Expert – Policy, Stakeholder Engagement and High-Level Dialogue – Rwanda

Aninver Development Partners SL (www.aninver.com) is looking for a Expert – Policy, Stakeholder Engagement and High-Level Dialogue for a finance, audit, youth consultancy assignment financed by AFD in Rwanda.

Aninver Development Partners is preparing a proposal for an upcoming consultancy assignment funded by Agence Française de Développement (AFD) in Rwanda. The initiative focuses on strengthening the country's digital startup financing ecosystem by establishing a structured high-level dialogue series that convenes senior decision-makers from government, financial institutions, investors, regulators, and the private sector to address persistent financing constraints for innovative ventures.

We are seeking an expert in Policy, Stakeholder Engagement and High-Level Dialogue to lead the design, coordination, and facilitation of strategic engagement processes. The successful candidate will play a central role in mapping key actors, conducting stakeholder consultations, fostering evidence-based policy dialogue, and translating discussions into actionable recommendations to mobilize public and private capital for Rwanda's digital economy.

Aninver is preparing a proposal for this assignment. The selected expert will be part of the proposed team; the engagement is conditional on the contract being awarded to Aninver. The full Terms of Reference for the position are shared with shortlisted candidates.

Objectives of the assignment

• Facilitate a structured, evidence-based dialogue among senior decision-makers from government, regulators, financial institutions, investors, and startup ecosystem stakeholders.
• Build a shared understanding of Rwanda's startup financing landscape, key constraints, and priority reform areas.
• Generate and curate high-quality evidence, comparative insights, and policy briefs to inform high-level discussions.
• Build consensus on priority reforms, practical actions, and collaborative opportunities between public and private sector actors.
• Produce actionable knowledge products and a pipeline of catalytic interventions to support access to finance for innovative ventures.

Scope of work

• Conduct comprehensive stakeholder consultations with key public and private sector institutions.
• Develop an Inception Report detailing the implementation methodology, work plan, and stakeholder engagement strategy.
• Create a detailed Dialogue Framework outlining objectives, agendas, expected outputs, and facilitation approaches for each session.
• Map and engage relevant actors across multiple workstreams, connecting their work to the broader startup financing agenda.
• Prepare background papers, evidence notes, policy briefs, and discussion papers to support informed dialogue.
• Design detailed agendas, facilitation plans, and moderate high-level dialogue sessions involving senior officials and market players.
• Synthesise findings from the dialogue process into actionable outputs and strategic recommendations for ecosystem stakeholders.

Your role as Expert – Policy, Stakeholder Engagement and High-Level Dialogue

• Lead the overall stakeholder engagement strategy and execution of the high-level dialogue series.
• Design and implement participatory frameworks, round tables, and policy consultation processes for senior decision-makers.
• Facilitate and moderate multi-stakeholder dialogue sessions, coordinating speakers, resource persons, and participants.
• Coordinate closely with national authorities, international partners, and expert team members to ensure alignment of objectives.
• Track commitments, decisions, and agreed follow-up actions between dialogue sessions to maintain momentum.
• Contribute to the drafting of background papers, evidence notes, and policy briefs in collaboration with technical experts.
• Document key discussions and synthesize outcomes into actionable recommendations and knowledge products.

Requirements

• Education: At least a Master's degree in Public Policy, Economics, Political Science, Development Studies, Business Administration, Communications or another relevant field (Bachelor's acceptable with 2 additional years of relevant professional experience)
• At least 7 years of professional experience in policy research and analysis, stakeholder engagement, policy dialogue, private sector development, entrepreneurship ecosystem development or related fields
• Demonstrated experience designing, facilitating or coordinating high-level multi-stakeholder dialogues, policy consultations, round tables or similar strategic engagement processes
• Languages: Excellent written and verbal communication skills in English

Desirable

• Prior professional experience working on digital innovation, startup ecosystems, or access to finance initiatives in Rwanda or the broader East African region.
• Familiarity with donor-funded projects, particularly those supported by European development partners or AFD.
• Working knowledge of French.

An experienced policy and stakeholder engagement specialist with a strong background in facilitating high-level dialogues involving senior government and private sector leaders within the African entrepreneurship and finance ecosystem.

Assignment details

• Location: Rwanda
• Financed by: AFD
• Sector: Finance, audit, youth
• Estimated duration: 18 months
• Contract: individual consultancy (conditional on award)

About Aninver Development Partners

Aninver is an international development consulting firm headquartered in Spain. It supports governments, development banks, UN agencies and bilateral donors with feasibility studies, technical assistance, evaluations and capacity building across Africa, Latin America, the Caribbean, Europe, the Caucasus, Central Asia and Asia-Pacific, working with a network of international and national experts.

Why apply

• Join a multidisciplinary team on a AFD-financed project in Rwanda.
• Individual consultancy: flexible, output-based engagement with an experienced proposal team.
• Your CV stays in Aninver's expert network for future assignments that match your profile.

How to apply

Sign in (or create a free account) and upload your CV in English. Add your LinkedIn profile, indicative daily rate and availability to speed up the assessment. Aninver will contact the shortlisted candidates.

Frequently asked questions

Is the position confirmed? The engagement depends on the contract being awarded to Aninver. Shortlisted experts are included in the proposal with their consent.

Can I apply if I am not based in the country? Yes, unless the requirements say otherwise; relevant regional experience is an asset.

What happens with my CV? It is used to assess your fit for this and future positions and is not shared with third parties without your consent.