JOB TITLE: Country Director COMPANY DESCRIPTION: Rwanda Village Enterprises, Ltd. (RVE) is a for-profit startup company that was created to build mixed- income, earth-friendly housing. Our goal is to demonstrate that building quality housing for low- and moderate-income workers in East Africa can be profitable. RVE’s approach involves community engagement, partnership with employers and government agencies, capacity building and the use of appropriate technologies. Our model utilizes an internal cross-subsidy to ensure that a portion of our houses are affordable to the community’s lowest wage-earners. RVE’s staff members have backgrounds in real estate development, finance, urban planning, law and a variety of social entrepreneurial start- ups. Our first project — Rwinkwavu Homes — involves the development of +/- 100 new homes in a small town in Rwanda’s Eastern Province in partnership with Sharon Davis Design (SDD), an innovative, award-winning architecture firm (www.sharondavisdesign.com). Together RVE and SDD are researching earth friendly building materials and methods to produce affordable housing and support Rwinkwavu community development efforts. Rwinkwavu is home to a regional hospital as well as the national headquarters of Partners in Health (PIH), an international health NGO. The first stage of this project is to construct five model homes, two of which are currently under construction. Beyond addressing a housing shortage in Rwinkwavu, we seek to develop a sustainable model for community development that can be replicated by RVE and others elsewhere in Rwanda and the region. In addition to undertaking the Rwinkwavu Homes project, RVE is pursuing a variety of urban planning related consulting assignments with municipal agencies in Rwanda. JOB DESCRIPTION: The Country Director will manage RVE’s day-to-day operations in Rwanda under the direction of the company’s owners, who are based in the U.S. Our work is multidisciplinary, and therefore the Country Director’s duties will be wide ranging. The following is a partial list of this position’s areas of responsibility: Rwinkwavu Homes Project Community relations – Work with government officials and local stakeholders to build support and good will while ensuring the project is responsive to community needs; Site control, entitlements and permits – Work with local government to obtain the land and approvals needed to develop future phases of the project; Design – Oversee the design of model/master site, new house types and estimate construction cost in partnership with Sharon Davis Design staff; Construction management – Coordinate the work of the architect, technical consultants, contractors, etc. and monitor the schedule, cost, and quality of work; End buyer financing - Work with banks to help prospective homebuyers obtain home loans; Seek out new investors and sources for development and construction financing. Other Manage business operations (i.e. accounting, taxes, marketing, sales); Property management – Collect rent, coordinate maintenance, and approve and manage capital improvements; Participate in policy discussions in Rwanda surrounding housing, green building, urban planning and related fields; Hire and manage interns, property manager, construction manager; Provide accurate and timely reporting to owners and investors. QUALIFICATIONS: Able to successfully coordinate a multi-faceted project; Strong organizational skills, self-starting and self-directed work habits, detail-oriented; Outstanding written and oral communication skills; Work experience/university degree in one or more of the following fields: real estate development, finance, project management, community development, urban planning, law, construction management, engineering or architecture; Experience living and/or working in a developing country (preferably in East Africa); Language skills in French and/or Kinyarwanda preferred; Interest in or familiarity with green building, poverty reduction and low-cost design solutions. LOCATION OF POSITION: Rwinkwavu, Rwanda (some existing or prior employees have split their time between Rwinkwavu and Kigali, the capital of Rwanda). POSITION START DATE: January 2013 or sooner. COMPENSATION: DOE HOW TO APPLY: Please email a cover letter, resume/CV and salary requirement to info@rwandavillageenterprises.com This position is open until filled. |
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