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Advertisement for Recruitment of a Gender Specialist for “Enhancing MSMEs and Entrepreneurship Ecosystem Support for Agriculture and Tourism and Hospitality (T&H) Sectors project in Rwanda” |
About Access to Finance Rwanda:
Access to Finance Rwanda (AFR) is a Rwandan not-for-profit company established in 2010 to promote financial inclusion and financial sector development. AFR is currently funded by Sweden, Jersey Overseas Aid, and the MasterCard Foundation.
AFR is part of the broader Financial Sector Deepening (FSD) network in Africa that seeks to create a transformative impact on ending poverty by supporting efforts to improve financial inclusion and financial sector development through helping policymakers, regulators, financial service providers, and markets drive a more inclusive and sustainable economic growth.
AFR supports the removal of systemic barriers that hinder access to and use of financial services by low-income people, particularly the rural poor, women, youth, and MSMEs, and supports the development and provision of financial services including savings, credit, insurance, investment, payments, and remittances. AFR is a gender-intentional organization, having mainstreamed gender across all programming.
AFR is guided by the Market System Development (MSD) approach recognising that efforts to increase financial inclusion and financial sector development must be market-led, profitable, and sustainable. For more details visit our website: www.afr.rw
Access to Finance Rwanda seeks a Gender Specialist for its upcoming project “Enhancing MSMEs and Entrepreneurship Ecosystem Support in Rwanda Agriculture and Tourism and Hospitality (T&H) Sectors”.
About the project – Enhancing MSMEs and Entrepreneurship Ecosystem Support in Rwanda Agriculture and Tourism and Hospitality Sectors
MSMEs in productive/growth sectors, including those in Agriculture and Tourism & Hospitality sectors, play a critical role in driving inclusive growth and employment. However, they continue to face multiple challenges including low business management capabilities, limited tailored and sustainable business development services, limited access to appropriate financial solutions, and gaps in regulations and policies promoting SMEs access to finance. Such constraints hinder the potential for economic growth and job creation including for youth and women-led MSMEs, which face specific constraints.
To better address these and in line with its Phase III strategy, AFR, in collaboration with key stakeholders, will continue its journey towards addressing the root causes to access to and use of financial solutions for MSMEs in Rwanda through the “Enhancing MSMEs and Entrepreneurship Ecosystem Support in Rwanda Agriculture and Tourism and Hospitality (T&H) Sectors” project. The project seeks to support Agriculture and T&H enterprise development and growth for improved opportunities for youth to engage in dignified and fulfilling work with a focus on young women and other disadvantaged youth (persons with disabilities, refugees, and youth in rural areas).
The project will mainly focus on the following interventions:
- Implementing commercial MSME Finance Readiness Support also known as “Terimbere SME Village”
This intervention seeks to strengthen MSMEs’ capabilities to overcome gaps in financial management practices, sound business management procedures and practices, business growth skills and information asymmetry by enhancing technical, managerial, market knowledge, financial and non-financial capacity to prepare them for appropriate financing and growth opportunities.
- MSME ecosystem strengthening
This intervention seeks to support a conducive environment to unlock MSME finance for growth and jobs through advocacy for favorable policy and regulatory environment, strengthening the capacity of Business Development Service Providers (BDSPs) to effectively serve MSMEs; leveraging research and data analytics to catalyze innovation and promoting the coordination within the entrepreneurship ecosystem.
In line with AFR’s gender-intentional strategy, this project will explicitly ensure that gender is integrated into all interventions. Ensuring that young women can benefit from the growth of the MSME sector is a key priority outcome of this project. In order to ensure this, AFR seeks a Gender Specialist to drive the mainstreaming of gender within this project, in collaboration with other AFR staff.
Scope of Responsibilities
The Gender Specialist will work with the project team to ensure the gender impact of the project is achieved. S/he will provide technical expertise to ensure gender mainstreaming across the project management cycle from design, implementation, and monitoring. S/he will support project staff with project management and provide gender learnings. S/he will ensure positive results for MSMEs owned by women, youth, refugees, PWDs, and other marginalised groups.
This position will be based in Kigali, Rwanda, and is contingent upon project award to AFR.
Reports to: Senior Program Manager “Terimbere SME Financing Support Facility”.
Supervises: None.
Location: Kigali, Rwanda.
Duration of the contract: Two years renewable based on performance.
Expected starting date: July 2023.
The Gender specialist will be responsible for the following key tasks:
- Lead with technical input and guidance to mainstream gender throughout the project activities, specifically by developing relevant gender and women’s economic empowerment tools and approaches that ensure women’s inclusion and benefit in the project.
- Work closely with other technical specialists to integrate gender across the project activities.
- Coordinate, support, and/or conduct gender and power analyses, effectiveness and efficacy studies, needs assessments, and evaluations as required by the project.
- Collaborate with the AFR Monitoring and Results Measurement (MRM) team to assess the effectiveness of project interventions and gender outcomes.
- Integrate ongoing assessment results and gender learnings to modify project activities where needed to ensure impact for women.
- Provide the Senior Program Manager and other technical staff with project management support and inputs as required, including progress reporting on gender.
- Facilitate and support a strong learning and knowledge sharing community around gender-transformative practices amongst the project’s implementing partners and stakeholders.
- Represent work being done in gender transformation and women’s economic empowerment under the Program in relevant internal and external forums.
Educational Qualifications
- Minimum of a Bachelor’s degree in gender studies, development studies, or similar discipline.
- Additional professional qualifications and relevant accreditations are an advantage.
Experience and technical skills
- Minimum of five (5) years of experience implementing gender programming in national or international development organizations in related positions.
- Knowledge of gender-related issues facing women and youth in agriculture, MSMEs, and decent work in Rwanda, with sub-Saharan experience an advantage.
- Strong background in planning, developing, and executing participatory multi-stakeholder gender programming.
- Demonstrated experience carrying out gender assessments and evaluations, with project MRM experience.
- Good background in MSME support and strong experience in mainstreaming gender equality concerns in project implementation.
- Ability to work in a team, including providing strategic inputs and effectively contributing to joint planning and implementation of program activities.
- Ability to work independently, manage multiple tasks and meet deadlines.
- Ability to communicate effectively orally and in writing and prepare reports and presentations.
- Proficiency in written and spoken English.
- Understanding of Kinyarwanda will be a strong advantage.
Attitude/competences
- Dynamics, with a strong drive for results and strong sense of engagement and responsibility.
- Attentive to details and excellent organizational and time management skills.
- Pro-innovation.
- Able to initiate and maintain positive relationships with others.
- Excellent writing, analytical and communication skills.
- Strong influencing skills.
- High degree of professionalism and integrity.
- Learning and resourcefulness.
- Team oriented, collaborative, flexible and can adapt to a changing environment.
How to apply
All qualified applicants should submit their applications by clicking on the Apply button by latest 24th May 2023 at 5 pm.
The application should contain a Resume with an e-mail address, daytime telephone contact, qualifications, achievements, experience, and names & addresses of three professional referees, together with a cover letter (maximum 2 pages) summarizing why you consider yourself particularly well suited for the position. Do not attach any other documents at this point. All applications will be selected on merit and only shortlisted candidates will be invited for interviews. For any questions regarding the application process, please contact hr@jobinrwanda.com on 0788 300 213.
Note:
- This position is open to national candidates only.
- Qualified women candidates are highly encouraged to apply.
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