Office Manager – Kigali, Rwanda
Company Overview
The Pharo Foundation (the “Foundation”) is a privately funded entrepreneurial organisation that runs philanthropic programmes as well as for-profit social ventures. The Vision of the Foundation is an economically vibrant and inclusive Africa. The Mission is to achieve the Vision by investing in the human and physical capital of Africa, with a strong focus on job creation.
Established in 2011 as a UK based non-profit, the Foundation has since made a strategic shift to directly design and implement its own programmes to ensure greater engagement with communities, better results and increased accountability. The Foundation has carried out numerous projects in East Africa, with a focus on Ethiopia and Somaliland and has now set up an office in Rwanda with plans for further expansion across East Africa.
The key strategic pillars for the philanthropic side of the Foundation are education, health, water and agriculture. At the end of 2019, the Foundation also started its Pharo Ventures franchise to prioritise sectors where the Foundation believes a real impact can be made by establishing self-sustaining businesses, which focus on job and economic value creation.
Headquartered in London, the Foundation has an operational head office in Nairobi, Kenya with country offices in Ethiopia (Addis Ababa and Assosa), Somaliland (Hargeisa) and Rwanda (Kigali).
Position Summary
The Office Manager will be entrusted with the responsibility of ensuring the efficient functioning of our Kigali office and be responsible for the execution of a wide range of administrative, financial and human resources tasks.
The Office Manager role is therefore an ambitious challenge for a self-driven individual who seeks to leverage on their relevant skills and experience in a professional office setting and institute best in class office management procedures and processes in a growing international organisation.
Working in a collaborative fashion with highly committed colleagues, this position also offers a career enriching opportunity to a resourceful individual seeking to work within international standards and relish the challenge of managing multiple, time sensitive assignments with the strongest attention to detail and the capacity to independently prioritise.
Role: Office Manager (Kigali. Rwanda)
Reporting to: Finance and Administration Manager
Functional Relationships: Country Representative (Kigali), Head of Education (Kigali), Human Resources Manager (Kigali), Office and HR Manager (London), Office Manager (Nairobi)
Key Duties and Responsibilities
Office Administration:
- Schedule and coordinate business meetings and appointments for colleagues in the Kigali office where appropriate.
- Organise travel bookings into and outside of Kigali including the preparation of itineraries and efficient logistical management.
- Take the lead in organising office information databases and ensure this are stored securely in one place, either electronically and or physically.
- Support the Kigali team with their office procurement requirements. Maintain and track all office supplies as approved by the supervisor.
- Provide high quality administrative support to the team by receiving and distributing documents and other office materials as appropriate whilst maintaining confidentiality at all times.
- Coordinate and maintain robust external service level agreements and ensure that the office is receiving the agreed levels of service from third party providers.
Finance Administration:
- Ensure approved financial guidelines (per diems, petty cash management) are updated regularly and are readily available to colleagues.
- Act as the custodian of all invoices, processing office expenses and take the lead in the preparation of relevant approvals for payments in a timely manner.
- Oversee and manage financial administrative tasks including timely recording of all internal financial transactions when approved by the supervisor.
- Ensure timely submission of statutory month end obligations to regulatory authorities in Rwanda and maintain auditable records.
- Manage and maintain office supplies and ensure robust tracking and timely replenishment.
Human Resources:
- Assist the Kigali office team in standardising basic Human Resources documentation as will be required from time to time.
- Assist the Kigali office team in advertising job opportunities on various websites and collaborate with the London office in advertising on the Foundation website and screening applications in collaboration with Human Resources and the hiring manager.
- Coordinate the issuance of new employee documentation as appropriate, after confirming that the required processes and checks have been successfully completed and signed off by the appropriate line managers.
- Review and update the Kigali office Health and Safety policies and Risk Assessments ensuring they are regularly updated.
- Ensure the office is professionally run at all times and act as the principal focal person for all visitors and third parties.
Qualification Requirements
- The ideal candidate should possess a first degree in Human Resources, Law, or Business Administration or related equivalent. Membership of a professional association/certification in Office Management will be an added advantage.
- S/He must possess a minimum of Five (5) years related professional experience, preferably within a multicultural, international organisation.
- Demonstrated experience in providing office management support to employees at all levels.
- Strong analytical skills and the ability to maintain and implement professional office management standards.
- Excellent proficiency in the use of Microsoft Office (Word, Excel and PowerPoint).
- A self-starter with initiative and the ability to multi-task, work under pressure and meet deadlines.
- Excellent communication skills and comfortable working in a multicultural environment.
- Fluency in written and spoken English
- Strong numeracy skills.
Behavioural Competencies
- Dedicated team player with demonstrable experience in setting up best in class office management procedures and systems
- Problem solving and creative thinking skills with the ability to get results in fast-paced environments.
- Self-assured, internally motivated and passionate individual driven to succeed and make a difference.
- High levels of integrity, professionalism, resilience, accountability and determination.
- Strong work ethics and a mature, professional proactive attitude.
- Extremely organised and efficient with high attention to detail.
Application Procedure
Due to the expected high volume of applications, we regret that we will only be able to contact shortlisted candidates. Review of applications will begin as soon as they are received and only complete applications will be reviewed. In the event that an outstanding applicant is identified early in the search process, we reserve the right to appoint before the deadline. For this reason, we encourage interested and suitably qualified candidates to apply at the earliest possible opportunity.
Please send the information listed below, as a single PDF file to the following email address: recruiting.rw@pharofoundation.org and add the job title ‘Office Manager, Kigali’ to the email subject line.
The deadline:30th June 2021
1. A detailed CV and Cover Letter
2. An essay of no more than 1,000 words outlining:
o What experience have you gained that makes you the most qualified candidate for the role?
o What challenges do you foresee as an Office Manager in a growing international organisation in Rwanda and what steps will you take to successfully resolve these based on your experience and knowledge?
3. A one-page list of five references with current addresses, phone numbers, and email contacts
