Market Systems Manager
TechnoServe
Lokasi pekerjaan
Kigali
Detail Pekerjaan
TechnoServe Background:
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 Description:
TechnoServe is working with a major bilateral donor to design and implement a multi-year program that aims to break the cycle of vulnerability, poverty, and gender inequality in some of Rwanda’s poorest and environmentally fragile districts in the Western and Southern Provinces. The program will use a market systems approach to catalyze systemic changes that result in sustainable, increased incomes for tens of thousands of poor people, particularly women, living in Western and Southwestern Rwanda. ReGenerate Rwanda will apply an environmentally sustainable/regenerative business lens to reduce economic, environmental, and social barriers that keep poor women, youth, and men trapped in poverty and unlock opportunities for their full engagement in and benefit from economic opportunities.
To achieve its objective, ReGenerate Rwanda will work in close partnership with a diverse range of market actors to support a portfolio of interventions within priority sectors or cross-cutting market functions. The focus of these portfolios will be identified over the course of a six-month Inception Phase, expected to begin in early 2023.
Position Description:
TechnoServe seeks highly qualified candidates to serve as Market Systems Managers responsible for interventions and partnerships within a specific market sector or cross-cutting function prioritized for focus (e.g., cross-border trade, small livestock, financial services, etc.). The Market Systems Managers will drive the market system mapping and analysis during the Inception Phase, supporting the final selection of prioritized market sectors/functions for program intervention based on relevance; opportunity for growth/improved access; and feasibility of stimulating change in the market system. Based in Kigali with frequent travel to Western and Southern Rwanda, Market Systems Managers will define and execute strategies for one or more market system/s under the ReGenerate Rwanda program. Typically, the strategy will involve a series of interventions. Under each intervention, the Market Systems Manager will work with a small number of private and public sector actors within the market system, to prove the business case for changing their approach in favor of more gender-inclusive and environmentally sustainable/regenerative business solutions and models. Market Systems Managers will work closely with and supervise Partnership Officers based in the Rusizi field office.
Key roles and responsibility
• Drive the market system mapping and analysis during the six-month Inception Phase, supporting the final selection of prioritized market sectors for program intervention.
• Establish and effectively manage strong relationships with market system actors (e.g. private companies operating in the relevant value chains, representatives of the target group, local government offices, etc.) with whom ReGenerate Rwanda will partner and collaborate within a to-be-determined priority sector.
• Develop and oversee the portfolio of market system development (MSD) interventions and partnerships within the prioritized sector; work closely with Program Director and Financial Controller to ensure compliance with company and donor regulations and policies.
• 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 reviews 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, video/radio content, social media blogs/posts, etc.
• Manage, supervise, mentor and coach Partnership Officers based in Rusizi field office.
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.
• Good understanding of market systems and their role in poverty reduction from a systemic perspective; experience conducting market analysis in order to make business or investment decisions. Familiarity with political economy analysis (PEA) is considered an asset.
• Demonstrated orientation toward innovative thinking with strong ability to generate creative ideas/solutions and predict possible outcomes.
• Prior experience applying MSD principles to develop interventions that local partners can independently lead and own.
• Demonstrated experience leading and coordinating consultative planning processes that involve input from a range of experts and stakeholders toward strengthened evidence-based programming and decision making.
• Strong adaptive management skills, including critical thinking, foresight, and vision to actively analyse program activities, challenge assumptions, and make decisions.
• Strong interpersonal and communications skills in a multicultural environment, including experience building relationships and managing conflict with people from diverse backgrounds.
• Confident, diplomatic and quick-thinking in the company of senior executives.
• Able to engage with low-income populations with a high degree of humility.
• Track record as an effective manager and influential motivator of staff, partners and stakeholders; ability to manage strong relationships.
• 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 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:
• Detail orientation, including strong organizational, analytical, and quantitative skills.
• Excellent computer skills in Microsoft Word, Excel, PowerPoint, and other administrative applications.
• Strong private sector market orientation, entrepreneurial and innovative thinker.
• Robust analytical skills; ability to synthesize information and distill insights and conclusions.
• Strong interpersonal and management skills required; Personnel management experience required.
• Demonstrated strong problem solving skills.
• Very strong attention to details and commitment to high quality, error-free end products.
• Ability to develop well written, clearly structured, cohesive analyses and reports in English, quickly and efficiently.
• Strong analytical and financial analysis skills.
• Learning mindset and a passion for learning.
Supervisory Responsibilities:
• Supervise one or more Partnership Officers. Experience working with multi-disciplinary teams desired.
Success Factors
Competency is a combination of knowledge, skills and abilities (KSAs) directly related to successful performance on the job.
Core Competencies include:
• Integrity and honesty: Is widely trusted; seen as a direct, truthful individual; presents truthful information in an appropriate and helpful manner; keeps confidences; admits mistakes; does not misrepresent himself or herself for personal gain.
• Team Work/ Relationships: Works co-operatively and flexibly with other members of the team with a full understanding of the role to be played as a team member and/or leader, to achieve a common goal. Ability to build and maintain effective relationships and networks.
• Learning attitude: Proactively takes advantage of opportunities to learn. Actively identifies new areas for learning; applies and shares new knowledge and skill appropriately.
• Diversity/Inclusiveness: Demonstrates an understanding and appreciation for diversity and supports diversity efforts. Interacts effectively with and inclusively with people of all races, cultures, ethnicities, backgrounds, religions, ages, and genders.
• Communication: Expresses ideas effectively in individual and group situations. Listens effectively; shares information, ideas and arguments; adjusts terminology, language and communication modes to the needs of the audience; ensures accurate understanding; acts in a way that facilitates open exchange of ideas and information; uses appropriate non-verbal communication.
• Decision making/Problem Solving: Is able to analyse situations, diagnose problems, identify the key issues, establish and evaluate alternative courses of action and produce a logical, practical and acceptable solution. Is able to make effective decisions on a day-to-day basis, taking ownership of decisions, demonstrating sound judgement in escalating issues where necessary.
• Results Oriented/ High Quality Deliverables: Stays focused on the efforts necessary to achieve quality results consistent with programmatic or departmental goals. Demonstrates the ability to achieve effective results; works persistently to overcome obstacles to goal achievement. Accomplishes tasks by considering all areas involved, no matter how small; showing concern for all aspects of the job; accurately checking processes and tasks.
• Planning & Time Management: Establishes a course of action for self and/or others to accomplish a specific goal. Effectively plans, schedules, prioritizes and controls activities; identifies, integrates and orchestrates resources (people, material, information, budget, and/or time) to accomplish goals. Prioritizes work according to the program or department’s goals, not just own job responsibilities; manages own time effectively.
• Business Acumen: The ability to use information, ask the right questions and take decisions that make an impact on the overall business performance.
Job Specific/Technical Competencies include:
• Financial & Resource Management: The ability to estimate, justify, and manage appropriate funding levels to support goal accomplishment. Managing Resources is about understanding human, financial, and operational resource issues to make decisions aimed at building and planning efficient project workflows, and at improving overall organizational performance.
• Donor/Partnership Management: Identifying opportunities and taking action to build strategic relationships between one’s area and other areas, teams, departments, or organizations to help achieve business goals.
• Analysis, Research, Report Writing: Experience in business planning and analysis, modeling for feasibility and execution. Able to analyze and express oneself clearly in business writing.
• Innovative Mindset: Curious inquiries, asks questions and seeks out information from multiple sources, learns from mistakes, sees change as an opportunity.
ELIGIBILITY FOR APPLICATION
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
