Junior Programme Officer

Description

About ICCO Cooperation (Rwanda)

Interchurch Organization for Development Cooperation (ICCO Cooperation) is an international non-governmental organisation founded in 1964 and implementing programs with partners in Central, Eastern and Southern Africa since the 1980s. Our programmes focus on access to finance for smallholder farmers, climate-resilient agriculture, innovative technologies, youth employment and emergency response. Our vision is a just world without poverty. A world where people claim and assume their rights in a sustainable civil society.

Since January 2021, ICCO Cooperation and Cordaid joined forces and will soon be addressed under the name "CORDAID".

ICCO Cooperation/Cordaid is implementing different programs in Rwanda and is recruiting a Junior Programme Officer who will oversee all the projects.

Job Summary: The Junior Programme Officer is responsible for implementation of access to finance projects, acquisition and business development.

He/She will spend 90% of time on implementation responsibility for one project in Rwanda (tbd) and 10% of time on acquisition and business development for Rwanda in collaboration with other business developers in the cluster and in ICCO/Cordaid.

Reporting: The Country Manager/Program Manager

Duty station: Kigali, Rwanda

Position type: National

Contract type: Fixed term contract

Proposed start of contract: November, 2021
Key Duties & Responsibilities

Fund mobilization/BS develop

Contribute and support the development and writing of successful funding proposals. Interacts with (potential) local/institutional donors, convincingly argument the added value of Cordaid as to acquire funds and ensure the future funding for the programme(s) in Rwanda. This includes increasing revenues, growth in terms of business expansion, increasing profitability by building strategic partnerships and making strategic business decisions

Bid management

Support bid manager on calls for proposals and tenders related to the assigned specific donor portfolio. Support negotiations for specific assigned bids, especially Value chain development. The bid team provides donor specific advice on rules, regulations, and policy. Uses donor contacts to ensure the winning outcome of calls and proposals. Oversees (parts of) the role division, planning and communication with donors and a consortium in order to achieve a positive outcome for Cordaid

Project planning

Translates the Cordaid project results into specific results in designated project areas and formulates an operational project plan within a country/region. Remains within budget propositions and infrastructural possibilities

Project management

Assist program managers with respect to risks, stakeholders’ issues and the project team. Support in Agrees with all contributors to project success deliverables, with a large amount of intercultural sensitivity. Understands partners and matches desired results and contextual factors. Stimulates progress and makes necessary adjustments to realize the project within given boundary conditions: scope, time, budget and quality

Financial management

Assist program managers in managing the project budget ensuring expenditures are in line with what has been planned for. Reports regularly on budget realization and acts proactively to comply with the budget

Field & Partner visits

Support program teams to monitor project achievements, conduct field visits with partners, review field reports, analyze field data and formulate conclusions, discussion points and recommendations for all stakeholders

Partners organisations' support

Support program managers to Identify the need for support with partner organizations and translate this into (customised) forms of support, taking into account (large differences in) the background and circumstances of (individuals in) partner organisations

Network representation/Communication

Support to Identify and establish contacts with organizations and explore representation for potential areas for collaboration, taking into account the mission statement of Cordaid and the possibilities within existing projects. Ensure the communication to both internal and external partners

Project reporting

Collects information within the project and reports about the results, specifics, budget and expenditures and possible deviations following required reporting standards, providing solutions to minimize impact of deviations

Monitoring, Evaluation & Learning (MERL)

Work closely with the monitoring evaluation team to identify project learning opportunities, research and publications and implementation of MEL policy. Facilitates the dissemination of promising practices and lessons learned. In collaboration with the MERL team, Ensure integration of innovations and best practices

Integrity

Adheres to the code of conduct and integrity policies, reports concerns and follows regular integrity training. This is a medium-risk position, with direct contact with vulnerable communities and regular travels

Other. Any other duties assigned by the manager

Key Result Areas

Access to finance

Capacity Building
Financial education
Product Development
Digitalization
Linkage of Financial Institutions
Communication

Value chain development

Develop non-financial services
Planning, implementation and monitoring of value chain activities
Linkage of value chain actors
Partner Selection
Capacity building
Communication

Requirements

University degree in rural development, agribusiness, agriculture economics, business administration or other related subject with good academic results. Postgraduate degree will be of added advantage
0 - 5 years of experience working in supporting Producer Organisations (POs) in value chain development and experience of 0-5 years in access to finance
Experience working and managing different organization partners
Experience of access to finance/ agribusiness / market linkages / value chain development
Experience with rural areas and understanding of the ability and constraints of rural smallholder farmers
Good understanding of agribusiness in Rwanda
Knowledge of the project field of expertise for example agriculture/health/economy or other relevant subject on an academic level and able to provide technical solutions
Social skills to agree on deliverables, ensure progress with staff and to support partners
Behavioral values and skills: trust, accountability, problem solving, cooperation, teambuilding, negotiation, conflict management, collaboration, flexibility, creativity
Writing skills to clearly formulate project proposals, project plan and project reports
Knowledge of the legal framework that governs Cordaid’s operations, as required by local and national government and by major donors (EU, UN, US, Bilateral Donors)
Knowledge of the mission statement and goals of the Cordaid project and the security policy

Core Competencies

Quality orientation
Organisational awareness including planning
Negotiation skills
Dealing with details
Conceptual thinking
Social awareness
Intercultural orientation
Managing conflict
Willingness to learn
Strong analytical and problem-solving skills
Self-motivated, proactive and result-driven
Reliable and dependable personality
High standard of integrity and morale.