Project Officer – MSMEs Support Project Rwanda

SPARK is looking for a professional Project Officer for our Micro, Small, and Medium Enterprise (MSME) Support Project focused on the Western Province of Rwanda.

 The project aims at supporting MSME’s to grow and thrive through capacity building and access to finance. The focus of the project will be MSME’s in key sectors of the Western Province, especially Cross Border Trade (CBT).

Working with key actors in the Province, the project aims at unlocking systemic constraints that hinder the growth of MSME’s and the participation of youth and women in business. Capacity building will be provided to the business and key actors including financial institutions. A key constraint cited by many for MSME’s is access to finance, thus the project has a clear focus on supporting increased financing for businesses.

We are looking for someone who feels confident in their ability to think on their feet, utilize deductive reasoning, and is not afraid to be creative when it comes to finding solutions.

Main Tasks and Responsibilities:

The responsibilities and tasks include, but are not limited to:

1. Ensuring that the objectives and targets of the project are met on time and with quality.
2. Ensuring timely reporting both internally and externally
3. Identifying and maintaining relationships with key partners in the Western Province including representation at key district and provincial meetings.
4. Supervise the work of Business Coaches while carefully following up on agreed plans
5. Support the Monitoring, Evaluation, Research, and Learning (MERL) function to conduct various assessments, studies, and evaluations
6. Organising Learning events
7. Supporting the Communications Officer on timely and appropriate dissemination of information.

Requirements and Skills

• University degree in International development, rural finance or economic development or related degree.
• Minimum of seven years of relevant work experience supporting MSME growth and conversant with key challenges in financial inclusion, cross border trade, and the rural MSME environment in Rwanda;
• Previous work experience with the private sector
• At least two years project management experience with a non-profit organisation in Rwanda
• Resident in the Western Province of Rwanda
• Strong working knowledge of English and fluency in Kinyarwanda is a must. Good oral and written French is a clear advantage.

SPARK believes in equal opportunity regardless of the gender, race, and religion

About SPARK

SPARK develops higher education and entrepreneurship to empower young, ambitious people to lead their fragile and conflict-affected societies into prosperity. SPARK is a dynamic and growing, international not-for-profit development organisation with 100+ staff members, in more than 14 offices around the world. SPARK supports refugees in the Middle-East by providing them with scholarships in universities and higher education institutions in the region. SPARK also supports young entrepreneurs in fragile states, to start or grow their own businesses.