PRACTICAL ACTION
ABOUT US
We are an international development organisation putting ingenious ideas to work so people in poverty can change their world.
We help people find solutions to some of the world’s toughest problems. Challenges made worse by catastrophic climate change and persistent gender inequality. We work with communities to develop ingenious, lasting, and locally owned solutions for agriculture, water and waste management, climate resilience and clean energy. And we share what works with others, so answers that start small can grow big.
We’re a global change-making group. The group consists of a UK registered charity with community projects in Africa, Asia and Latin America, an independent development publishing company and a technical consulting service. We combine these specialisms to multiply our impact and help shape a world that works better for everyone.
OUR AIMS
We help people find solutions to some of the world’s toughest problems, made worse by catastrophic climate change and persistent gender inequality. Our aims are to:
- Make agriculture work better for smallholder farmers, many of them women, so they can adapt to climate change and achieve a good standard of living.
- Help more people harness the transformational effects of clean affordable energy and reduce avoidable deaths caused by smoke from indoor stoves and fires.
- Make cities in poorer countries cleaner, healthier places to live and work from.
- Build disaster resilience into the lives of people threatened by hazards – reducing the risk of hazards and minimizing their impact on lives and livelihoods.
PRACTICAL ACTION IN RWANDA
In Rwanda, we are recognized leaders in clean cooking, lighting, and sustainable energy solutions. This includes ground-breaking work in solar and water powered electricity generation, often delivered through independent mini grids. We bring rural communities, people in refugee camps, energy providers and decision makers together to put sustainable, clean energy solutions to work for the people who need them most.
In our strategic business plan 2021-2025, we propose to extend our current reach and scope in Rwanda by deepening our energy work and stretching our portfolio to work with small holder farmers to make agriculture work better for them.
Within our energy ambition, Practical Action implemented the Renewable Energy for Refugees (RE4R) project in partnership with UNHCR through the funding from the IKEA Foundation which ended in 2022. The project aimed at to delivering renewable energy investments through an innovative approach in humanitarian settings, working directly with refugees and host communities in the Kigeme and Nyabiheke refugee camps in Rwanda. The project provided access to affordable and sustainable sources of renewable energy, and improve the health, wellbeing, and security of target populations. Currently RE4R II funded by Sida is being implemented in all the 5 refugee camps (Kigeme, Nyabiheke, Mahama, Mugombwa and Kiziba refugee camps). RBF4R funded by GiZ/EnDEV came in to support the acquisition of the clean cooking solution in addition to the support from the Sida.
About the role
In line with lighting and cooking energy, the European Union (EU) has funded a research project called SustaiNable eNergy sYstems for refugees and host communities in Africa (SUNNY), this project will be implemented in partnership with other institutions responsible for different Work Packages (WPs) and Tasks. The overall objective of SUNNY is to demonstrate the efficient implementation of renewable energy technologies to match local contexts’ needs and improve climate mitigation and adaptation potential. These technologies will help to improve the livelihood aims to increase the inclusivity of the market for higher-tier cooking stoves in all refugee camps in Rwanda as well as fostering livelihood of remote and under-served communities, especially displaced populations in Africa. For Rwanda, this project will be carried out in Mahama refugee camp.
Practical Action in Rwanda seeks to recruit the SUNNY Project Energy Technical Lead, the post holder will be reporting to the SUNNY Project Manager, the postholder will be responsible for managing all aspects of project delivery including planning, team management and resourcing, budgets, contract management, client relationships and partner co-ordination specific to the SUNNY project.
S/he will be responsible for the overall delivery of the project in Rwanda, quality, performance and management of the project implementation in line with the objectives of the SUNNY project.
SCOPE
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Title
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SUNNY Project Energy Technical Lead
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Reporting to
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Reporting to the SUNNY Project Manager
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Direct reports
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Tasks partners
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Relationships
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Externally with project partners and internally with project colleagues in the UK, EA and global offices, technical advisors, support teams and the impact team.
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Location
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Kigali, Rwanda
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Grade
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7
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Travel
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Regular travel to refugee camps across Rwanda with occasional international travel
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ACCOUNTABILITIES
Leadership and Strategic Alignment
- Contribute to Rwanda’s quarterly and annual reporting against Practical Action’s Business Plan (BP), particularly on SUNNY contribution to Practical Action’s Energy Ambition.
- Ensure that project activities, outputs and outcomes feed into Practical Action’s impact ambition and strategic plans.
- Work with the Head of Programs, the Project Manager, ME&L and the Gender Advisor to ensure that gender and climate technology is mainstreamed within the project.
