Project Manager SHONA

SHONA is a community for entrepreneurs building Good Businesses that are creating good jobs, improving quality of life, creating wealth, building industries and their communities.
By 2030, our goal is to build a community of at least 1,000 Good Businesses positively benefitting at least 35 million people.
Why Good Business?
We believe that a diverse range of thriving small, medium and large businesses, spread across East Africa and across all sectors, are the biggest opportunity to unlock East Africa’s social and economic growth, through job creation, increase in the access of much needed products and services, and higher economic output.
To thrive and achieve this success continually and over the long term, these SMEs need to be well run and be highly responsible in their dealings with staff, customers, business partners and the local communities where they are based. This is good business as a strategy, and at SHONA we call these Good Businesses.
A Good Business is a well run business that is good for customers, employees, owners, value chain partners, the environment and the local communities where it is based.
We exist to transform East Africa’s economies and societies by building a thriving East Africa private sector driven by Good Businesses.
How SHONA builds Good Businesses
We partner with Entrepreneurs, Corporates, NGOs, Investors, and Development Partners to design and implement initiatives to build Good Businesses. We currently run two programs:
• Agrifood Founders Growth Program. Initiatives helping entrepreneurs build Good Businesses contributing to a sustainable food system in East Africa.
Female Founders Growth Program. Initiatives helping female founders to build Good Businesses.
Since 2013, we have worked with 720+ SMEs in Uganda, Kenya, Tanzania and Rwanda, operating in multiple sectors including: Agriculture, Financial Services, Healthcare, Education, Water & Sanitation, Energy and Manufacturing.
Your Mission
Your mission will be to lead the implementation of a new initiative under our Female Founders Growth
Program.
SHONA is planning to launch a new initiative under our Female Founders Growth Program, to identify and support female-driven businesses in WASH, climate smart food production, agriculture, climate change, nutrition, digitalisation or skills development sectors in Uganda and Kenya. This initiative will focus on:
• Building the capacity of 40 growth oriented female-driven businesses in Uganda and Kenya
Increasing the flow of capital to these female-driven businesses

Your role will involve:
• Supporting the design of this initiative
• Leading the implementation of this initiative
• Leading the Monitoring and Evaluation of this initiative

Key Responsibilities
• Program Design. Support the designing of innovative approaches and activities to help entrepreneurs build Good Businesses in East Africa, including but not limited to capacity building, training, accessing financing, private sector development, and sustainable development. This will involve:
• Curriculum design and tool creation. Lead the design of the detailed program curriculum, workshop tools, learning journals. Also lead the review of curriculum evaluation.
• Workplan. As part of the programs team, support the program manager to develop and update the program work plans. You will also be responsible for leading the weekly project team meetings.
• Systems and processes. Document and support the review of program systems and processes.
• Budget. Support the program manager to review and manage the program budget along with the procurement guidelines.
• Program Implementation. Carrying out planned program activities according to the proposed work plan to ensure growth of Good Businesses. This will involve:
• Entrepreneur / Business Recruitment. Lead the recruitment of entrepreneurs or businesses into the program. You will also lead recruitment efforts to increase SHONA’s pipeline by
• attending physical meetings and online engagements, and the development of recruitment materials.
• Procurement and budget management. Coordinate with key stakeholders to manage the necessary procurement process in line with the allocated program budget and following the program’s or SHONA’s procurement guidelines.
• Business diagnostics. Lead the development of materials necessary for business diagnostics to identify and predict business needs. You will also lead coordination of the business diagnostics visits and conversations.
• Program Logistics. You will oversee the logistics for all program activities in coordination with the project team to ensure the smooth running of the program. This includes but is not limited to: Coordinating Experts and Facilitators, Organising trainings – venue, materials, meals and
• others, Managing procurement, and coordinating entrepreneur transport and accommodation logistics
• Materials and Concept notes. Develop specific program material and concept notes to guide activities as well as follow up on print, web-based and social media communication material.
• Stakeholder Communications. You will be responsible for coordinating internal and external stakeholders not limited to experts and entrepreneurs. As part of your communications role,
• you are responsible for program material including success stories and other program specific communication material.
Account management and entrepreneur engagement. As part of your role, you are expected to lead account management and account managers, working closely with assigned businesses and entrepreneurs to ensure key deliverables are met, which may include travel to clients sites. You will also be responsible for the management and coordination of any program alumni of the programs you will be assigned to.
• Workshops and Webinars. Lead the planning of program related events to share learning information that could be valuable to the activities of the programs you will have been assigned.
• Monitoring and Evaluation. Track performance of the program. The goal is to document and improve current systems and processes as well as track the extent to which SHONA’s programs impact the ecosystem. This will involve:
• Data Collection and report writing. Oversee the data collection, data analysis and report
• writing based on set deliverables of program activities and processes, as well as implementing process improvements.
• Entrepreneur database maintenance. Develop and maintain the entrepreneur information on a shared drive to ensure the smooth running of projects, and SHONA’s support to their business development.
• Collecting stories of impact. As part of your this role, you are responsible for ensuring documentation of entrepreneur success stories and any stories of impact from the program for partner reporting and SHONA’s marketing and communications.
• Doing whatever it takes to support the work of SHONA and the businesses we work with: We are a small entrepreneurial team that steps up when there is work to be done. At times, you’ll be expected to work outside of just your role to contribute to our team’s overall efforts.

