Interested in being SHE’s next Production Engineer? We’re hiring in Rwanda!

Description:

We are recruiting an energetic and commercially minded mechanical engineer to join our core team. The successful candidate will have a proven track record in machine fabrication, small-scale factory setup, and mechanical problem solving. The position will require both hands-on and CAD design capacity. This is an ideal position for a hands-on mechanical engineer seeking to join a growing manufacturing start-up in Rwanda and deliver transformative, global impact. The position will require an intense and creative pace of work, flexibility and resourcefulness, and a keen ability to navigate the cultural and physical aspects of field work. The job will be located in Ngoma district with travel between Kigali to the main office and will report to the Production Manager

 

Manufacturing duties:

  • Work closely with and help to train quality control inspectors, technicians and production personnel in enhancing the quality and manufacturability of our product.
  • Creating and editing SOP’s and QC inspection documents.
  • Evaluates production processes by designing and conducting research programs; applying knowledge of product design, fabrication, assembly, tooling, and materials; conferring with the existing machine. This often requires creativity and resourcefulness to keep the factory running while waiting for proper repairs or components.
  • Develops Production processes by studying product requirements; researching, designing, modifying, and testing manufacturing methods and equipment.
  • Improves production efficiency by analyzing and planning workflow, space requirements, and equipment layout.
  • Assures product and process quality by designing testing methods; testing finished- product and process capabilities; establishing standards; confirming production processes.
  • Provides production decision-making information by calculating production, labor, and material costs; reviewing production schedules; estimating future requirements after consulting the Production Manager
  • Assist Production Manager in planning, managing and executing production operations.
    • Supervise and motivate production process night & day shift to meet quality and performance standards.
  • Keeps equipment operational by coordinating maintenance and repair services; following manufacturer’s instructions and established procedures; requesting special service.
  • Completes design and development projects by training and guiding shift leads.
  • Maintaining and modifying equipment to ensure that it is safe, reliable and efficient
  • Contributes to team effort by accomplishing related results as needed.
  • Work with Production Manager to execute the following
    • To identify opportunities for new technical innovations.
    • To provide engineering technical assistance to Rwandan’s production team related to R&D and technical developments for replication of our machinery and existing production process in Rwanda.
  • Assist Production Manager in planning, managing and executing production operations.
  • Supervise production process to meet quality and performance standards.
  • Record all production metrics to report to the Production Manager
  • Read and manipulate models and drawings in CAD.

 

QUALIFICATIONS AND EXPERIENCE

This role will be particularly suitable for intellectually curious manufacturing or consultant-types that are eager to dive into our production scale up. Previous experience in manufacturing roles is a plus.

 

Specific experience:

  • University degree, preferably in Engineering or other related.
  • 2+ years’ experience in a R&D, design, or consulting role; experience working with Product design Engineer
  • Solid knowledge of Excel, Word, Powerpoint
  • Fluency in English required
  • Experience with computer-aided drawing such as AutoCAD, Sketchup, Microstation, etc. to generate technical designs
  • Mechanical aptitude, ability to troubleshoot and repair mechanical issues with production equipment and tooling.

 

Desired experience:

  • Demonstrated experience working with basic shop machines and tools: manual mill, lathe, welders, etc; machine fabrication skills are preferable.
  • Experience in a medium volume, medium-tech manufacturing setting, preferable.

 

Personal traits and skills:

  • Attention to Detail: As Engineers you need to possess a high level of attention to detail to ensure nothing important is forgotten that could potentially derail the factory.
  • Analytical: you think through problems in a structured way: assessing them quantitatively wherever possible, breaking them down into their component parts, and tackling the highest impact problems first. You are good with numbers, and understand how different KPIs relate to each other.
  • Human-centered design thinking: you can employ a variety of techniques to understand user pain points and design creative solutions from first-principles (not just the way things have always been done). Just as importantly, you can communicate your vision using a variety of tools to a variety of stakeholders.
  • Presentation skills: you can translate complex numbers into language that makes sense to any audience.
  • You deliver and expect the best: At SHE, we all strive to deliver extraordinary work and believe that the work we are doing will benefit millions of people. We also expect others to do the same. You must take pride in owning and delivering your vision, and not be content to just faithfully execute instructions.
  • Desire to learn: You should be able to demonstrate that you know the current state of the engineering industry and can work effectively within it. Anticipate where it might go in the future.

