osition: Market Systems Manager, ReGenerate Rwanda
Supervisor: Senior Program Manager, Rwanda
Location: Kigali, Rwanda Grade: 9
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 marketplace. 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, such as distribution systems, financial services, or agriculture.
Job Summary:
TechnoServe is seeking highly qualified candidates for the position of Market Systems Manager. In this role, you will be responsible for leading interventions and building partnerships within a specific market sector or cross-cutting function, which is a priority focus area for the ReGenerate Rwanda Program. These sectors may include cross-border trade, small livestock, horticulture, financial services, and more.
As a Market Systems Manager, your primary responsibilities will involve developing and executing strategies for one or more market systems. These strategies typically encompass a series of interventions aimed at driving change. You will collaborate with a select group of private and public sector stakeholders within the market system, with the goal of establishing a compelling case for adopting more gender-inclusive and environmentally sustainable or regenerative business solutions and models. Subsequently, you will lead initiatives to encourage other actors to replicate these positive changes.
Primary Functions & Responsibilities:
- Establish and effectively manage strong relationships with market system actors (e.g. private companies operating in the relevant markets , representatives of the target group, local government offices, etc.) with whom ReGenerate Rwanda collaborates with.
- Develop and oversee the portfolio of market system development (MSD) interventions ; work closely with Senior Program Manager, and Financial Controller to ensure compliance with company and donor regulations and policies.
Business Models Design and Data-driven Adaptation
- Identifies, assesses and selects potential private/public partners.
- Contributes to the development of sustainable business models to increase sector/market competitiveness
- Regularly uses data and evidence to enhance business models
Partnership Development
- Negotiates deals with private/public partners to implement innovative business models
- Develops contract documentations
- Together with private/public partners develops detailed work plans and budgets as the basis of partnership contracts
Project Management
- After the contracting stage, oversee the management/implementation of the intervention
- Monitors the progress and adjusts the business plan/model to successfully increase competitiveness
- Provides accurate monthly forecasting of budgets based on regular monitoring of partnership contracts
- Acts for the partnership/s as the focal contact person
- Work closely with Gender and Youth Lead as well as Regenerative Business/Resilience Lead to ensure that gender, youth and environment inclusion is consistently and thoughtfully mainstreamed within ReGenerate Rwanda’s portfolio of MSD interventions and activities within the prioritized sector; follow Do No Harm principles.
- Lead and/or support relevant enabling environment interventions and development of partnerships to address social norms which exclude women and youth and the poor from accessing markets.
- Lead and/or support ongoing MSD and gender and youth inclusion assessments, research studies and stakeholder consultations, as appropriate, to inform program strategies and approaches; Learning Agenda; and adaptive management.
- Build capacity of private sector actors to understand the business case for gender equality and unconscious bias; provide technical assistance (TA) to support partners to develop gender equality policies and help them establish equitable hiring and recruitment processes.
- Support private sector capacity building efforts, including TA to partners to build their understanding of the business case for regenerative and environmentally sustainable solutions, in collaboration with the Regenerative Business/Resilience Lead and Partnership Officers.
- Provide relevant technical input for program work plans, budgets, and MEL Plan, including Learning Agenda, as appropriate.
- Actively participate in program monitoring, evaluation, and learning (MEL) activities, including results chain, intervention guide development, and other learning exchanges.
- Provide key support for data collection and analyses in collaboration with the MEL team to ensure interventions are impact-oriented and adjusted.
- Represent the program at networking and relationship meetings with private and public actors, as appropriate.
- Contribute relevant technical input for donor reporting and external program communications, such as technical reports, case studies/business cases, success stories, video/radio content, social media blogs/posts, etc.
- Manage, supervise, mentor and coach Partnership Officers as applicable.
Basic Qualifications and Competencies:
- Bachelor’s Degree + 7 years’ experience, Master’s Degree + 5 years’ experience in Economics, Statistics, Agribusiness, Business Management, Marketing, Finance and Accounting or related fields.
- At least 5 years’ experience working in the private sector in management consulting, market research, banking or related fields, or in an NGO/government role with orientation towards private sector development in Rwanda; experience in implementing private sector or micro, small, and medium enterprise (MSME) development assistance programs considered an asset, but not required.
- Demonstrated understanding of and commitment to challenging – barriers that disadvantage the vulnerable, women and youth and exclude them from economic opportunities.
- Demonstrated commitment to advancing gender equality
- Track record of building and managing strong client and stakeholder relationships
- Proven ability to develop strategies and conduct analysis on complex commercial questions
- Experience in authoring concise and well-written reports and presentations
- Knowledge and experience in Making Markets Work for the Poor (M4P) is an advantage
- Strong interpersonal and communications skills in a multicultural environment, including experience building relationships and managing conflict with people from diverse backgrounds.
- Ability to work with tight deadlines while managing multiple tasks and programs.
Preferred Qualifications:
- Experience of working on a donor funded Market Systems Development (MSD) program preferred.
- Experience working with Financial institutions or working on Access to finance interventions preferred.
- Experience working on Climate change and/or regenerative focused projects preferred
- Experience working with Private sector companies with a focus on Circular economy desired
- A sound understanding of business administration and economics
- Strong analytical mind and a flair for facts, data and innovation
- Experience supervising and managing staff is preferred
- 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, creative, hard-working and quick learner
- Confident, diplomatic and quick-thinking in the company of senior executives
- Able to engage with low-income populations with high degree of humility
- Knowledgeable of the drivers of social or economic exclusion e.g. due to gender or age and committed to the reduction of social and economic inequalities
- Pushes innovative and creative ways of thinking and working
- Effective manager and motivator of others
- Maintains integrity and personal reputation
- Is a self-starter, energetic and friendly
- Experience in data analysis using MS Excel or other data analytics tool
- Attitude for out of the box thinking Strong negotiation skills
Supervisory Responsibilities:
- Supervise one or more Partnership Officers. Experience working with multi-disciplinary teams desired.
Application Link: Click here to apply
Deadline: July 14th, 2024.
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.
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