project officer, community engagement

Location

Nyamasheke District, Western Province

Salary

RWF 15,280,980 - RWF 17,463,972 gross/annum depending on experience

Contract Type

Fixed Term

Duration

Other

About the Role

The Project Officer, Community Engagement will play a key role in coordinating, implementing, and monitoring community-based activities under the Combating Malnutrition in Rwanda through Sustainable Food Systems (CMR-FS) programme. Operating across the five target districts in Rwanda's Western Province, the officer will be based in Nyamasheke district. This role will be offered on a fixed term contract basis running until end of December 2026, subject to availability of funding.

They will support community-level engagement by mobilizing and working closely with key local actors, including Community Health Workers (CHWs), Early Childhood Development (ECD) volunteers, healthcare providers, and private sector stakeholders engaged in the programme's core value chains: High-Iron Beans, Eggs, Large-Scale Food Fortification (LSFF), and the tea estate sector.

Working in collaboration with district authorities and existing coordination platforms, the officer will support the delivery of nutrition-sensitive interventions designed to strengthen local food systems. This includes facilitating community mobilization sessions, organizing and supporting stakeholder training, and promoting access to nutritious foods. This role directly contributes to improving the availability, accessibility, and affordability of healthy diets, aligning with national priorities to enhance household dietary diversity, food security, and child nutrition outcomes through sustainable and locally anchored food systems.

Key Responsibilities include

• Collaborate with the Project Manager Community Engagement to support operational delivery and monitor the community-based nutrition activities.
• Work with local authorities, CHWs, ECD Centres, and tea estate communities to implement nutrition interventions at Health center, community, and ECD levels.
• Facilitate participatory processes involving local stakeholders to implement SBCC campaigns and emo-demos ensuring culturally appropriate and relevant messaging.
• Support the Project Manager in designing and implementing activities on tea estates.
• Support the training and supervision of local facilitators and field practitioners on the use of SBCC materials and emo-demo toolkits.
• Prepare monthly updates and organize timely meetings with project stakeholders.
• Support to coordinate and organize time-bound project site visits.

About you

You should have demonstrable experience in community-based project implementation handling activities such as community mobilization sessions, organizing and supporting stakeholder training, and promotion activities within local communities. Experience implementing project activities within tea estates combined with knowledge of SBCC approaches will be an added advantage. Experience working with community health structures such as CHWs, ECDs is required among other stakeholders such as SMEs and cooperatives.

The position holder should demonstrate excellent project management skills with the ability to operate independently with minimal supervision. Good interpersonal skills are required to succeed in this role combined with familiarity with nutrition sensitive agriculture, SBCC or food systems programming.

An education background with a bachelor's degree in nutrition, Public Health, Foods science, or related field is required.

About our Offer

The starting gross salary on offer for this role is from RWF 15,280,980 - RWF 17,463,972 gross per annum, 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 and hybrid 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.

About GAIN

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. Working with governments, businesses and civil society, we aim to transform food systems so that they deliver healthier diets for all people, especially the most vulnerable.

Headquartered in Geneva, Switzerland, GAIN has offices in countries with high levels of malnutrition: Bangladesh, Benin, Ethiopia, India, Indonesia, Kenya, Mozambique, Nigeria, Pakistan, Rwanda, Tanzania and Uganda. To support work in those countries, we have representative offices in the Netherlands, the United Kingdom, and the United States.

At GAIN, we believe that everyone in the world should have access to nutritious, safe, and affordable food. Today, one in three people - drawn from nearly every country on the planet - are unable to consume enough nutritious food. We work to develop and deliver solutions to this daily challenge.

Our Working Culture and Environment

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.

Applicants must have the right to work and be currently based in the advertised country location, to be eligible to apply for this position.

This advert closes on 24th October 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.

Our core values

GAIN is committed to equality of opportunity and to eliminating discrimination. All staff are expected to follow GAIN Values

Our commitment to safeguarding

GAIN is committed to creating a safe and inclusive environment where all staff, volunteers, and job applicants are treated with dignity and respect. We are also committed to safeguarding the communities we work with. We have a zero-tolerance approach to any form of inappropriate behaviour, discrimination, abuse, bullying, harassment, exploitation and abuse of power or trust.

Safeguarding is integral to our recruitment practices, and we have robust procedures in place to prevent any form of harm, abuse, or discrimination. As part of our commitment to safeguarding, all successful candidates will undergo thorough background checks and vetting procedures, which can include references, criminal records and terrorist finance checks where applicable, in accordance with our Safeguarding Policy.

We provide comprehensive training and support to our staff and volunteers and associates to raise awareness of safeguarding issues and ensure they are equipped to recognise and respond to concerns effectively.

By applying for a position with GAIN, you agree to uphold our safeguarding principles and contribute to maintaining a safe and supportive environment for all individuals.

Hybrid Working

No

Additional Information

Closing Date

24 October 2025