 

Application:

Candidates who fulfill the requirements are requested to submit their Applications (Application letter and resume) to hr_rwanda@sheinnovates.com before 23 June 2018.

 

Now Hiring: Administration Officer

The Administration Officer is responsible for maintaining day to day financial, accounting, administrative and personnel services in order to meet requirements and support service operations.

SCOPE :

The Administration Officer will report to the Managing Director and she/ he is responsible for assisting with preparation of financial statements, maintaining cash controls , prepare the payroll, prepare the fund request together with the MD and personnel administration (Time sheet , Leaves records) purchasing, maintaining accounts payable and managing office operations.

RESPONSIBILITIES:

1. Administer and monitor the financial system in order to ensure that the finances are maintained in an accurate and timely manner

Main Activities

  •  Assist with preparation of the budget
  • Recording bank and petty cash expenses on a weekly basis
  • Reconciling bank statements on a monthly basis
  • Preparing balance sheets on a monthly basis
  • Preparing statements of profit and loss on a monthly basis
  •  Implement financial policies and procedures
  •  Reconcile the general ledger
  •  Prepare and reconcile general bank statements
  •  Establish and maintain supplier accounts
  •  Ensure data is entered into the system
  •  Ensure transactions are properly recorded and entered into the computerized
  •  Assist with the annual audit
  •  Maintain financial files and records
  1. Oversee the accounts payable and accounts receivable systems in order to ensure complete and accurate records of all money
    Main Activities
  •  Ensure the safeguarding of all municipal funds
  •  Issue, code and authorize purchase orders
  •  Reconcile the accounts payable
  •  Reconcile the accounts receivable
  •  Reconcile weekly deposits
  • Receive and process the approved requests from the staffs
  •  Verify the employees weekly expenses
  1. To act as the liaison between SHE managers and employees, ensuring smooth communication and prompt resolution of all queries. You will also support our daily HR activities and assist in coordinating HR policies, processes and relevant documents.

Main Activities

  • Preparing RSSB tax on a monthly basis and preparing TAX PAYE tax declarations on a quarterly basis
  • Facilitating resolutions to any payroll errors
  • Answering payroll questions
  • Administer employment agreements
  •  Maintain the leave management system
  •  Review payroll reports
  • Recording in database and verify the employees Time sheet
  1. Supervise administrative services within the municipal office
    Main Activities
  •  Manage the filing, storage and security of documents
  •  Respond to inquiries
  • Manage the repair and maintenance of computer and office equipment

 

REQUIRED QUALIFICATIONS

  • Bachelor of Business Administration (BBA) in finance or accounting, professional accounting certificate will be an asset.
  • At least 2 years’ experience in accounting or related field

 

CORE COMPETENCIES

  • Exceptional service and results orientation
  • Superior analytical and problem-solving abilities. Demonstrated ability to apply IT in solving problems
  • Ability to work under pressure and time constraints
  • Ability to work effectively with a wide range of cultures in a diverse community
  • Ability to present ideas in business-friendly and user-friendly language. Ability to make effective and persuasive presentations to senior management
  • Ability to achieve results through others
  • Excellent self-organization and self-direction in performance of tasks, including time management skills

HOW TO APPLY

  • If you believe that you are the right candidate for the above position, please submit your application: CV and application letter to hr_rwanda@sheinnovates.com

 

 

 

Now Hiring: Health and Hygiene Manager in Kigali, Rwanda

Health and Hygiene Manager Job Summary

We are currently seeking an experienced Health and Hygiene Manager with strong skills to join our growing team. In this position, you will oversee, design, develop, coordinate, and run both large- and small-scale training MHM program. To do so you are required to be strong on Leadership, Government and partners relations. Manager will build on the existing work and experience of SHE- Rwanda to develop creative resources to support the delivery of Menstrual Health Education in Rwanda. The material will be widely used in the whole country by other organizations seeking to improve girls’ and women health through health education and community awareness. The Manager will also be requested to work in close collaboration with the Business team to coordinate and implement larger community awareness outreaches to our pad purchasers to ensure that communities receiving go! pads are also able to access Menstrual Hygiene Management (MHM) information they need.

RESPONSIBILITIES

MHM Training and Awareness

  • Deliver MHM trainings and workshops to other organizations and other different audiences.
  • Together with other girl’s education promoters in the country, ensure that MHM advocacy is taken into consideration while girls’ education promotion is in discussion especially in the areas of policy changes.
  • Train teachers on puberty, menstruation, and menstrual hygiene management, including go!
  • Conduct awareness sessions on puberty, menstruation, and menstrual hygiene management, including go!
  • Use MHM education to convert schools, NGOs, and girls into go! buyers;
  • Travel throughout Rwanda as necessary to train teachers and students and conduct advocacy.
  • Develop and provide training plan for MHM education facilitators and, if capable, oversee the training of health facilitators.

