Job offer

An Employment and Economic Development program manager

To be filled: Immediately / as soon as possible

Location: Kigali (Rwanda)

The Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation (SDC) is the body of the Federal Department of Foreign Affairs (FDFA) responsible for international cooperation. It is responsible for the coordination of development cooperation, as well as Swiss humanitarian aid.

Swiss development cooperation is active in three priority themes in the Great Lakes region: governance, employment and economic development, as well as health. The SDC coordinates its actions in Rwanda, Burundi and the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) through a regional program. The regional directorate is based in Kigali, Rwanda

As part of the renewal of its regional strategy, the SDC in Rwanda is looking for candidates for the post of:

Employment and Economic Development Program Officer

The SDC is committed to participation, transparency and accountability, to equal treatment and non-discrimination, as well as to the effectiveness of its action and of the partners engaged with it. In general, the objective is to contribute to the creation of an environment in which the rule of law and human rights, equality between women and men, the appropriate distribution of powers and macroeconomic stability to enable economic development and the rise of the private sector.

Switzerland supports the economic development of the Great Lakes region with a program that primarily targets young people and women through job creation outside agriculture, vocational training, facilitation of cross-border trade and support the development of the value chain of construction materials.

Given the importance of the private sector for economic development and job creation, the SDC places particular emphasis on collaboration and engagement with the private sector and on cooperation activities promoting market-based approaches.

POSITION:

The national program manager is placed under the supervision of the deputy regional director of cooperation and will manage national and regional programs.

REQUIRED QUALIFICATIONS:

• University degree (Master) or deemed equivalent, in economics, international relations, political, social sciences or equivalent

PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCES

• Professional and practical experience in development cooperation and project management.
• At least five years of experience in the sector of economic development and / or vocational training as well as in project management

LANGUAGES

• Excellent command of French, English and Kinyarwanda.
• Knowledge of Swahili is an asset

REQUIRED SKILLS

• Good knowledge of the sector of economic development and vocational training for job creation, especially issues in the Great Lakes region
• Ability to develop visions and strategies in the field of E&DE and to translate them into objectives, conceptual tasks and operational procedures.
• Excellent knowledge of planning, monitoring and evaluation tools for cooperation programs and projects (PCM)
• High degree of individual autonomy and sense of personal responsibility, creativity and ability to innovate as well as a willingness to learn and participate in change
• Ability to build trust with partners and colleagues as well as an exceptional ability to work in networks and in teams.
• Ease of communication, including intercultural communication skills and ability to work in a regional and multicultural team
• Sensitivity and interest in exploring the gender dimension in the E&DE field
• Proven leadership skills in policy dialogue and the implementation and monitoring of development programs
• Excellent writing skills in French and English
• Confirmed knowledge of Windows programs (Word, Excel, Powerpoint, Outlook). ;
• Interest and availability to travel on the ground in Rwanda, Burundi and DRC (Province of South Kivu).

Responsibilities:

Program / project / PCM management

• Responsibility for operational, administrative and financial monitoring of employment and economic development in Rwanda and at regional level
• Design, planning, implementation and monitoring of Switzerland’s commitments
• Regional support program for vocational training, operational and strategic monitoring for the region; dialogue with partners, methodological, conceptual and technical support
• Regional program on the value chain of construction materials, operational and strategic monitoring for the region; ; dialogue with partners, methodological, conceptual and technical support
• Program on cross-border trade, operational and strategic monitoring for Rwanda;
• Regional economic recovery program after Covid, operational and strategic monitoring for the region; dialogue with partners, methodological, conceptual and technical support
• Support to the financial sector program, Conceptualization, operational and strategic monitoring for Rwanda (context analysis, monitoring and maintenance of a network);
• Methodological, conceptual and technical support for implementing partners.

Coordination and advocacy

• Coordination and animation of the field of employment and economic development within the regional program, active contribution to regional processes and knowledge management;
• Active participation in political dialogue and advocacy with partners and stakeholders (donors, UN, government) on employment and economic development issues
• Represent the SDC in coordination fora related to the employment and economic development theme (e.g. sector working group, etc.)
• Active participation in the highlights of the Great Lakes SDC (Mid-term review, Annual report) and for cross-cutting themes Gender, Governance, Climate change
• Coordinator of the regional team at the thematic level, as part of the portfolio reviews and in the drafting of the annual report on employment and economic development

Themes:

• Monitoring of Rwanda’s economic development and employment situation
• Focal point for cooperation with the private sector

Successful candidates will be submitted to a written test to confirm their technical, linguistic and writing skills.

Location  : Kigali, Rwanda with trips to the Great Lakes region (Burundi and DRC)

Occupancy rate:  100%

Starting date:  From March 2021

Please send your complete application file to the Great Lakes Regional Cooperation Office with the following documents:

• Cover letter
• Curriculum vitae
• Copies of diplomas
• Copies of employment certificates
• 1 recent photo
• Contacts (phone and e-mail) of three reference persons