Rwanda External Relations Senior Manager

Job Title: Senior Manager

Location: Rwanda
Reporting to: Country Director
Start Date: As soon as possible

Role Overview

GiveDirectly is seeking an experienced and dynamic Senior Manager (SM) to lead government relations, strategic partnerships, public engagement, and resource mobilization efforts for its Rwanda Country Office. This role is critical to advancing GiveDirectly’s mission of delivering unconditional cash transfers by fostering trust, collaboration, and alignment with public and private stakeholders, while securing the financial and institutional support needed to scale impact.

The SM will serve as a key external ambassador for GiveDirectly, building and maintaining high-level relationships with government agencies, civil society, media, and both domestic and international donors. Reporting directly to the Country Director, the SM will play a central role in shaping the organization’s external positioning, driving resource mobilization, managing risk, and identifying strategic growth opportunities through multi-sectoral engagement.

Key Responsibilities

Government & Stakeholder Engagement

• Initiate and strengthen relationships with senior government stakeholders to explore funding or partnership opportunities.

• Build and maintain allies and champions within public institutions for GiveDirectly’s mission.

• Engage relevant government agencies on GiveDirectly’s projects, approach, and impact, including securing local government approvals where necessary.

• Track the status and strength of relationships with key stakeholders, designing and implementing strategies to improve engagement.

• Represent GiveDirectly at national events, forums, and high-level or high-risk meetings.

• Ensure compliance with all government directives, regulations, and protocols.

• Align GiveDirectly’s activities with national poverty alleviation strategies and development programs, as well as provide guidance and support to field teams to ensure government protocol compliance.

• Identify and mitigate potential risks related to government engagement, working cross-functionally to implement preventative measures.

Partnership Development & Fundraising

• Identify and cultivate funding and partnership opportunities with government donors, multilateral agencies, philanthropic institutions, and INGOs.
  
  
• Build and maintain a robust pipeline of strategic partnerships to support program growth, co-implementation, and scale.
  
  
• Support proposal development, concept notes, and pitch materials in coordination with global fundraising teams.
  
  
• Serve as a liaison between GiveDirectly and potential donors, articulating the value and impact of its programs.
  
  
• Track engagement metrics ensuring consistent follow-through and sustained relationships
  
  
• Support Country Director in preparing for and following up on partnership opportunities

Crisis Management

• Serve as project manager and strategist during high-risk events or public relations challenges.
  
  
• Develop and maintain a crisis response plan in coordination with the Country Director and global teams.
  
  
• Respond to urgent issues involving government stakeholders, media, or local communities with speed, transparency, and sound judgment.
  
  
• Advise internal teams on potential community or reputational risks and lead mitigation strategies.
  
  
• Ensure consistent and controlled messaging during high-pressure moments, safeguarding GiveDirectly’s credibility and operational continuity.

Project Coordination & Internal Alignment

• Lead and manage coordination efforts between internal teams (e.g.,external relations, programs, finance, communications) and external partners.
  
  
• Organize key meetings, document action points, and ensure in-team and cross-functional accountability.

• Support high-impact strategic initiatives through efficient planning, communication, and stakeholder alignment.

Communications & Public Representation

• Prepare high-quality written materials including briefing memos, talking points, correspondence, press releases, and donor reports.
  
  
• Guide the development of public-facing content to ensure clarity, consistency and alignment with GiveDirectly’s brand and government guidance.
  
  
• Represent GiveDirectly in media engagements, donor briefings, and stakeholder visits as required.

• Oversee stakeholder communications during field operations to ensure local alignment and public support.
  
  

Reporting & Insights

• Deliver monthly updates and strategic insights to senior leadership on:
  
  
• Stakeholder relations and engagement outcomes
  
  
• Public sentiment, political dynamics, and community risks
  
  
• Partnership and fundraising progress
  
  
• Crisis issues and recommended mitigation steps
  
  
• Maintain clear, transparent communication with government authorities and institutional donors, fulfilling all compliance requirements.

Qualifications

• Bachelors or Masters Degree in a relevant field

• At least 5 years of relevant experience in managing government relations, partnership development, or public affairs—preferably in an NGO or international development context. Detailed understanding and demonstrated experience working with national level government officials in Rwanda

• Demonstrated experience in project management, including planning, coordination, and execution of complex, multi-stakeholder initiatives reliably.

• Proven ability to identify, develop, and manage strategic partnership pipelines, including demonstrated experience in resource mobilization. Experience with key donors such as US Government, FCDO, and large private foundations is preferred

• Strong understanding of government operations and the ability to navigate complex bureaucratic environments.

• Ability to identify and analyze trends, risks, and opportunities in the policy and regulatory environment.

• Excellent oral and written communication skills, including preparation of presentations and formal correspondence.

• Able to coordinate and update cross-cultural teams distributed across many time zones

• Demonstrated success in a high-performance work environment

• Fluency in English (written and spoken) is required; working knowledge of French is an asset. Exceptional communication (written and verbal)

• Experience working with and representing organisations to national media. 

• Aptitude to learn various software tools that GiveDirectly uses, including Slack, Google Spreadsheets, Google Calendar, and Asana  

Key Competencies

• Strong writing and project management abilities.

• Strategic thinker with excellent coordination and follow-through.

• Self-driven, with an ownership and results-oriented mindset.

• Ability to thrive in a fast-paced, dynamic team environment.

• Deep interest in scaling GiveDirectly’s impact through strategic partnerships and high-quality stakeholder engagement.

• High attention to detail and ability to manage multiple streams of work simultaneously.

• Strong delegation and upward management skills, including coordinating asynchronously with global teams across many time zones