Job Details
Description
About TechnoServe:
Everyone deserves the opportunity to build a better future. This simple idea has been at the heart of TechnoServe’s work around the world for over 50 years. TechnoServe is a pioneer in leveraging the power of business and markets to create sustainable pathways out of poverty.
The low-income communities in which we work are full of enterprising people. Their small-scale farms and businesses are the keys to economic development. But they face many challenges: low literacy, lack of access to jobs and markets, unpredictable political dynamics and, increasingly, the effects of climate change. For many women and young people, the challenges are even more daunting. Working with TechnoServe staff, people around the world are lifting themselves out of poverty. The results are amazing…when incomes increase and living conditions for families get better, they are able to access health care and education previously out of reach. Communities and even whole countries are better off.
Program Overview:
TechnoServe Rwanda is working with Sida to design and implement a five-year, ReGenerate Rwanda program (2022-2027). ReGenerate Rwanda has an ambitious goal of empowering women and youth across Rwanda by making sustainable improvements to their participation in the market place. ReGenerate Rwanda Program aims to sustainably increase incomes for 30,000 women, youth and men living in poverty in Western and Southern Rwanda.
ReGenerate Rwanda uses a market systems development approach (“MSD”) and will work with partners across the public and private sector to invest in changes that benefit women and youth. For example, increasing the involvement and power of women and youth to buy and sell in the market, improving the quality of goods and services to women and youth, and advocating to change the rules and norms that determine how women and youth are engage in the different growing sector. ReGenerate Rwanda’s activities focus on sectors with high-growth potential for women and youth, including poultry and horticulture.
Job Summary:
TechnoServe is seeking highly qualified candidates for the position of Partnerships Advisor. In this role, you will be responsible for drafting and overseeing partnership agreements with program partners, which include private sector companies and public sector organizations. These program partners cooperate with the program by investing their own funds and resources in interventions to trial and test new ways of working that can benefit low-income women and youth. In turn, the program contributes technical assistance and financial resources to the partner to help reduce the risk undertaken with these new ventures.
As a Partnerships Advisor, your primary responsibilities will involve guardianship of program’s contractual and reporting templates; drafting of contractual documents; execution of procurements related to partnerships; ensuring timely and accurate reporting from partners; organization of reports and basic analysis of the same. The Partnerships Advisor is also responsible for liaising with local government officials in the program districts, including receiving authorization for the program to conduct its activities. This role is critical to program success, because without smooth management of contracts, procurement and local government relations, the program would not be able to execute its work plan and achieve the impact that it wants to have.
To succeed in this role, as well as excellent organizational skills and ideally technical knowledge of the contracts / legal / regulatory space, you will need outstanding interpersonal skills to liaise with partners, external stakeholders and the program and wider TechnoServe team so that the program remains compliant and on time.
Primary Functions & Responsibilities:
- Partner agreements and reporting
- Draft all necessary Partnership Agreements, contracts, MOUs and other legally binding documents for the program, in full compliance of internal and donor standards
- Provide training and advisory to partners to help them meet ReGenerate Rwanda standards for executing and reporting against their agreements with the program. Including helping partners to prepare procurement plans and expense reports
- Develop and disseminate requests for proposals when necessary, manage the process of collecting proposals, ensuring efficient and compliant service acquisition by the project and its partners
- Track and follow up with partners to ensure that all partner reports are submitted within agreed milestones and timelines
- Support fund disbursement to partners, collecting necessary evidence and information from partners and working with TechnoServe finance team
- Stakeholder management
- Act as key focal point for program with local stakeholders on the ground especially local government officials
- Lead process of gaining authorization for program activities and ensuring such authorizations are up-to-date
- Procurement and compliance
- Support the internal purchase process for physical items and consultancies being provided in-kind to partners
- Represent the program in audits and evaluations
- Ensure principles of gender and youth inclusion and regenerative business are included in the program’s own procurement processes
- Support Program Director on any other program compliance matters
- General
- Act as Secretariat in internal decision-making and donor meetings (scheduling and minutes)
- Build strong relationships and regularly liaise with TechnoServe regional and headquarters staff on all matters related to agreements, contracts and MOUs
- Participate in program quarterly reviews, regular meetings and brainstorming sessions to ensure strong understanding of the execution side of the program
- Manage team filing of reports and legal documentation
- Oversee the program Grants and Finance Manual – update as and when necessary to reflect any changes in donor or internal TechnoServe requirements
- Advise the rest of the program team on all other matters relating to contracts, procurement, compliance and reporting
Basic Qualifications and Competencies:
- Bachelor’s Degree + 3 years’ experience, Master’s Degree + 1 years’ experience in Legal, Compliance, Contracts, Business Management, Finance and Accounting or related fields.
- Experience in handling legal, contracts, procurement, and/or financial reporting processes
- Exceptional organizational skills; able to create and maintain clear records of ongoing processes so that all information is kept updated
- Experience using Excel to handle, analyze and summarize quantitative information
- Track record of building and managing strong client and stakeholder relationships including experience building relationships and managing conflict with people from diverse backgrounds.
- Strong communications skills including ability to write precisely and concisely
- Ability to work with tight deadlines while managing multiple tasks
- Commitment to challenging barriers that disadvantage the vulnerable, women and youth and exclude them from economic opportunities.
- Demonstrated commitment to advancing gender equality
Preferred Qualifications:
- Knowledge and experience of working in a donor-funded program, especially one that uses a private-sector or MSD approach
- Knowledge and understanding of local government processes in Rwanda
- Fluency in Kinyarwanda or French preferred
Required Languages:
- Fluency in English with excellent oral and written communication skills required.
Knowledge, Skills and Abilities:
- Extremely curious, hard-working and driven
- Pushes innovative and creative ways of thinking and working
- Effective motivator of others
- Maintains integrity and personal reputation
- Is a self-starter, energetic and friendly
Supervisory Responsibilities:
- None
We encourage all qualified individuals who share TechnoServe’s vision of improving the lives of others through proven business solutions to apply.
With our commitment to diversity, we are proud to be an equal opportunity employer and affirmative action employer and do not discriminate on the basis of gender, race, color, ethnicity, religion, sexual orientation, gender identity, age, HIV/AIDS status, protected veteran status, disability and all other protected classes.
We are also proud of our commitment to protecting staff, partners, and beneficiaries from abuse and exploitation and thoroughly vet all final candidates through rigorous background and reference checks.
If you have a disability that affects your ability to use our online system to apply for a position at TechnoServe please contact the Human Resources at recruitment@tns.org or call +1 202 785 4515.
