Want to drive economic growth, cut school absences, and reduce health problems in developing countries?
Sustainable Health Enterprises (SHE), a start-up social enterprise backed by Echoing Green and Harvard Business School, is seeking a team leader to drive its pilot launch in Rwanda. SHE is laying the groundwork to jump-start locally-owned franchises to manufacture and distribute affordable, quality, eco-friendly sanitary pads in settings where girls and women lack access to such a product. Currently, this situation prohibits millions of girls and women in developing countries from attending school and/or work, thereby thwarting their educational and economic potential. The SHE COO Rwanda will:
- Forge and maintain relationships with both local and international stakeholders for strategic partnerships and donor relations; * Coordinate logistics and implementation of SHE-Rwanda projects, manage business operations including but not limited to pricing, supply chain and distribution networks, manufacturing, finances, marketing;
- Design and implement marketing strategy for the promotion of SHE's product and program, and coordinate cross-national activities to ensure a consolidated effort across all franchises and retailers;
- Work with partners and advisors to gain feedback from various areas of the program to monitor demand and supply of sanitary pads and operational capacity;
- Monitor and evaluate SHE activities and report regularly to SHE CEO to make strategic recommendations on refinement and program design for long term sustainability;
- Identify training needs and advise on capacity building strategies as needed;
- Identify local Rwandese as candidates for internal positions to assist with transition to long term sustainability and Rwandese ownership of organization
- Advocate for tax reduction on sanitary pad products
The ideal candidate will have:
- 5 to 45 years of management/operations experience, specifically around supply-chain management, marketing, and finance; and/or starting your own business!
- Ideal candidate demonstrates experience/skills in negotiating with cross-sector partners (public, private, NGO; health, business, education sectors)
- Strong personnel skills and ability to communicate ideas across cultural and language barriers; fluency in English is mandatory as is intermediate French;
Willingness to work in Rwanda for a minimum of one year; - Previous international exposure, especially in Africa--Rwanda is even better;
- "Take-the-pad-and-run-with-it" attitude and ability to have fun!
Compensation is negotiable. Must be able to start by July 1, 2009. Rolling application, closing May 29th. For more information about SHE, click here.
To apply, please send along letter of sincere interest (+CV) to SHE at hresources@sheinnovates.com
