MSF Eastern Africa is looking for a Legal Registration Project Manager.
Do your skills and experience not precisely match the requirements? At MSF EA, we strive to create a safe, diverse and inclusive workplace, recognising the need to increase access to professional opportunities for historically underrepresented groups. If you're interested in this position but your experience doesn't align perfectly with the selection criteria, we encourage you to apply anyway. You might be the ideal candidate for this or other positions.
Firmly committed to safeguarding patients, community members, staff, and all those in contact with the organisation from all forms of abuse, including sexual exploitation, abuse, and harassment (SEAH), we will take all necessary steps, through rigorous vetting processes, to ensure that confirmed perpetrators of abuse do not join the organization.
For this position, contact level with patients and children is categorized as Low risk and will be monitored with this in regard.
Introduction
Médecins Sans Frontières/Doctors Without Borders (MSF) is an international independent medical humanitarian organisation that provides assistance to people affected by conflicts, epidemics, and natural or human-made disasters and excluded from healthcare. We provide this assistance without discrimination, irrespective of race, religion, creed or political affiliation.
About MSF Eastern Africa
MSF Eastern Africa (MSF EA) is the regional institutional office of MSF. It focuses on representation and networking, recruiting and supporting staff from the region, communications and fundraising, as well as working on other dossiers of importance to MSF such as Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI), Data Protection, mutualization, training, medical operational support and environmental health.
Rationale/Objective for Position
The Project Manager is hired to support MSF EA – on a full-time basis - to implement
- A primary legal registration of MSF EA in Rwanda,
- A secondary branch registration in Kenya in order to enable MSF EA to fully carry out its sectional activities (Human Resources, Communications, Fundraising including hosting positions), support the Ubuntu Operational Directorate to be deployed from Kenya and operate autonomously from MSF-Spain in Kenya.
This position will be hierarchicallyand functionallyaccountable to the General Director.
Tasks & Responsibilities
The Project Manager will work closely with the Intersectional Legal Department (ILD) Units 4 and 5, and under the general coordination of MSF EA management team. The work will be structured in two key phases and include the following tasks:
Primary legal registration in Rwanda
- Review and update the registration framework, including timeline for execution and documentation requirement list;
- Coordinate between MSF EA teams and Rwandan local lawyers in the collection of required legal documentation for the registration;
- Supervise the registration process in Rwanda to achieve primary registration as quickly and securely as possible;
- Supervise the drafting of the legally required framework Memorandum of Understanding, Action Plan and all related documents, which shall be part of the registration document package;
- Advise MSF EA management team and Board on local legal requirements:
- regarding the finalisation of the Rwandan entity statutes;
- regarding their approvals and delegation;
- regarding operational presence and social mission activities to be deployed in Rwanda;
- financial and budgetary aspects.
- Identify and liaise with Kenyan local lawyers to gather legal registration requirements for a Rwandan organisation to open a branch Head Quarters in Kenya;
- Share progress with MSF EA on a weekly basis- highlighting any changes to the proposed timelines for execution and potential bottlenecks to the registration requiring institutional support.
Secondary legal registration in Kenya
- Present registration framework to MSF EA and ILD, including timeline for execution and documentation requirement list, as well as monitor evolution of the INGO registration legal framework.
- Coordinate between MSF EA teams and Kenyan local lawyers in the collection of required legal documentation for the registration;
- Supervise the registration process in Kenya to achieve secondary registration as quickly and securely as possible;
- Advise MSF EA management team and Board on possible statutory changes required to align with new registration of MSF EA in Kenya;
- Coordinate with the Regional Protocol Office to ensure the secondary registration is carried out in line with the Host Country Agreement (HCA) integration objective;
- Share progress with MSF Intersectional Legal Department (ILD) and MSF EA on a bi-weekly basis- highlighting any changes to the proposed timelines for execution and potential bottlenecks to the registration requiring institutional support.
Qualifications
Education
- Advanced university degree in law, international law, with relevant experience in international or comparative legal research.
Experience
- Minimum 5 years of professional experience in project management, legal/regulatory affairs, NGO/INGO registration, compliance, or institutional development, ideally with an international NGO or humanitarian organisation.
- Legal registration experience: Demonstrated experience managing or supporting NGO/INGO legal registration processes, including primary registration and branch/subsidiary registration. Experience with Rwanda and/or Kenya registration frameworks is highly desirable.
Knowledge
- Strong knowledge of Rwandan NGO/INGO registration law and Kenyan INGO/NGO regulatory requirements, including statutes, MoUs, action plans, branch registration, and compliance obligations. Familiarity with MSF structures is desirable.
Project management skills
- Proven ability to develop workplans, timelines, documentation lists, risk tracking, and progress reports; coordinate multiple stakeholders; and deliver under tight deadlines.
Legal drafting and advisory skills:
- Excellent ability to draft/review legal documents, statutes, MoUs, action plans, registration packages, and briefs; ability to advise senior management, Board, and teams on legal, statutory, financial, and operational issues.
Coordination and diplomacy:
- Strong experience liaising with local lawyers, government authorities, MSF teams, management, and Board members. Excellent negotiation, intercultural, and communication skills.
Language:
- Fluency in English (spoken and written) is required. French, Kinyarwanda, and/or Swahili are an asset.
Competencies
- Ability to work autonomously, handle confidential matters, and commit to MSF principles and humanitarian values.
Conditions and Benefits:
- Job Location: Based in Kigali, Rwanda, full-time, with possible travel to Kenya.
- Contract: 6 months, full-time contract/ etc.
- Start date: As Soon As Possible.
- Salary: An annual salary of EUR 48,698 at HQ Grade 11 based on a full-time appointment with an annual increment of 2% every year up to a maximum of 10 years.
- Work-life balance financial benefit; ranging between EUR 620 to 1,159/month based on individual & administrative status. This amount may be used to cover accommodation and utilities, transportation, etc.
- Other benefits include;
- Annual Leave: 25 days of annual leave per year.
- Other Holidays: sick leave, circumstantial leave, maternity leave (21 weeks), paternity leave (4 weeks), own affairs days off, etc.
- Employer Pension contribution: 10% of basic salary:
- International insurance for both medical and disability**.**
- Relocation support; based on MSF EA terms/conditions.
- Work-life balance: Daily flexi-hours and 2 days working from home possible.
- School fees benefits: for eligible dependents, based on individual & administrative status.
- Diverse team composition; Collaborate with a global network of talented professionals, bringing diverse perspectives and expertise from around the world.
- Career Development: MSF provides many learning resources (online learning resources, regular trainings – including language, Peer to peer learning.
- Mobility: You will have opportunities to travel abroad for work, meetings, trainings and workshops; giving you a chance to experience different cultures and broaden your professional network.
Annual home leave ticket: To be taken once every year for both staff and eligible dependents back to their home country for vacation. Only applicable to non-Kenyans and based on individual & administrative status.