Kids Play International: Country Manager

Kids Play International is seeking a Kigali-based Country Manager who is passionate about sport and social change. Deadline: 10 March.

Job summary

Kids Play International seeks a Kigali-based Country Manager passionate about sport and social change. This position is for someone who has experience in capacity-building teams, promoting local leadership, and building partnerships (funding/program). The ideal candidate should have strong train-the-trainer skills and is excited and inspired to work in a rural village helping to promote gender equity and mental strength through sport. Additionally, the candidate is someone who has lived in or managed staff living in a rural setting, understands how sport and play can be used to promote mental wellness and gender equity to shift and break down harmful sociocultural norms. Excellent organizational, writing, communication, and public speaking skills are essential. The selected candidate will be required to make frequent in-country trips to Kids Play International's program site in Gatagara, Nyanza, Southern Province. Prior experience living or working in Rwanda or a developing country will be considered an asset.

Job responsibilities

The Country Manager's core responsibilities includes partnership building, supervising, analyzing, and managing all primary programs: Let's Play Fair, All Girls United, and Play Fair Community Day; and across all secondary programs: Healthy at Home, Happy Hour and Supportive Boy Initiative. Additionally, the Country Manager will be required to oversee all grant-based projects from start to completion with support from the US-based Program Director and Rwanda-based Program Manager, involving all deadlines, milestones and monitoring, evaluation and learning. A substantial component of the position is developing the skills and abilities of the Rwanda-based Program Manager, including but not limited to curriculum design, development and implementation, report writing and grant management, budgeting and monthly payables, stakeholder engagement, and overall office and team leadership.

Primary duties

Operations and financial management

Lead and manage all in-country staff by overseeing monthly priorities, providing feedback, and helping to address and resolve complex problems
Ensure all in-country staff can complete their work in a safe and well-balanced environment that enhances efficiency, productivity and mental wellness
Ensure all program operations and activities adhere to Kids Play International's financial and child safeguarding policies and internal policies and procedures
Conduct bi-annual performance reviews of all in-country staff and goal-setting regarding professional development
Develop and oversee monthly program budgets as approved by the Program Director and Chief Financial Officer, ensuring all expenditures are within the annual Board Approved budgets
Ensure proper financial procedures are followed by all staff members and oversee accurate and timely reporting to the US-based Program Director and Chief Financial Officer

Program management, development and evaluation

Attend, observe and evaluate program sessions and training monthly as determined by the US-based Program Director
Help with designing, writing, editing and implementing all program curricula, including Let’s Play Fair, All Girls United, Healthy at Home, Play Fair Community Days and Play Fair Workshops
Ensure the development and implementation of high-quality gender equality, sports-based youth programming curriculum that is in line with the mission, vision and values of the organization
Assist the Program Manager, Program Coordinators and Coaches with any Kids Play International programming when needed. Take leadership and initiate changes as appropriate
Maintain ongoing communication and relationships with key stakeholders, including partner schools, parents, community members, donors and strategic partners as needed
Conduct program monitoring, evaluation and learning according to the program evaluation framework bi-annually with the assistance and collaboration of the Cambodia Country Manager
Assess the program's strengths, help identify areas for improvement, and provide monthly feedback and guidance to the US-based Program Director
Conduct regular evaluations of the Coaches' delivery and facilitation of the curricula to inform ongoing capacity-building training and workshops
Ensure accurate and timely monitoring, evaluation and learning data collection (qualitative and quantitative) to determine the impact of the programs and assist the US-based Program Director in reporting progress to key stakeholders

Grant management

Ensure all Rwanda-awarded grant activities and outcomes are met
Ensure timely writing and reporting on program results to funding partners, grantors, staff and board members in tandem with the US-based Program Director and Program Manager
Manage the design, planning and rollout of monitoring, evaluation and learning tools and databases for programs
Analyze qualitative and quantitative program data against proposed grant outcomes and Kids Play International's Logic Model
Provide training and support to staff on data collection and entry, including generating feedback to improve monitoring, evaluation and learning systems

Staff leadership

Develop and deliver ongoing capacity-building training for all in-country staff, including the Program Manager, Program Coordinators and Coaches
In consultation with the US-based Program Director, recruit, hire, train and manage well-qualified in-country program staff as necessary
Ensure all new team members receive appropriate orientation training per the organizational standards
Organize frequent one-on-one and team meetings with all in-country staff to promote collaboration, communication and an energized working environment

Qualifications

Ideal candidates will have the following qualifications:

A Bachelor’s or Master's degree in sports management, women's and gender studies, international development, public health, business administration or a related field
Minimum of two years of work experience at the international level with international humanitarian NGOs or operational UN agencies
Minimum of two years of field experience in challenging environments
Proven experience leading, managing and capacity-building teams
Proven experience in project management, including budget expenditure, reporting, report/proposal writing, staff management and monitoring, evaluation and learning
Preferable experience and strong interest in the areas of sport for development, gender, women's empowerment, public health, and mental health and wellness
Fluency in written and spoken English
A high degree of computer literacy with a firm handle on Google Sheets

Personal competencies

Strong leadership, organizational, and conflict resolution skills, including building and motivating teams
Political and cultural sensitivity, including adapting well to local cultures
Proven ability to function well in restricted environments
Strong liaison and communication skills
Innovative and creative thinking
Strong analytical and reporting skills

To apply

All candidates should email a cover letter describing their interest and qualifications and a current resume to: [email protected]. Please include "Rwanda Country Manager" in the subject line.

Rolling interviews will start on 27 February 2023. Deadline to submit is 10 March 2023.

NOTE: Because of the volume of resumes we receive, we will only respond to those we select for an interview.

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