Background:

Sparkassenstiftung für internationale Kooperation e.V. (Savings Banks Foundation for
International Cooperation, SBFIC) is a German-based non-profit organization that is active in partnership projects in more than 50 countries worldwide. Among its key principles is the
combination of local and international expertise to provide excellent technical advisory to its partner organizations. In Eastern Africa, Sparkassenstiftung runs offices in Burundi, Kenya, Rwanda, Tanzania, and Uganda.

In Rwanda, the 416 sector-based Savings and Credit Cooperatives (Umurenge SACCOs), which serve more than 3 million members in all over the country, have contributed significantly to the increase of financial inclusion for the poor and rural population. However, various structural obstacles hinder their sustainable performance. To address these obstacles, the Government of Rwanda initiated a professionalization program, which is composed of the three pillars

I. Automation of Umurenge SACCOs,

II. Consolidation of Umurenge SACCOs at District level and

III. Establishment of a Cooperative Bank.

Since the start of the project, Sparkassenstiftung has had the role of a technical advisor and works closely with Rwandan authorities and other local partner organizations, which include, among others, the Ministry of Finance and Economic Planning (MINECOFIN) as well as the Rwanda Cooperative Agency (RCA).

Currently, we looking for a Banking and Microfinance Advisor to support our SACCO professionalization team.

Roles and responsibilities:

Support the SACCO professionalization in all three project pillars:

Automation of Umurenge SACCOs:

 Work out concepts, documents, procedures, and templates to facilitate
the conduction of data cleaning and due diligence activities
 Support in training of Umurenge SACCOs, data cleaners and supervisors
 Perform quality assurance to ensure a successful data cleaning and due
diligence in each SACCO

Consolidation of Umurenge SACCOs at District level:

 Draft, review, and update procedure manuals for all processes of District SACCOs (management, front-, middle- and back office)
 Work out a concept for business
 Perform comprehensive collaborative business planning for District-SACCOs
 Work out a detailed plan on the consolidation

Establishment of a Cooperative Bank:

 Draft and review a Cooperative Bank business plan in collaboration with other team members and project stakeholders
 Work out a detailed plan on the essential steps to establish a Cooperative Bank and align it with stakeholders

Cross-cutting tasks:

o Support in providing capacity building and training to beneficiaries

o Support our partner organizations in PR, awareness raising or membership campaigns, stakeholders, and beneficiaries

o Ensure the long-term sustainability of all project activities, implement M&E to control the achievement of the project goals

o Be flexible to work on other tasks agreed with our partner organizations and as assigned by the head of program

Profile:

 Master’s degree in finance, economics, business administration, or a related subject
 At least 10 years of overall working experience
 At least 5 years’ working experience in financial institutions in Rwanda, preferably in both the banking and the microfinance sector
 Experience in the different fields of relevance to the project, i.e.
o business planning of financial institutions
o organizational development of financial institutions
o strategic planning of financial institutions
o business modelling and financial forecasting
o technical and legal merger of financial institutions
o project management
 Experience to work as an advisor/consultant is an added value
 Experience to work in international teams is an added value

Core Competencies:

 Ability and creativity to work under minimal guidance
 Ability for both, working with strong attention to detail and taking a hands-on implementation approach, depending on the necessities
 Excellent MS Office skills, particularly for MS Excel, MS Word, and MS PowerPoint
 Distinct presentation and facilitation skills
 Excellent organizational skills, with a strong sense for prioritization
 Flexibility to work on multiple tasks under tight deadlines
 Sensitivity to communicate and act adequately in the advisory role in an international
environment, and in a project with a strong impact on the national development agenda
 Results-oriented working attitude towards both strategic and operational goals
 Fluency in Kinyarwanda and English (excellent written and spoken skills). French is a
plus.

Deployment location:

The Banking and Microfinance Advisor will be based in Kigali, Rwanda. Business trips to other locations in Rwanda, especially to the different SACCOs, are possible. Part-time home office work can be agreed if the kind of work allows. Missions to other locations in Rwanda, as well as to other countries in East Africa, especially Burundi, Kenya, Tanzania, and Uganda, are possible.