Programme Coordinator

Contract

This is a UNV National Specialist contract. This kind of contract is known as National UN Volunteer. It is normally only for nationals. More about UNV National Specialist contracts.

One of the flagship projects under SGU’s mandate is the YouthConnekt initiative, a successful multi-faceted programme initiated in 2012 by the Government of Rwanda through the Ministry of Youth in partnership with UNDP. It seeks to empower young people and connect them with leaders from the public, private sector and the civil society to forge partnerships to provide employment and entrepreneurship opportunities to youth. By combining elements of skills development, entrepreneurship, access to jobs and finance, awareness raising on issues related to youth development, and promotion of youth citizenship through community work and inclusion in local and national policy dialogue, the YouthConnekt Initiative has proven to be a very innovative and effective initiative creating decent jobs. Since 2012, YouthConnekt has reached more than 3 million Rwandan youth through its leader-ships and civic engagement activities and has provided technical and financial support to more than 6,000 young entrepreneurs. Since 2017, YouthConnekt has been scaled-up at the continental level (YouthConnekt Africa) and has been replicated in 32 African countries.

Under YouthConnekt, The United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) in Rwanda and the Tony Elumelu Foundation have signed a historic 4-year agreement worth $1.4m USD and lasting from 2022-2026 to empower the youth of Rwanda to benefit from more inclusive, competitive, and sustainable economic growth in the country. It is part of the new partnership agreement signed with the European Union (EU) (Aguka programme) earlier this year aimed to expand the socio- economic opportunities for youth. This partnership will position entrepreneurship as a driver of business growth and job creation, empowering young people through an intensive programme involving entrepreneurship capacity building, financial start-up support, and one-on-one business mentorship. Set to be undertaken by UNDP alongside the Tony Elumelu Foundation and the Ministry of Youth and Arts (MOYA), the programme aims to:

a)Provide training to 400 young Rwandan entrepreneurs with an innovative business idea. b)Provide seed funding to 100 young Rwandan entrepreneurs to start and scale their business-es. c)Provide one-on-one business mentorship delivered by the nation’s leading entrepreneurs. d)Ensure that 50 percent of programme beneficiaries are women.

Under the direct supervision of UNDP Youth Programme Specialist and in partnership with Tony Elumelu Foundation and the Ministry of Youth and Arts, the volunteer will undertake the following tasks:

•Provide full support for all phases of the MOYA_TEF_UNDP Rwanda Aguka Ideation Entrepreneurship Programme. •Coordinate and ensure Timely delivery of the activities outlined in the MO-YA_TEF_UNDP Rwanda programme flow. •Coordinate the preparation of all programme materials and resources into local languages by the local facilitators, when needed. •Coordinate the activities of the local facilitators in the specified regions during the training phase of the programme, this includes.

o Submission of daily reports o Due diligence documents o Seed Capital required documents (Bank verification letter, Business account details) o Provide guidance and support to the local facilitators on the management of inquiries. o Develop a comprehensive report based on the activities of the local facilitators to the Foundation. o pre-and post-assessment report o Training report (To include but not limited to pictures, videos, Attendance of each of the regions/provinces, Scores per region, and Number of due diligence submissions per region) o Pitching report (To include but not limited to pictures, videos etc)

Facilitate the development and implementation of the project Monitoring and Evaluation system. •Drive the development of joint annual work plans as well as budgets based on expected year-end outputs. •Ensure close monitoring of activities and lead the process and later the implementation of the Monitoring and Evaluation framework. •Ensure the delivery of the quality/substance and timely delivery of the project products and adherence to corporate rules, regulations, and procedures. •Ensure report on overall implementation progress to the Program Coordination Team monthly. •Work with local facilitators, and the TEF Team to identify and mitigate programme risk factors at all phases of the programme, especially during monitoring. •Support Progress Monitoring and Milestone Assessment (Conduct spot-checks on TEF-UNDP Rwanda Entrepreneurs within the specified regions, at the request of the Foundation during and after the programme. •Support the collation of the Fund Use Plan and milestone assessment to verify beneficiaries who are qualified for funding).

