Programme Assistant – Events and Project Support - SYS-1238

The Global Alliance for Improved Nutrition (GAIN) is seeking a Programme Assistant – Events and Project Support to support the global Programme Services Team (PST) and Programmes Services Director in organising events and diary management. This role will be offered on an 18 months’ fixed term contract basis with possibility for extending, subject to availability of funding.  You will be based in Kigali, Rwanda.

Reporting to the Senior Advisor, Commercial Solutions, you will support the PST team and act as a first point of contact for many external stakeholders. The Programme Assistant will need to demonstrate a high level of communication and interpersonal skills.

• Providing coordination and administrative support to PST members for events organising (both in-person and online) including venue booking, diary invitations, setting up the right technology, preparing and disseminating materials, contacting speakers, etc.
• Helping with processing and gathering information required for financial planning and auditor’s requests related to events (including forecasting and budgets)
• Providing travel support to PST team members for complex itineraries and including assistance with visa processing
• Managing diary for the Director of Programme services
• Assisting PST Director in preparing relevant reports on project performance and status for Senior Management Team and board meetings
• Assisting PST members in arranging complex meetings with large number of attendees, and at times attendees external to GAIN
• Updating the Programme Team intranet (SharePoint) as directed by PST members to reflect the latest team structure and programme / project summaries

About You

The ideal candidate will have demonstrable experience in an administrative role supporting multiple members of a geographically dispersed team. You will have proven experience of organising online and in-person events and associated logistics including visas, venues / hotels and flights etc.

The postholder will also have experience working in a fast-paced environment, whether in the private or not for profit (NGO) sector and dealing with internal and external stakeholders at all levels.

You will be a strong team player with excellent communications skills and command of written and spoken English. Candidates with knowledges in a second language, such as French or Portuguese would be an advantage. The postholder will have strong ability to use initiative, prioritize, multi-task, work well under pressure to meet deadlines. In addition to this, you will be highly flexible with the ability to accommodate different time zones.

Relevant diploma or certification in related subject and familiar with Project Management processes and terminology. You will be computer literate with excellent MS Office skills such as Excel, MS word, Outlook, and Power Point.

The starting salary on offer for this role is from RWA 11,602,224 – RWA 13,300,104 per annum (gross salary), depending on experience.

GAIN has a fair and competitive salary structure that allows for annual progression subject to good performance. In addition, GAIN offers a total of 37 days holiday per year (including annual leave, public holidays and additional office closure days), an attractive pension scheme and competitive insurance cover including health, travel and life assurance.

We are committed to the health of our staff, especially in these challenging times, and have developed a programme of wellbeing that includes flexible working, additional leave allowances, wellbeing days, mindfulness coaching and access to independent and confidential counselling.

GAIN also has a strong commitment to professional development. We will support you to grow in your career through both formal and informal training, and are committed to providing opportunities through internal recruitment, secondments and promotion. All of this is delivered in a supportive and collaborative environment.

The Global Alliance for Improved Nutrition (GAIN) is a Swiss-based foundation launched at the United Nations in 2002 to tackle the human suffering caused by malnutrition. Due to COVID19, conflict in Ukraine and climate change, malnutrition and hunger have worsened significantly since 2019, reversing a decade of progress. There is growing recognition that our food systems need to change if we are to reverse these trends.

GAIN’s Strategy aims to transform food systems to make healthier diets from sustainable food systems accessible to all people and especially those whose are most vulnerable to shocks. By 2027, we aim to improve the access of 1.5 billion people to nutritionally enhanced staple foods, improve the access of 25 million people to healthier diets, and support positive food system change in 10 countries. This is bold and complex, and the only way to achieve this is to work together with partners including governments, businesses, and civil society at the country and global level. These goals, and the ways of achieving them, build on our twenty-year legacy of transforming people’s lives with improved nutrition through concerted action and effective policy change.

We provide a flexible working environment that includes a combination of home and office working opportunities through our global hybrid working policy. This encourages our staff to have a healthy work-life balance and increases staff motivation, enriches employee wellbeing, and improves performance and productivity.

All of our positions are based in one or more of GAIN’s designated offices as stated on our job advertisements. Successful candidates will be based in one of GAIN’s country offices and must have the existing right to live and work within a reasonably commutable distance of the relevant city / cities in which the role is advertised. Please note, that GAIN does not sponsor working visas and relocations. 

GAIN reserves the right to withdraw an offer of employment for candidates who are considered to ineligible under the above conditions during or after the recruitment process.

For more detailed information please see the attached job description. To apply, follow the "Apply Now" link.

Applicants must be currently based and have the existing right to live and work in the Kigali, Rwanda region to be eligible to apply for this position.

This advert closes on 2nd January 2025. Early applications are encouraged. GAIN reserves the right to close this advert early should we receive suitable candidates ahead of the closing date.

The Global Alliance for Improved Nutrition is committed to equality of opportunity and creating an inclusive environment where diversity is valued.  We are keen to reflect the diversity of our society at every level within our organisation and therefore welcome applications from talented and committed people from all backgrounds, representing the diverse societies we operate in.