Project Lead | Digital Health

JOB DESCRIPTION

ABOUT YLABS

YLabs is a leading global design and research organization working to improve health and economic opportunity for young people 10–24 years old. Founded in 2014 at the Harvard Innovation Lab, YLabs partners with young people in sub-Saharan Africa, South Asia, and Central America to design, test, and advocate for youth-driven solutions that address key challenges to young people’s health and economic opportunity worldwide. YLabs’ focus areas are sexual/reproductive health, HIV/AIDS, mental health, and economic inclusion. Find out more about our projects here: https://www.ylabsglobal.org/work

Our team of physicians, designers, economists, public health professionals, and educators bring a unique mix of human-centered design, adolescent health, evaluation, economic and health outcome evaluation, behavioral science, and implementation know-how to the global problems facing youth.

SUMMARY

We’re looking for a dynamic, established global professional to join YLabs’ team. In this role, the Project Lead will support the scale-up and impact of YLabs’ flagship initiative, CyberRwanda, a digital health intervention to support adolescent health and opportunity. This role is based in Kigali, Rwanda.

They will spearhead the development of a scale-up strategy in Rwanda, setting clear priorities and targets for the team. They’ll advance national and regional partnerships with a variety of stakeholders including YLabs’ government and NGO partners, and donor agencies, identifying potential partners and opportunities to support scale.

The ideal candidate will be excited to work with a innovative and passionate interdisciplinary team of designers and public health professionals to address some of the biggest challenges facing young people globally. Our ideal profile is someone who has has significant experience launching, scaling, marketing, and measuring digital interventions in Africa. They are adaptable, creative, and results-focused.

This person should also have a demonstrated track record of using marketing and communications as a tool to reach young audiences, ideally in an African context. They’ll be a collaborative and charismatic leader, with strong people management skills, providing leadership to our growing project team. The Project Lead will also support the recruitment and development of new talent for the project and ensure quality of work across our design, marketing, and research teams.

KEY RESPONSIBILITIES

 Product and Service Model

• Lead YLabs’ strategy for the scale-up of CyberRwanda in Rwanda
• Ensure the product and service model are high quality, impactful, and responsive to user needs and changing environmental conditions
• Oversee youth engagement to guide the project
• Review data analytics and study data; lead periodic reviews to ensure that the product and service model responds to findings.
• Develop a marketing and communication strategy across digital and traditional channels to increase the reach of CyberRwanda, bringing on additional staff/consultants as needed

 Partnerships & Communications

• Foster effective, thoughtful engagement and communications with our funding and implementation partners, developing opportunities for continued collaboration and funding
• Lead technical reporting on the project to funders.
• Build YLabs’ network of partners in Rwanda and East Africa and foster strong relationships with our existing partners, including government partners
• Support the development of new business opportunities for this project with support from the leadership team and growth and partnerships team
• Collaborate with the global and Rwanda-based communications team to align on annual communications priorities for CyberRwanda

Project Management:

• Provide oversight and management support to the CyberRwanda team
• Work with the Senior Portfolio Manager to ensure on-time, accurate financial and technical reporting to funders and partners
• Work with the global Finance and Programs team to develop and manage the annual budget for the project, including developing projections
• Provide input into global initiatives to support effective recruitment and retention of outstanding talent for the project team
• Collaborate with YLabs’ impact team to oversee effective tracking of project impact

Leadership:

• Lead and mentor a multi-disciplinary team, investing in their professional growth and development and quality work
• Sit on YLabs’ global leadership team, guiding the strategy of the organization and developing and tracking strategic objectives
• Provide input on mission-critical decisions relating to the growth of the organization

YOU HAVE

• At least ten years of professional experience, including a track record of success in a leadership role in Rwanda and/or East Africa
• Extensive experience in scaling digital products or services in emerging markets
• Experience in supporting or leading the thoughtful growth of early-stage, fast-growing organizations and ventures
• Experience leading and motivating multi-disciplinary teams working on digital ventures
• Strong written and verbal communication skills
• Strong collaboration skills with attention to addressing power differentials, and ensuring equity in our work and in our organization
• Experience overseeing budgets and work plans to ensure the project runs on budget, on time, to quality.

Desirable skills:

• Expertise in a relevant technical or design field to our work (product design, product management, public health, adolescent health, medicine, research disciplines, economics, international development, data science)
• Human-centered design or design thinking
• Digital marketing and communications
• Written or verbal fluency in Kinyarwanda or French.

YOU ARE

• Passionate and ambitious about improving the health and opportunity of young people globally
• Culturally competent with awareness and sensitivity to cultural diversity
• A strong communicator; able to communicate clearly and sensitively with internal and external stakeholders and funders.
• Data-driven, organized, and detail-oriented with a high degree of integrity, valor, and care in your decision making
• Entrepreneurial, flexible, and excited to help scale a high-impact intervention for youth
• A natural connector, energized by building new working relationships and partnerships
• Committed to operationalizing equity in our work and decolonizing global health
• A thoughtful leader who makes decisions with trust and transparency; you are collaborative, non-hierarchical, and consultative in your workstyle and responsive to feedback.
• Committed to building trusting, convivial working relationships that support wellness, creativity, and collective joy
• Willing to work flexible hours to accommodate evening calls with staff in other timezones
• Adaptable and optimistic when faced with changing circumstances and challenges

LOCATION

This role is based out of YLabs’ office in Kigali Rwanda (hybrid working). Relocation benefits are provided for this role.

PAY RATE & BENEFITS

YLabs adheres to Project Fair’s principles and standards to establish equity in pay with the overriding principle of “equal pay for work of equal value” outlined in the Sustainable Development Goals. All salary ranges are based on level within the organization and are competitive to regional and national salary benchmarks, based on the respective office location.

The salary range for this role is gross RF52,250,000 – RF58,375,000 per year, commensurate with experience.

To apply, send a resume and cover letter to [email protected] with the subject line “Project Lead”.

This posting will be open from January 31st to February 28th, 2023. Applications will be reviewed on a rolling basis; all applications submitted within the posting period will be reviewed by our Hiring Committee.

YLabs recognizes the effort that goes into submitting an application; all candidates will be notified of their application status once the hiring process begins. All your information will be kept confidential according to EEO guidelines. All YLabs offers of employment are conditional on satisfactory background check and criminal record clearances.