Team Leader / Lead Expert – Rwanda

Aninver Development Partners SL (www.aninver.com) is looking for a Team Leader / Lead Expert for a finance, audit, youth consultancy assignment financed by AFD in Rwanda.

Aninver Development Partners is seeking an expert Team Leader / Lead Expert for a prospective consultancy assignment in Rwanda funded by the AFD. This project aims to strengthen Rwanda's startup financing ecosystem by fostering high-level policy dialogue, enhancing ecosystem data and transparency, and mobilizing public and private capital for innovative digital ventures.

The successful candidate will lead a multidisciplinary team to drive stakeholder engagement, generate evidence-based knowledge products, and facilitate strategic dialogues among senior government officials, regulators, financial institutions, and investors to build consensus on priority reforms and financing interventions.

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

• Strengthen Rwanda's startup financing ecosystem by improving ecosystem data, programming quality, and funding readiness.
• Facilitate a structured, evidence-based dialogue among senior decision-makers and key ecosystem stakeholders.
• Generate and curate high-quality evidence and comparative insights on startup financing models and international good practices.
• Build consensus on priority reforms and actionable financing interventions to support digital startups.
• Produce actionable knowledge products and a pipeline of catalytic interventions to enhance access to finance.

Scope of work

• Conduct stakeholder consultations with key public and private sector institutions and develop an inception report and methodology.
• Design a detailed dialogue framework, map relevant actors, and identify opportunities to connect workstreams.
• Prepare background papers, evidence notes, policy briefs, and comparative analyses of startup financing models.
• Design agendas, facilitate and moderate high-level dialogue sessions, and coordinate speakers and resource persons.
• Document discussions, track commitments and follow-up actions, and synthesize findings into actionable outputs for stakeholders.

Your role as Team Leader / Lead Expert

• Provide overall leadership and management for the 18-month assignment, ensuring quality control and timely delivery of outputs.
• Lead stakeholder engagement and high-level policy consultations with senior government officials, regulators, and development partners.
• Direct the preparation of evidence notes, policy briefs, and comparative analyses of startup financing models.
• Design and facilitate high-level dialogue sessions, round tables, and multi-stakeholder strategic engagement processes.
• Coordinate external resource persons, subject-matter experts, and team members across project components.
• Synthesize findings from dialogue processes into actionable recommendations and a pipeline of catalytic interventions.

Requirements

• Education: Master's degree in Finance, Economics, Business Administration, Public Policy, Development Finance, Entrepreneurship, or another relevant field (Bachelor's acceptable with 2 additional years of relevant professional experience)
• Minimum of 7 years of professional experience in startup finance, investment ecosystems, financial sector development, entrepreneurship, innovation policy, private sector development, or related fields
• Demonstrated experience leading at least two similar assignments involving policy dialogue, financing ecosystem development, startup finance, or investment ecosystem strengthening within the past 10 years, and at least one proven experience facilitating high-level engagements involving senior government officials, regulators, financial institutions, investors, and development partners
• Languages: Full professional proficiency in English; working knowledge of French is an advantage

Desirable

• Working knowledge of French.
• Prior professional experience in Rwanda or the broader East African region.

An experienced Team Leader with a strong background in startup finance and policy dialogue, possessing a proven track record of facilitating high-level engagements with senior government officials and financial sector stakeholders in Africa.

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.