- Ensure compliance with staff development strategies and Performance Management systems and evaluations.
Project Management and Delivering Quality
- Managing all aspects of project delivery as per project document, including planning, team management, resourcing, budgets and contract management, client relationships and partner co-ordination.
- Ensure risk and compliance with PA and donor rules and regulations.
- Responsible for the overall direction, quality, performance, and coordination of the project implementation including field delivery in line with the SUNNY Project objectives.
- Contribute to the development of tools and templates to be used for the project purposes.
- Ensure that project activities progress is in accordance with the grant agreement and project work plans.
- Ensure preparation of timely and high-quality progress reports, program reports, and knowledge outputs.
- Ensure effective communication with project stakeholders, team members and partners (including international colleagues, UK, and other Africa offices) to ensure effective collaboration and alignment.
- Maintain relations with government, donors, and other key stakeholders, including SUNNY project consortia members.
- Conduct regular project team meetings to enhance information sharing among partners and effectiveness of operations.
- Ensure transparency in targeting beneficiaries, delivery of services and participation of beneficiaries and partners in planning and monitoring is reflected in project delivery.
- Working with the regional impact team, support the capture and communication of the project’s impact for various internal and external audiences.
- Work with the budget holder for the SUNNY project budget (In application of the PA Rwanda delegation of authorities’ policy).
- Responsible for follow-up together with the Project Manager (PM) on monthly budget management reports and financial report to EU as well as others reports as required.
- Monitor and allocate project resources efficiently to meet project requirements and maintain productivity.
- Work with the Project Manager in collaboration with the finance department and provide advice regarding strategic donor costs allocations with a view to minimize compliance issues where possible.
- Responsible for providing high quality, timely input to reports for donors and internal purposes, as well as the development of relevant case studies, success stories and other documentation.
- Deliver SUNNY project procurement plan in accordance with donor and Practical Action procedures.
- Work closely with the procurement team in upholding value for money principles with suppliers in observance of procurement governance practices.
PERSON PROFILE
To be successful in the role, the ideal candidate will be able to demonstrate:
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Experience & Knowledge essential & Desirable
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- 5 years and plus proven experience regarding project coordination or similar role, demonstrating successful project support and coordination.
- Demonstrating the technical know-how and experience regarding the SUNNY Project innovations and themes on renewable energy
- Bachelor’s degree in a relevant field, project management, business administration, renewable energy or similar. Further training courses in topics relating to energy, development, project management, humanitarian development etc. will be an advantage.
- Experience of managing the program cycle, including assessments, report writing, implementation, monitoring, and evaluation
- 5 years and plus practical management experience including budget and contract management, activity planning, client, and stakeholder management, managing inputs from team members, consultants and partners, capability to use project management tools to deliver projects on time and budget at the satisfaction of the donor/client.
- Proven organizational skills: must be able to manage projects on time and budget and clearly work with diverse teams including technical leads, external partners, and donors.
- Experience of off grid energy access, renewable energy, and distribution systems desirable
- Experience working closely with finance, procurement, and risk and compliance teams/staff.
- Knowledge of social inclusion and participatory methods, including conducting research on energy projects, and using gender sensitive approaches.
- Experience working or dealing with private sector and an understanding of development and inclusive markets.
- Strong results orientation, with the ability to challenge existing mind set.
- Strong analytical, monitoring and evaluation, and report-writing abilities.
- Strong, demonstrable, financial management skills, particularly in budgeting and reporting.
- Strong communication, people management and interpersonal skills in English and Kinyarwanda.
- Computer literacy, particularly in Word, Excel, and PowerPoint
- Experience with project management tools and software.
- Fluency in other languages and local languages in Rwanda.
- Working knowledge of renewable energy & research, development programming and humanitarian response.
- Existing strong relationships and networks within the geographic area.
- Post-graduate degree in relevant subject.
- Experience in working in remote areas.
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HOW TO APPLY
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Interested and qualified candidates should submit their application letter, Resume/C.V. to this email: “recruitment.rwanda@practicalaction.org ”. Please ensure to clearly indicate the position you are applying for in the subject line.
The application deadline.
The application deadline is October 2nd , 2024. Please note that shortlisting will occur while the advert is still running.
“Practical Action is an equal opportunities employer, and we encourage applications from under-represented groups. We stay committed to cultivating an inclusive and diverse working environment. We believe that people from different backgrounds or cultures give us different perspectives, and the more perspectives we have, the more successful we will be. By building a culture where everyone feels heard, respected, and valued we give everyone working with us the opportunity to achieve their full potential.”
Only short-listed candidates will be contacted.
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