Who We Are
At EarthEnable, we believe that our clients deserve our very best, that morning
high-fives are the best way to start the day, and that the best ideas could
come from any part of the company. We celebrate each other’s wins, learn from
our setbacks, and are deeply proud of the impact we make every day. We believe
that a clean, dust-free floor means more than living in a healthy home. It
means pride and dignity in the place our customers most treasure: their homes.
Being a part of our team mean
s more than building floors: it means building an
organization and building a better future for rural families.
What We Do
EarthEnable is transforming the way people live, by making homes healthier for
families across rural Rwanda. 80% of Rwandans live in homes with dirt floors
which are dusty, unsanitary, and fertile breeding grounds for parasites and
germs. While replacing a dirt floor with concrete has significant health
benefits (e.g. reducing diarrhea by 50% and parasitic infections by 80%),
concrete is unaffordable for many who need it.
EarthEnable addresses this pressing and ubiquitous problem by selling
high-quality, earthen floors that are 80% cheaper than concrete with 90% less
embedded energy. Earthen floors are already prevalent in modern homes in the
United States and are composed of natural materials (gravel, clay, sand, and
laterite). EarthEnable trains and hires local masons to install the floors
which are sealed using a proprietary drying oil that makes them waterproof,
strong, and polished. In our first 3 years of operations, EarthEnable has
installed over 40,000 square meters of flooring and employed over 100 Rwandese
staff (and generated jobs and income for an additional 100 masons).
About the Role
We are looking for a dynamic and visionary Country Director who will lead
day-to-day operations in Rwanda and strategize for scaling within the country.
The job will involve managing government relations, hiring staff, overseeing
office and field operations, managing the country budget, and providing regular
input to hone and improve EarthEnable’s service delivery in Rwanda. There is
significant opportunity to lead the company and be part of its growth.
This Country Director will receive supervision and guidance from the CEO and
other Directors. This is a field-oriented leadership position, with a
consistent blend of office and fieldwork. The successful candidate will be willing
to get his or her hands dirty and work closely with masons and sales reps,
while having an eye for the bigger picture and growth projections of the
company. We are looking for someone who is adept at detailed planning, a quick
learner, and an entrepreneurial self-starter.
The responsibilities of this role will include, but certainly not be limited
to:
Strategic Planning and Execution
• Work with CEO to develop scale strategy and set operational, sales, and
financial targets and KPIs
• Manage execution of strategy in marketing, sales, operations, customer
service, and R&D, and ensure strategies are aligned and coordinated across
departments to avoid inconsistencies or overlap in workstreams
• Take ownership of all country-specific projects and deliverables
• Manage senior country management in operations, sales, finance, customer
service, and research and development
• Get out to customer sites to ensure adequate communication of messages and
efficient operational procedures at least once a week
• Actively seek the support of global functional directors and managers for
support in systems development, team capacity building, and problem solving
Financial Management
• Ultimate profit and loss responsibility in Rwanda: drive revenue to cover
operational costs within the country, working closely with Finance to analyze
budgets and actuals across various units
• Ensure fiscal responsibility in all budgets and spending, prioritizing cost
cutting and cost saving
• Work with Finance to ensure taxes and payroll are completed on time
Partnership Management
• Represent EarthEnable and its organizational ethic to local and national
government officials and government agencies (Ministries, local labor office,
SACCOs, cooperatives, etc.)
• Advocate for government policies that further EarthEnable’s impact (e.g. VAT
exemption)
• Identify possible new partners in Rwanda and create and manage relationships
with them
Team Building
• Grow EarthEnable’s Rwanda staff by hiring along with the needs of the organization,
including recognizing when new roles need to be created
• Mentor new hires and develop staff to ensure the success of the Rwanda
operation
• Ensure that EarthEnable complies with Rwandan labor laws
• Update and manage our own internal rules and regulations
Job Requirements:
• 5-10 years of work experience, with 5 years of
management experience (experience with fast-growing ventures is a plus)
• Exceptional people skills and managerial skills; avid team player with a
coaching and mentoring approach
• Passionate about international development and social enterprise
• Commitment to working in rural environments across Rwanda
• Fluency (or advanced business proficiency) in English and Kinyarwanda
• Ability to work on a variety of tasks at the same time, and keep track of a
variety of workstreams
• Resourcefulness and critical thinking skills to quickly determine why
something isn’t working and iterate quickly to try to solve it; creative
problem solving
• Excellent attention to detail, commitment to excellence, and outstanding work
ethic
• Strong understanding of accounting, budget management, and financial
management
• Hard working and gritty to push through challenges
• Strong analytical skills, including Excel modelling and data analysis
• Flexible and adaptable to changing environments; thrives in a bootstrapped
culture
• Maturity and poise under stress
• Optimistic attitude, sense of humor, entrepreneurial spirit, curiosity to
learn new things, creative problem solver, humble and patient team-player with
a sense of humor
• Strong technology skills (knowledge of Word, Excel, Salesforce, Google Docs,
and Dropbox)
• B.A. in business, management, marketing, economics or a related field
required; graduate degree (MBA, MPA/ID, MPA, MPH etc.) a plus, but not required
Apply online at http://www.earthenable.org/applynow.
In your cover letter, please state what excites you most about this role, and
what you think will be most challenging about it.