Education/Work Experience
Essential
• Masters in Business Administration or related fields.
• 3+ years working with SMEs in Agriculture is an added advantage.
• 5+ years Project Management experience. A bonus would be if the projects were funded by Institutional Donors and/or Development Finance Institutions, in areas related to SME development, including but not limited to capacity building, training, private sector development, and sustainable development.

Desirable
• Certificate in International Project Management.
• Experience working with an Institutional Donor and/or Development Finance Institution in areas related to SME development, including but not limited to capacity building, training, private sector development, and sustainable development.

Skills + Capabilities
• Experience with program planning, resource and stakeholder management
• Ability to see the bigger picture and and break it down into smaller steps
• Demonstrated excellence in organisational, writing and communication skills
• Creative problem solving
• Conflict resolution skills
• Negotiation & Influencing skills
• You have managed a team of 3-5 people before
• You have managed multiple projects from start to finish

SHONA Foundational Skills
These are core foundational skills that apply to all members of our team.
• Independence/Self Starter – Ability to assess and initiate things independently. Ability to manage a growing task/project without much guidance or structure. A person who is sufficiently motivated or ambitious to work on their own initiative without needing direction. Shows Initiative and is proactive in taking action.
• Business Acumen – Ability to understand how a business operates and makes money, and to
• proactively anticipate, navigate and leverage trends impacting the business.
• Proven at accomplishing results – Diligent executor, result driven and methodical in their execution.
• Team collaborator – Ability to work as a team to achieve the common goal.
• Life-long learner – Has a growth mindset, is curious and demonstrates a commitment to continued learning and development
• High emotional intelligence – Self-aware, self-regulated, strong interpersonal skills, curious about people and empathetic.
• Relationship building – Ability to quickly build rapport and engagement with people, including listening and clear communication.
• Values alignment – Shares and embodies SHONA’s values.
• Analytical skills – Ability to collect, gather, visualise and analyse information in detail and see a problem or situation from different points of view. Analytical skills allow you to solve complex problems by making decisions in the most effective way.
• Project Management – Ability to plan, execute, coordinate – leading to completion of the work of a team, achieving specific goals and meet specific success criteria in the required timeframe
• Technology Savvy – Ability to use a computer and online tools to support effective delivery of SHONA work, including but not limited to Google Drive, Microsoft Word, Microsoft Excel, Microsoft Powerpoint and Email.

SHONA Values
We are a values-driven organisation, and we love to work with people that share these values:
• We are people focused
• We do and do better
• We bet on potential
• We are bold and courageous
• We are honest and transparent