Practical Action

about us

We are an international development organisation putting ingenious ideas to work so people in poverty can change their world.

We help people find solutions to some of the world’s toughest problems. Challenges made worse by catastrophic climate change and persistent gender inequality. We work with communities to develop ingenious, lasting and locally owned solutions for agriculture, water and waste management, climate resilience and clean energy. And we share what works with others, so answers that start small can grow big.

We’re a global change-making group. The group consists of a UK registered charity with community projects in Africa, Asia and Latin America, an independent development publishing company and a technical consulting service. We combine these specialisms to multiply our impact and help shape a world that works better for everyone.

OUR AIMS

We help people find solutions to some of the world’s toughest problems, made worse by catastrophic climate change and persistent gender inequality. Our aims are to:

• Make agriculture work better for smallholder farmers, many of them women, so they can adapt to climate change and achieve a good standard of living
• Help more people harness the transformational effects of clean affordable energy and reduce avoidable deaths caused by smoke from indoor stoves and fires.
• Make cities in poorer countries cleaner, healthier places to live and work.
• Build disaster resilience into the lives of people threatened by hazards – reducing the risk of hazards and minimizing their impact on lives and livelihoods. 

PRACTICAL ACTION IN RWANDA

In Rwanda, we are recognized leaders in clean cooking and sustainable energy solutions. This includes ground-breaking work in solar, wind and water powered electricity generation, often delivered through independent mini-grids. We bring rural communities, people in refugee camps, energy providers and decision makers together to put sustainable, clean energy solutions to work for the people who need them most.

In our strategic business plan 2021-2025, we propose to extend our current reach and scope in Rwanda by deepening our energy work and stretching our portfolio to work with small holder farmers to make agriculture work better for them.

Within our energy ambition, Practical Action has implemented the Renewable Energy for Refugees (RE4R) project in partnership with UNHCR. The project aimed at to delivering renewable energy investments through an innovative approach in humanitarian settings, working directly with refugees and host communities in the Kigeme and Nyabiheke refugee camps in Rwanda. The project provided access to affordable and sustainable sources of renewable energy, and improve the health, wellbeing and security of target populations. 

WHY JOIN US

The opportunity to work for an organization that is making a positive difference to the lives of people worldwide, a friendly and supportive culture, working with values driven and highly engaged colleagues, work life balance and flexible working – these are just some of the reasons we think Practical Action is a great place to work.

We have a strong culture of constant learning, and we invest in developing our people, in addition, we offer the following benefits:

• Flexible working/hours – full time roles are contracted at 35 hours per week.
• It is our practice normally that we operate an agile flexible working policy, where flexible working hours can be enabled depending on your role
• 25 Annual Leave days addition to public holidays
• A pension scheme that new employees can join from day one of employment – employer contributes 7.5% of gross salary
• Medical Insurance

Practical Action

about the role

Practical Action in Rwanda seeks to recruit Casual Drivers for the Renewable Energy for Refugees (RE4R) II Project. Under the direct supervision of the Procurement and Logistic officer, the Casual Drivers provide reliable and safe driving services to Heads of Office of Rwanda Office, other high-ranking PRACTICAL ACTION officials, visitors and administrative services as required, ensuring high accuracy of work. The postholder should demonstrates a client-oriented approach, a high sense of responsibility, courtesy, tact, and the ability to work with people of different national and cultural backgrounds.

SCOPE  

KEY RESPONSABILITIES

Ensures provision of reliable and safe driving services by:

• driving office vehicles for the transport of Staff, other high-ranking officials and visitors and delivery and collection of mail, documents and other items,
• meeting official personnel and visitors at the airport
• Uses training opportunities to stay up to date on related PA rules and regulations, safety standards and policies, any practical training exposure

Ensures cost-savings through proper use of vehicles through:

• accurate maintenance of daily vehicle logs,
• provision of inputs for preparation of the vehicle maintenance plans and reports.

Ensures appropriate day-to-day maintenance of the assigned vehicle through:

• timely minor repairs, arrangements for major repairs, timely servicing of vehicle [changes of oil etc.], check of tires, brakes, car washing, etc.
• availability of all the required documents/supplies including vehicle insurance, vehicle logs, office directory, map of the city/country, first aid kit, and necessary spare parts in the assigned vehicle.

Supports the administrative team with:

• conveyance of office documents to government ministries
• support on other related administrative tasks.

Ensures that all immediate actions required by rules and regulations are taken in case of involvement in accidents:

• inputs for security reporting, etc.

TECHNICAL COMPETENCIES

• Operational Effectiveness-Effective performance:  Ability to perform routine tasks, handle volume of work as needed [multi-task], able to deliver within rules and regulations. Can manage data, handle documents efficiently
• Administration & Operations -Vehicle management: Knowledge of policy & procedures on fleet management
• Administration & Operations -Insurance management: Knowledge of policy and procedures on insurance; ability to conduct risk assessment to procure coverage; to ensure relevant tracking and reporting
• Administration & Operations – Documents and records management: Overall document (hard or electronic) management;  registry and retention policy including storing and archiving
• Security Services -Safety management (including Air, Road, Fire); Knowledge of air, road, and fire safety programmes/systems and ability to assess risks and identify mitigation measures
• Administration & Operations – Travel policy and procedures: Knowledge of travel policy and procedures; ability to interpret travel policy, the Staff Rules, administrative circulars and financial regulations and rules on travel related matters

Required Skills and Experience

Education:

• Secondary Education is required.
• Valid Driver’s license: Category B, having category D is an advantage

Experience:

• Minimum 3-.5 years’ work experience as a driver; safe driving record; knowledge of driving rules and regulations and skills in minor vehicle repair.
• NGO experience would be an advantage.

• Experience in working in remote areas and with refugee communities is an advantage

• Fluent in Kinyarwanda and basic knowledge in English

Practical Action is an equal opportunity employer, we treat all applications for employment on their merits and do not take into consideration any factors that are not relevant to the job such as disability, race, age, religion, gender, gender reassignment or sexual orientation.

We are committed to safeguarding and protecting children and vulnerable adults and as such candidates will be subject to pre-employment checks.

A detailed Job Profile can be accessed from Practical Action website

If you have the experience, skills and the ability we are looking for; please forward your application letter (1 page) and updated CV/Resume (3 pages max) by email to:   [email protected]  clearly indicating the subject as the Job title you are applying for.

The application deadline is March 29^th, 2023

Practical Action is an equal opportunities employer, and we encourage applications from under-represented groups.  We stay committed to cultivating an inclusive and diverse working environment and believe that people from different backgrounds or cultures give us different perspectives, and the more perspectives we have, the more successful we will be. By building a culture where everyone feels heard, respected, and valued we give everyone working with us the opportunity to achieve their full potential

Only shortlisted candidates will be contacted!