, robust data ecosystems, and targeted health-messaging campaigns alongside major Telecoms (e.g., MTN, Vodacom).
• Private Healthcare Providers: Pilot integrated service-delivery models to expand access to family planning and SGBV support within private health networks.
• Corporate & Financial Sectors: Partner with banks, insurers, and large employers to test innovative financing mechanisms, such as blended finance and voucher systems.
• Logistics & Tech Firms: Experiment with modern delivery infrastructure—including on-demand delivery apps and smart lockers to revolutionise healthcare access.
• Academia & Research: Connect with South African universities for health innovation prototyping, capacity training, and rapid implementation research.

Key Responsibilities

Agile Project Management & Deal-Making

• Iterative Design: Design, execute, and oversee an agile private-sector engagement strategy that prioritises lean, rapid pilots to tackle the Triple Threat.
• Capital & Resource Mobilisation: Identify, pitch, and secure co-funding, corporate sponsorships, technical collaborations, and in-kind private support by building compelling business cases.
• Flexible Frameworks: Lead high-stakes negotiations and draft flexible Memorandums of Understanding (MOUs) that allow for rapid prototyping, iteration, and learning.

Stakeholder Co-Creation & Alignment

• Ecosystem Liaison: Serve as the primary, high-velocity link between Tiko's programmes and corporate external partners.
• Facilitation: Convene and lead co-creation workshops and joint planning sessions with private-sector stakeholders to map out experimental interventions.
• Internal Innovation Sync: Work closely with internal teams to screen, select, and manage strategic innovations that drive operational evolution within Tiko.
• Risk & Value Balance: Ensure clear communication, shared risk management, and undeniable mutual value across all agreements with clinics, pharmacies, and corporate offices.

Innovation, Testing & Data Governance

• Market Horizon Scanning: Continuously scan the market for emerging retail trends, digital tools, fintech solutions, and cross-sector benchmarks to optimize healthcare delivery.
• MVP Execution: Develop and run lean pilots (Minimum Viable Products) to test behavioral assumptions regarding how AGYW engage with the private sector.
• Data-Driven Scaling: Define strict metrics for what constitutes a "successful experiment." Track, analyse, and transition winning pilots into structured, long-term operational programmes.
• Compliance & Risk: Ensure all joint corporate initiatives strictly align with donor requirements, internal risk policies, and regulatory standards.

About You

You are a strategic, commercially minded systems thinker who sits comfortably at the intersection of corporate strategy and public health. You don't get bogged down by slow corporate bureaucracy; instead, you bring an agile, "fail fast, pivot faster" mindset to your portfolio. You are an elite communicator, an assertive negotiator, and a proactive relationship manager who thrives when given total ownership over complex, fast-moving, multi-stakeholder environments.

• Education: Bachelor’s degree in Public Health, Business Administration, Innovation/Entrepreneurship, Health Economics, Development Studies, or a related field. (A Postgraduate qualification, Master's degree, or certifications in Agile/Design Thinking will give you a major advantage).
• Proven Journey: 5–7 years of demonstrable success in business development, stakeholder engagement, innovation management, or corporate partnerships within the private sector.
• Track Record: Clear experience pitching to and closing deals with private-sector executives, tech startups, NGOs, and donor-funded ecosystems. Direct experience launching new products, commercial services, or lean pilot projects is highly desirable
• Languages: Professional fluency in both English and Portuguese.
• Location: Based permanently in Johannesburg, South Africa.

Compensation & Benefits

The salary range per month for this position is R44,977 - R56,200 gross. Your final salary will be determined based on your experience and alignment with your future colleagues

In addition to your monthly salary, we offer you:

• Medical insurance with Discovery - 50% of medical insurance premiums with Discovery Classic Saver or Discovery Classic Delta Saver
• Retirement fund - 5% of gross (on the top of the salary)
• Accident/life insurance with Momentum
• Commuting Allowance of R250 per month
  Internet Allowance of R750 per month
• A personal development budget of €500 per year to invest in your professional growth
  
• Permanent contract with 6 months of probation
• Flexible work arrangements, including hybrid options.
• Unlimited holiday days to use as you see fit - just coordinate with your team and take the time you need to recharge.
• The opportunity to shape a growing, impactful product and leave your mark on how we work
• A culture built on trust - we believe you’ll do your best without the need for unnecessary rules or micromanagement

The Details

Interested? Click Apply for This Job! Want more information? Check out our website Tiko – Do more with Tiko. We only accept applications through the apply links, not by email.

Important Recruitment Fraud Alert
Please be aware that Tiko maintains a professional and ethical recruitment process.

• Zero Fees: We do not charge candidates any fees for applications, interviews, or processing at any stage of the hiring journey.
• Fraud Prevention: If you receive a request for money, bank details, or "onboarding equipment" payments from someone claiming to represent us, this is not a legitimate request.
• Official Channels: We only communicate through our verified company email domain (@tiko.org).

If you are approached by anyone asking for payment in our name, please ignore the request.

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Tiko prioritizes integrity in our workplace and respects your privacy.

Tiko is committed to preventing any type of unwanted behaviour by its employees at work, including sexual harassment, exploitation and abuse, lack of integrity and financial misconduct. This is why we will do reference and background screening checks on successful candidates before hiring. Tiko also participates in the Inter Agency Misconduct Disclosure Scheme. As part of this scheme, we will request information from your previous employers about any findings of sexual exploitation, sexual abuse and/or sexual harassment during your employment, or incidents under investigation when you left employment. By applying for this position, you confirm you have read and understood these recruitment procedures.

We value your privacy and understand the importance of safeguarding your personal data. We invite you to review our privacy notice for the recruitment process to understand how we collect, use, and protect your personal data during the recruitment process. Click here to view the document. By applying for this position, you acknowledge that you have read and understood our privacy notice.