Team Leader – Exiting Poverty in Rwanda Technical Assistance Facility

Team Leader – Exiting Poverty in Rwanda Technical Assistance Facility

Company Overview:

Palladium is a global leader in the design, development, and delivery of Positive Impact – the intentional creation of enduring social and economic value. We work with foundations, investors, governments, corporations, communities, and civil society to formulate strategies and implement solutions that generate lasting social, environmental, and financial benefits. 

For the past 50 years, we have been making Positive Impact possible. With a team of more than 2,500 employees operating in 90 plus countries and a global network of more than 35,000 technical experts, Palladium has improved – and is committed to continuing to improve – economies, societies, and most importantly, people’s lives. 

Palladium is a child-safe organization, and screens applicants for suitability to work with children. We also provide equal employment to all participants and employees without regard to race, color, religion, gender, age, disability, sexual orientation, veteran, or marital status. 

Project Overview and Role:

Primary Duties and Responsibilities: 

The Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office (FCDO) of the UK plans to offer a new phase of technical and financial support to the Government of Rwanda (GOR) over the next four years. The overall focus of this support is to strengthen social protection systems and policy and to sustainably build capacity to deliver effective programming. Separately, FCDO will engage a supplier to provide high-quality technical assistance (TA) to support this goal, from 1 November 2020 until 31 March 2024.

Palladium are currently inviting applications for a Team Leader to join this programme. The TL will be responsible for overall programme management and technical direction. The Team Leader will ensure quality delivery of programme interventions, overseeing deliverables from policy, operations, and learning-focused interventions. The Team Leader also manages the TA Strategic Fund, a responsive, targeted fund intended to address operational delivery issues, research needs, skills gaps, and specific policy challenges. The Team Leader also serves as the main point of contact for the FCDO, GOR, and other relevant stakeholders.

The Team Leader will report to the Project Director. The TL will also be required to maintain constant communication with the Permanent Secretary (PS) MINALOC and the Director General (DG) of LODA. This is a full-time position based in Kigali with regular travel throughout Rwanda.

Specific responsibilities include:

Relationship Management

• Serve as the primary point of contact for the FCDO Rwanda office, providing regular updates on programme strategy and implementation, engagements with GOR and other stakeholders, results, and other relevant matters.
• Develop and maintain strong working relationships with senior officials from GOR, particularly the Ministry of Local Government (MINALOC), the Local Administrative Entities Development Agency (LODA), the Ministry of Finance and Economic Planning (MINECOFIN), the Prime Minister’s Office, decentralized entities, and others as required.
• Manage relationships with consortium members, consultants, and other relevant stakeholders to ensure strong programme performance and management.
• Develop strong working relationships with the leadership of other relevant programmes, particularly existing FCDO, UNICEF, WFP, and World Bank social protection programmes in Rwanda, exploiting complementarities and synergies and promoting learning between them.

Program Leadership and Management:

• Lead the design and management of the programme’s strategy for delivering its components, in collaboration with technical leads and other relevant stakeholders.
• Provide overall guidance and strategic direction to all aspects of the programme.
• Lead the preparation of project plans, technical and operational work plans, as well as budgets, staffing plans, and performance improvement plans, and other managerial tasks as required in consultation with the Project Director, FCDO, and other stakeholders.
• Lead recruitment and management of all long-term and short-term team members, as well as onboarding procedures and team capacity-building efforts.
• Monitor implementation progress and results; maintain up-to-date risk registers; work to resolve issues and manage and mitigate risks, and escalate material issues and risks as appropriate.
• Manage and coordinate the Technical Assistance Strategic Fund, in line with GOR and FCDO expectations.
• Oversee all activities intended to support GOR in the achievement of the disbursement linked indicators for the sector.
• Backstop outputs from the project, providing targeted support where necessary.
• Oversee delivery of all project reporting to FCDO, Palladium, BRAC, and other partners.

Social Protection Policy Expertise:

• Provide high-level support to the Director-General of Social Affairs and Community Development at MINALOC and work in close collaboration with the Social Protection Lead at MINALOC on policy issues.
• Provide support to the Social Protection Division at LODA on relevant programme implementation matters.
• Work closely with MINALOC and LODA to develop and operationalize a policy innovation reform plan in line with the Sector Strategic Plan.

Required Qualifications:

• Required qualifications and professional experience
• Extensive experience in social protection policy, programme design, and implementation.
• Substantial knowledge of social protection issues in sub-Saharan Africa, particularly Rwanda. This should include graduation approaches, shock-resistance approaches, climate impacts on livelihoods, and support to people with disabilities and other vulnerable groups.
• Capacity building and people management experience, particularly through coaching and mentoring.
• Expertise in technical assistance facility design, management, and/or engagement.
• Strong understanding of the Rwandan context.
• Proven programme and team leadership experience, particularly on DFID/FCDO programmes.
• Excellent analytical and stakeholder management skills, with a strong capacity to build and manage relationships and communicate diplomatically with senior policymakers.
• Strong monitoring and evaluation, communication, and reporting skills aligned with DFID/FCDO requirements.
• Academic qualifications in development economics, social protection, rural livelihoods, food security, statistics, programme management, and other relevant areas.
• Demonstrated flexibility, creativity, and enthusiasm, as well as a willingness to be continually adaptive within a dynamic environment.

Desirable qualifications and professional experience

• Prior experience advising GOR on the development and implementation of social protection programming in Rwanda.
• A strong network of local and international consultants and GOR contacts.
• Fluency in Kinyarwanda and/or French

The window for applications will close on 23rd September 2020.