Venture Capital, Innovation and Technology Investments Advisor/Manager

Focus of the Role

We don’t just talk, we do. Lead the change with us.

At the Tony Blair Institute for Global Change, we work with political leaders around the world to drive change. We help governments turn bold ideas into reality so they can deliver for their people. We do it by advising on strategy, policy and delivery, unlocking the power of technology across all three. And by sharing what we learn on the ground, so everyone can benefit. We do it to build more open, inclusive and prosperous countries for people everywhere. 

We are a global team of nearly 800 changemakers, operating in more than 30 countries, across five continents. We are political strategists, policy experts, delivery practitioners, technology specialists and more. We speak more than 45 languages. We are working on over 100 projects, tackling some of the world’s biggest challenges. We’re all here at TBI to make a difference. 

In a world of ever more complex challenges, we believe diversity of background and perspective is a strength. We pride ourselves on a culture that values and nurtures difference. We are dedicated to unlocking potential, not only for the countries we work in but also for each of our team members. No matter where you’re from or who you are, if you’re passionate about the transformative power of progressive politics, we invite you to build a better future with us.

Job Introduction

The Rwanda Development Board (RDB) is a government institution mandated to accelerate Rwanda's economic development by enabling private sector growth. The Kigali Innovation City team at RDB is developing a world-class innovation hub that hosts world-class universities and plans to grow its community base to target technology and other innovative firms.

The Advisor/Manager will support the design, structuring, and implementation of mechanisms to facilitate access to funding for innovative companies and attract tech company investments to the country.

The Advisor/Manager will support two flagship projects to nurture and attract innovators to Rwanda, thus positioning Rwanda as the best country to create, test, and export innovative solutions to Africa and beyond: the Rwanda Innovation Fund and the Government of Rwanda’s Technology Ecosystem Promotion efforts, as well as new projects and initiatives that will emerge as new opportunities are identified.

The Rwanda Innovation Fund is a government-backed fund backing venture capital fund(s) addressing the financing gap that tech-enabled companies face at different growth stages. The fund has a Pan-African mandate, focusing on Rwanda and the wider East African region. In addition, the Government of Rwanda is positioning itself to be a pan-African innovation hub. To this effect, Rwanda has created an enabling environment to be a test bed for innovative companies of all sizes. The Government of Rwanda is also investing in projects such as the Kigali Innovation City (KIC), a world-class innovation hub that hosts world-class universities including Carnegie Mellon University Africa and the African Leadership University and plans to grow its community base to target technology and other innovative firms of all sizes. The project development is currently structured as a PPP with Africa50 and Rwanda Development Board (RDB).

Key Responsibilities

­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­Accountability: The Advisor/Manager will be accountable for their contribution to unlocking investment to local and regional technology companies in Rwanda, building relationships with investors and supporting them in their search for investment opportunities in the country.

Responsibility: The Advisor/Manager will be responsible for designing a detailed workplan to achieve the role’s objectives and delivering results according to that plan. You will be expected to deliver high-quality products at demanding timelines while managing multiple priorities at the same time

Judgement: Successful candidates must demonstrate sound judgment, and strong decision-making skills in complex or ambiguous situations.

Successful candidates must demonstrate a strong sense of ownership and accountability for their work, a proactive attitude and a deep commitment to their tasks.

The post holder will receive overall guidance from the Country Director, directly work with the Deputy Country Director and will be guided by the Country Program Delivery Manager in setting out the strategic and implementation plan for the workstreams. The overall responsibility of this post-holder includes setting out workplans and implementation strategy; driving implementation with respective counterpart institutions and stakeholders; preparing periodic updates and reports; developing and managing relationships with direct counterparts and key actors in the ecosystem; and actively looking out for opportunities for TBIs further in-country program development. The specific workstream-related duties and estimated time allocation[1] include:

Funding for innovation (70%)

[1] Time allocations across workstreams are indicative and may vary over the course of the engagement

• Support ongoing sourcing and negotiations with early-stage investment fund managers to accelerate the deployment of prioritised financing mechanisms under the Rwanda Innovation Fund and the World Bank Digital Acceleration Program
• Assist in the setting up process of new investment funds in Rwanda, including providing guidance on the existing legal framework and incentives that are part of the Kigali International Financial Centre,
• Provide support in setting up new innovative mechanisms to facilitate access to funding for tech-enabled companies at different stages of growth,
• Identify best practices and establish partnerships with local and international organizations that can support the creation and implementation of different financing mechanisms for innovative companies
• Support existing and/new efforts in pipeline development including partnerships development to increase the number of investor-ready startups

Attracting and enabling innovators to set up in Rwanda (30%)

• Evaluate areas of opportunity and develop a strategy to target upcoming/mature innovators that might be interested in coming to Rwanda
• Research material to create pitchbook with compelling value proposition for target players
• Continuously research global and African innovation trends and compare with priority domains & Rwanda's competitive position
• Fast track ongoing and planned partnerships (e.g., program partners, academia, peer ecosystems in strategic markets, multinational companies, etc.) with the goal of enhancing the ecosystem as well as attracting tenants to establish in the Kigali Innovation City ecosystem
• Activate soft landing for innovators (e.g. enablers, incentives, pre-requisites & welcome pack) and where necessary, support the execution of new impactful and strategic agreements through all aspects of partnership development including business case development and negotiation and collaboration with other stakeholders in the government and private sector to support partnership development and management
• Integrate innovators in initiatives which develop local ecosystem
• Identify & prioritise enablers to support innovation by gathering input from innovators, agencies & other stakeholders
• Develop targeted KPIs with clear stakeholder mapping and engagement plan to measure and track the success of the strategy.

The position is full-time, with a minimum duration of 2 years and based in Kigali, Rwanda, and starts as soon as possible on the identification of a suitable candidate.  Relocation assistance may be provided for the successful candidate if required.

Person Specification

This is a role in a fast-paced government, working within complex policy areas that are highly scrutinised. We are open to a range of backgrounds but the successful candidate for the role should be able to display the majority of the following:

• A Master’s degree in business or other relevant fields is preferred, preferably with specialization/expertise in Business, STEM, Public Policy, Finance, or Economics disciplines and ideally within a developmental context
• Significant experience of combined professional experience in high demanding roles in management consulting, private equity, structured finance, investment banking/management, corporate banking, investment advisory, development finance or related fields
• Understanding of capital structures – equity, debt, guarantees and grants
• Exposure to legal structuring of investment funds is a plus
• Experience working within the private sector with expertise in building business cases around market opportunities and partnerships - including strategy development, market segmentation, competitive analysis, and financial analysis;
• Strong analytic and research skills with the ability to analyse opportunities (both quantitative and qualitative)
• Excellent business writing, presentation skills, and verbal communication skills (in English)
• Demonstrated work experience in innovation ecosystems, preferably in emerging markets is a plus
• Experience managing multiple projects & stakeholders, with excellent stakeholder management skills
• Preference for individuals with work experience in Africa and/or other emerging markets
• Effective interpersonal and leadership skill
• Team player with the ability to develop and foster relationships with counterparts across a large organisation
• Self-starter with drive, motivation, and ability to consistently achieve results in a fast-paced environment

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