Educational Materials Development and Plan

  • Oversee the adaptation of an existing menstrual health and hygiene education curriculum to meet project needs and Ministries of Education and Health requirements:
    • Conduct literature review as needed to capture and understand recent findings in MHM curriculum design and effectiveness and incorporate findings into updated curriculum.
    • Conduct pre- and post- surveys among trained teachers and incorporate findings into updated curriculum.
    • Collaborate with SHE’s Marketing team to ensure alignment of updated curriculum with any development of sales content.
    • Collaborate with partners to adapt curriculum as needed to program site context.
  • Adapt existing MHM Training of Trainers materials for community and school implementation for different partners.
  • Develop content for other supplementary resources (e.g.: resources for variety of groups; girls, boys, community health workers and teachers, to name but a few).
  • Oversee the adaptation (as needed) of the teacher training manual for REB approval.
  • Oversee the adaptation (as needed) of the student booklet for REB approval.
  • Collaborate with SHE’s Business Development Manager as needed to adapt curriculum for sales training (e.g. shorter educational brochure, inserts, posters).

Partnerships

  • Build relationships with public, private, and nonprofit sector stakeholders in the health and education fields.
  • Build or maintain relationships with Ministers of Health, Education, and Gender and get Teacher Training Manual approved.
  • Preparing reports for district and government officials and non-profit stakeholders for national and global distribution.
  • In collaboration with the Managing Director, develops and manages SHE strategy for strengthening relationships with Government officials and Partners and increasing their understanding of and support for SHE MHM.
  • Plan and implement events and other activities to support the SHE’s government and partner relations goals, such as town halls, news conferences, school visits, and meetings.
  • Strategize and collaborate with Business Development Team to align potential partner to boost sales.

QUALIFICATIONS

Applying candidates must meet the following qualifications:

  • Hold a Bachelor’s degree in Community Health Development, Public Health, Social Sciences or a related field.
  • Demonstrated experience designing menstrual health or adolescent health education curricula, preferably in a Rwandan context.
  • Demonstrated experience facilitating menstrual or adolescent health education curricula, preferably in a Rwandan context.
  • Cultural sensitivity and empathy are a must. Previous experience working with rural and/or vulnerable populations is preferred.
  • Proven experience in working in community heath projects. Advocacy experience, or demonstrated ability to build relationships with both public, private, and NGO sector stakeholders.
  • Demonstrated interest in social impact.
  • Fluent in English and Kinyarwanda.

COMPETENCIES

  • Outstanding organizational skills and attention to detail.
  • Ability to work effectively in a team and excellent interpersonal skills.
  • The ability to develop effective partnerships with the private, NGO and public sector.
  • Ability to support the development of manuals and training materials and conduct training.
  • Strong written and verbal communication skills in English and Kinyarwanda.
  • Proven ability to identify and write good story ideas.
  • A positive, can-do attitude and sense of humor.

HOW TO APPLY

Applicants must fully meet the qualification requirements. Qualified individuals are requested to submit cover letter and resume ONLY in English and Word (.doc) or Acrobat (.pdf) format, addressing above-listed qualifications and requirements; and providing names, professional relationship, contact numbers and email addresses of three professional references, including at least two former supervisors.

The above documents must be emailed to hr_rwanda@sheinnovates.com

Do you know SHE’s next team members?

We’re looking for three dedicated superstars to join our team in Rwanda and New York. In Rwanda, we are seeking a Health and Hygiene Manager and an Administration Officer. In our New York Office, we are seeking a Development and Communications Intern. Apply now if you are interested, and please pass on these job descriptions if you know someone who may be interested! The full job descriptions for all three can be found linked below:

 

Rwanda Positions:

