Country Lead
Grade: Manager
Hours: Full time
Salary: £18-22k Gross
Location: Rwanda
About Challenges
The Challenges Group is a family of social enterprise consultancies with a mission to support inclusive economic growth by fostering enterprising solutions to global development challenges. We recognise the need for creating sustainable routes to delivering social impact and innovation, and we deliver impact through looking both at how the social economy can be more enterprising and sustainable, and how the ‘traditional’ private sector can be more inclusive, particularly in developing and emerging economies.
Challenges has been operating globally for over 23 years across 4 continents. Since 1999, we’ve operated in over 70 countries, supporting more than 3,500 enterprises and tens of thousands of people. In the past four years alone, we have partnered with more than 1,250 companies in Sub-Saharan Africa, where we have established offices and full-time teams in Ghana, Malawi, Rwanda, Uganda and Zambia.
The Role
We are seeking to appoint a skilled Manager who will have oversight for our Rwanda country team and delivery portfolio including a Scottish Government Investment Programme and the Denis Goldberg Scholarship programme and a wider portfolio of contracts.
As part of the Challenges Group, each Manager & Senior Manager is expected to hold at least one internal specialism that they can lead on within the wider group. These areas include: Youth Employment, Rural Programming, Equality, Diversity & Inclusion, Entrepreneurship, MEL, Finance & Accounting, Change Management, Investment, Proposal & Bid Writing.
The Role and Responsibilities
Lead and Manage the Operation of the Challenges Country Office
- Be the Point of Contact for the Country Office for discussions with Challenges’ Directors
- Ensure the timely submission of reports to Challenges Group and relevant in-country authorities.
- Ensure that Challenges has the necessary permits and licences to operate
- Line manage the in-country team, delivering upon the Challenges performance and appraisal process; coaching and mentoring the team as required
- Oversee the financial management of the Country Office, and track performance against agreed budgets.
- Proactively identify areas for development for the Country Office and Challenges’ offering, including skills development of team members; communicate these with Challenges’ Directors
- Support the Finance team in drafting and delivery of the Country budget.
- Support the Business Development Manager in the drafting of an Annual Business Development Plan for the Country Office and oversee performance of the team against those annual targets.
Identify and access new opportunities that align with Challenges’ Annual Business Development Plan
- Manage and grow Challenges’ network and partnerships
- Represent Challenges at national and international events, and meeting with stakeholders
- Lead, with support form the Business Development Manager, in the development of proposals, ensuring submissions meet the required quality standards and timeframes
Management and delivery of Challenges’ projects
- Ensure proposal design, project design and delivery all meet Challenges’ and our client’s quality and ethical standards
- Work with project managers to ensure both short and long-term positive impacts and outcomes are achieved within agreed timelines and within budget
- Support and oversee project leads and ensure that any line managed staff have a clear development path
- In support of the gaps identified by the Country Lead, up-skill current staff regarding both technical skills and skills within the Challenges competency framework
Lead the delivery of the Country Business Development Plan
- Draft and lead on the delivery of the Annual Business Development Plan, with support from the Business Development Manager and Challenges Group Directors
- Proactively identify challenges to meeting the goals of the Annual Business Development Plan, and propose mitigations
- Monitor the performance of the Country office against the Annual Business Development Plan
Oversee MEL and communications strategy for Challenges’ Country Office
- Ensure that MEL and Communications align with the Annual Business Development Plan
- Proactively seek and implement opportunities to efficiently collate and aggregate MEL to use in internal and external communications, and to improve monitoring of performance against Annual Business Development Plan.
Contribute to the development of tools that can be deployed across the Challenges Group to deliver
- Contribute to the development and standardisation of Challenges’ BD approach across the Group, including
- Templates for BGS
- SME diagnostic and monitoring tools
- Cost effective models that can be used for long-term support of SMEs
- Monitor and communicate
Skills, Experience and Personal Qualities
Essential
- University degree or equivalent experience
- 5 years+ experience working at a similar position with responsibilities in the planning, winning and delivery of business growth support services
- Experience of managing a range of multifaceted projects across a range of geographies and sectors
- Excellent communication, negotiation, and professional network building skills
- Strong project management skills, including project development, monitoring and evaluation
- Knowledge of small and mid-size company finances, people, sales, marketing with the ability to analyse, recommend, and support implementation projects
- Confidence in supporting colleagues to learn and use continually improving methods of work
- Flexible and adaptable with an ability to prioritise tasks and meet deadlines
- High level of IT competence, particularly Microsoft Office
- Financial analysis and modelling skills
- Network / connections in the BGS/P&P ecosystem in Rwanda
- Experience in developing concepts and proposals as well as managing client relationships
Desirable
- Experience in growing a portfolio of contracts across multiple geographies
How to Apply
Interested applicants fulfilling the above-mentioned criteria are invited to submit their application documents through Job in Rwanda by “filling out the application form carefully” including detailed Curriculum Vitae (max 5 pages), a motivation letter and a copy of university degree(s). Past and current service certificates also need to be attached to the application (unproven experience will not be considered during the shortlisting). Submit the full file not later than 23rd March 2023.
And for any question or clarifications about the role please address all correspondences by email to shaun.mclaughlin@thechallengesgroup.com