Deliver all periodic reports on the progress of the project. •Prepare qualitative work plans and compile substantive progress reports in close coordination with all partners in line with the outputs/activities agreed in the annual work plans and ultimately ensure information-sharing.

Assume responsibility for the coordination of programme activities and strive to meet project activity results. •Assume full responsibility for coordinating effectively and efficiently the implementation of all program activities. •Establish and manage mechanisms for the exchange of information, experience, and lessons learned with programme partners. •Ensure wide dissemination and visibility of program achievements in close cooperation with the Knowledge Management Expert within the programme.

Furthermore, UN Volunteers are required to: •Strengthen their knowledge and understanding of the concept of volunteerism by reading relevant UNV and external publications and take active part in UNV activities (for instance in events that mark International Volunteer Day); •Be acquainted with and build on traditional and/or local forms of volunteerism in the host country. •Reflect on the type and quality of voluntary action that they are undertaking, including participation in ongoing reflection activities. •Contribute articles/write-ups on field experiences and submit them for UNV publications/websites, newsletters, press releases, etc. •Assist with the UNV Buddy Programme for newly arrived UN Volunteers. •Promote or advise local groups in the use of online volunteering or encourage relevant local individuals and organizations to use the UNV Online Volunteering service whenever technically possible.

☒Adaptability and Flexibility ☒Building Trust ☒Commitment and Motivation ☒Communication ☒Creativity ☒Ethics and Values ☒Integrity ☒Knowledge Sharing ☒Professionalism ☒Respect for Diversity ☒Self-Management ☒Technological Awareness ☒Working in Teams

Strong analytical, drafting, and communication skills. •Proven ability to coordinate complex programs with a diverse range of partners. •Experience in the usage of computers and office software packages (MS Word, Excel, etc) and advanced knowledge of spreadsheet and database packages, experience in handling of web-based management systems. •Relevant working experience at the national level in implementing multiple partner-led programme in Rwanda. •Previous experience in a similar role for an international agency donor organization or NGO is a prerequisite.

The Republic of Rwanda is a small landlocked country in the Great Lakes region of east-central Africa, bordered by Uganda, Burundi, the Democratic Republic of the Congo and Tanzania. With 13 million people, Rwanda supports the densest population in continental Africa most of whom engages in subsistence agriculture and 40% of the population live below the poverty line. Rwanda is a verdant country of fertile and hilly terrain and bears the title "Land of a Thousand Hills". Since the devastating 1994 genocide against the Tutsi, Rwanda has emerged as an impressive story of transformation in Africa. Guided by successive national medium-term plans and by comprehensive policy reforms over the last two decades, the country has achieved remarkable socioeconomic progress demonstrated, inter alia, by a more than three-fold increase in per capita gross domestic product (GDP) over 2 decades.

The principal form of public transport in the country is share taxi, with express routes linking the major cities and local services serving most villages along the main roads of the country. A valid passport with visa is mandatory. From 1 Jan 2018, Citizens of all countries are allowed to get visa upon arrival without prior application. A certificate of yellow-fever vaccination is required. Much of Rwanda lies at too high an elevation for malaria to be a major concern, but the disease is present and prophylactic drugs are strongly recommended. It is advisable not to drink tap water. Bottled mineral water can be bought in all towns. Hospitals are in all major towns. There is also the UN Dispensary that can provide 1st aid assistance and guidance. A combination of tropical location and high altitude ensures that most of Rwanda has a temperate year-round climate. Temperatures rarely stray above 30 degrees Celsius by day or below 15 degrees Celsius at night throughout the year. Throughout the country, seasonal variations in temperature are relatively insignificant. Most parts of the country receive in excess of 1,000 mm of precipitation annually, with the driest months being July to September and the wettest February to May.

The unit of currency is the Rwanda franc. The US dollar is the hard currency of preference, but Euros and Pound can also be easily exchanged. It may be impossible to exchange travellers’ cheques away from the capital. Credit cards are accepted in all the major hotels, restaurants, and shops in Kigali. In addition to Kinyarwanda, French and English are the major spoken languages. Rwanda is a unique country. It provides for an interesting and enriching environment, but also requires a mature level of cultural awareness. Therefore, flexibility and cultural awareness are essential.