  • Health and Hygiene Manager: We are currently seeking an experienced Health and Hygiene Manager with strong skills to join our growing team. In this position, you will oversee, design, develop, coordinate, and run both large- and small-scale training MHM program. To do so you are required to be strong on Leadership, Government and partners relations. Manager will build on the existing work and experience of SHE- Rwanda to develop creative resources to support the delivery of Menstrual Health Education in Rwanda. The material will be widely used in the whole country by other organizations seeking to improve girls’ and women health through health education and community awareness. The Manager will also be requested to work in close collaboration with the Business team to coordinate and implement larger community awareness outreaches to our pad purchasers to ensure that communities receiving go! pads are also able to access Menstrual Hygiene Management (MHM) information they need. Click here to read the full job description.
  • Administration Officer: The Administration Officer is responsible for maintaining day to day financial, accounting, administrative and personnel services in order to meet requirements and support service operations. The Administration Officer will report to the Managing Director and she/ he is responsible for assisting with preparation of financial statements, maintaining cash controls , prepare the payroll, prepare the fund request together with the MD and personnel administration (Time sheet , Leaves records) purchasing, maintaining accounts payable and managing office operations. Click here to read the full job description.

New York Office Position:

  • We’re looking for a highly motivated individual who wants to work and learn with our development team for 12-15 hours a week for a monthly stipend. S/he will be responsible for conducting research to support our fundraising and development efforts, help us improve our donor communications, and manage our social media sources. Click here to read the full job description.

Meet a SHE Farmer: Nyiransaba

We’re growing quick in Rwanda! As we reach more and more girls, we also need more banana fiber.  In order to fill this demand, SHE has begun working with a new banana farming co-op in Rwanda, giving 220 new farmers the opportunity to earn over 30% higher incomes.

 

Nyiransaba is a farmer and a mother of 5 children. She is one of the farmers in the new banana co-op we began working with this year. What does this new opportunity with SHE mean for Nyiransaba?

 

“The women in my village have a club to help us to save money and every member must pay her share each Sunday. It used to be hard for me to bring my share each week but with the banana stems I extract, I am now paying on time. I also have been able to buy others basic need at home and pay school fees. In fact, I have even bought go! pads for my oldest daughter! I have been surprised that the banana stems we used to consider as waste can be used to produce sanitary pads. We now count banana fibers as money.”

 

 

 

Though she has just started receiving additional income from SHE, the money Nyiransaba is saving will give her and her family financial independence and the ability to get ahead in the future.  SHE plans to bring on one additional co-op by the end of the year.

Want to be our next intern?

Are you a highly motivated individual who wants to work with an innovative, international award winning social enterprise? Can you work on a volunteer basis for 8-12 hours a week in our NYC office? If so, you may be interested in becoming our next Development and Communications Intern! We will work with any candidate to obtain college credit if needed, and this position is well suited for someone enrolled in university and studying a related field.

Responsibilities include:

Development

• Be our sleuth. Conduct research on prospective funders and foundations.

• Show our funders some love. Write thank-you notes to acknowledge our donors.

• Back us up. Edit and proofread documents such as slide decks, communications materials, and proposal materials. Conduct needed research for proposals as needed.

Social Media

• Write on. Research and develop creative content for social media and blog posts.

• Keep the trains running on schedule. Organize social media and blog content into an editorial calendar.

Administrative Support

• Support SHE. Respond to inquiries from supportshe@sheinnovates.com account (respond directly or direct inquiries to appropriate staff member, as needed)

• Get to know the database. Enter data into Salesforce as needed.

Our ideal candidate has:

• Great writing and communications skills.

• Organizational skills and the ability to manage time well.

• An understanding of social media platforms and WordPress. Knowledge of measurement tools such as Google Analytics a plus!

• A passion for women’s rights, international health, or social enterprise. The ability to talk about these issues comfortably to produce content consistent with our brand.

• A knack for design, some experience with Adobe Photoshop preferred

 

If interested, please send a resume, cover letter, and a two-page writing sample in an email with “Development and Communications Intern” in the email heading to danielle@SHEinnovates.com.

HOW TO APPLY

Danielle@sheinnovates.com

http://sheinnovates.com

If interested, please send a resume, cover letter, and a two-page writing sample in an email with “Development and Communications Intern” in the email heading to danielle@SHEinnovates.com by September 8th.

SHE Stories: Discreet Design

Aimee Sealfon Kassana is a Design Director living in Kigali, Rwanda. She started working closely together with the SHE team and Johnson & Johnson two years ago as both a designer and a design strategist. The SHE Team and Johnson & Johnson design partnership created sustainable design concepts together with key stakeholders, in order to develop more sustainable go! packaging and readily accessible health education. During the decade that she worked for Johnson & Johnson, Aimee says that designing for SHE is the project she is most passionate about and invested in.

1. How did you start designing such culturally sensitive and work? How did you test your designs to make sure they communicated the right messages?

All designers need to be culturally sensitive in order to create materials that are successful. I began working with Johnson & Johnson more than a decade ago as the design director for the Women’s Health franchise. I managed the design and creative direction of the consumer packaging for all of their global women’s health care brands and feminine hygiene brands. Some products play an intimate role in women’s lives, and understanding the appropriate cultural sensitivities and how they differed from region to region — and even country to country — was incredibly important to understand from a consumer insights perspective.

As a designer, I have to gather insights on cultural norms, customs, practices, taboos; how and where she shopped; how she lived, trying to better understand her desires and dreams; mapping her journey and how she interacted with these products throughout her life. These insights were then embedded into the design concepts that were developed, in order to create products that added delight, meaning, or in some ways, improved or positively impacted her life.

To test them, we would create prototypes and share them directly with our target audiences in both qualitative and quantitative groups to gather critical feedback and / or co-create together.

2. What did you learn from this work and how did those lessons affect the final product?

Women around the world ultimately have very similar feelings and frustrations around their intimate health needs. Women are women. Regardless of where they live or their socio-economic status, women struggle with issues of self-confidence and wish they knew more about what was happening to them. Being aware of this has allowed me to create consumer experiences that are more approachable and delightful, more meaningful and authentic.

3. Why does design matter on this project? How does it lead to social impact?

People are inherently visual beings, so I would like to think that good design is important for all projects. However, in this specific case with the development of more sustainable packaging for SHE, we needed to figure out how to create more sustainable packaging that also fit within the consumers’ lives in a seamless manner.

It is really hard to change existing behaviors — for example, trying to get the girls to dispose of their used pads and wrappers in a manner other than throwing them down the latrine would be challenging. Recognizing this need led to the development of PET coated paper for the pad wrappers, which will biodegrade.

4. Tell us about the educational pamphlet you’ve been making for SHE.

As we gathered insights from the girls and women, to gain more perspective around how to create more sustainable packaging, we also learned that the girls had SO MANY questions that were not fully answered from what was taught in a classroom setting. They were intimate questions that they did not feel comfortable asking their teachers or their aunts or older sisters. Thus, the idea to create a pocket-sized, educational pamphlet that could be updated in different versions, was born, as it allowed the girls easy access to all of their most pertinent sexual and reproductive health queries, in a format that was discreet (easy to hide from nosy boy classmates and brothers) but that was also easily shareable with their friends and younger sisters.

How to Build a Production Process That Sticks

Building a sustainable social business comes with many challenges, but the quality of the product itself is one factor that can make or break success. How do we keep producing a high-quality product, and how do we ensure this production can be sustained in the future?

We’ve enlisted Leah Putman, an engineer who brings years of experience working in both American industries and low-resource environments to join our Rwanda team in tackling these challenges.

 

Quality is Key

In order to have a business that lasts, Leah knows we have to be “producing a stable and reliable product that girls can count on.”  To keep accomplishing this, Leah has begun to work on improving the consistency in our banana fiber supply chain. This can be difficult since rainy season in Rwanda can cause unpredictable downpours that extend fiber drying time by days. Our team will build a storage facility to dry the material at the supplier, which will reduce the amount of time spent on drying and washing of fiber.  In the meantime, 2017 is already on track to be our most productive year yet.

 

Eyes on replication

SHE is solving a global problem, and we never take our eyes off the big picture, which is the replication of SHE28’s model. With every minor and major step we take in production, we always keep replication and scale in consideration.

On a large scale, we recently implemented some new machinery (pictured above), which our staff affectionately refers to as “The Turbo King Machine.” This technology boosted our production capacity- we’ve made nearly 60,000 pads already this year! In order to recreate this technology, our staff will have an important challenge.

The SHE production team will recreate this technology with parts that are easy to find, replace, and repair locally within Rwanda. If we are able to rely on locally sourced parts, we ensure sustainability and prevent many of the common failures that traditional development projects often face.

But even on a smaller scale, Leah noticed that the adhesive that holds the pads together before they are sealed is currently imported, but could be made locally. She is experimenting with different formulas that would be “easy to use, stick well, cost-effective, and easy to make anywhere.”  Even in her free time, Leah is tinkering with different formulas at her kitchen table.

These incremental improvements will produce big returns. Local sourcing increases our impact on the local economy and lowers our unit costs so that we can reach as many women and girls as possible.