MSF EA Legal Registration Project Manager

Tasks & Responsibilities

The Project Manager will work closely with the Intersectional Legal Department (ILD) Units 4 and 5, and under the general coordination of MSF EA management team. The work will be structured in two key phases and include the following tasks:

Primary legal registration in Rwanda

• Review and update the registration framework, including timeline for execution and documentation requirement list;
• Coordinate between MSF EA teams and Rwandan local lawyers in the collection of required legal documentation for the registration;
• Supervise the registration process in Rwanda to achieve primary registration as quickly and securely as possible;
• Supervise the drafting of the legally required framework Memorandum of Understanding, Action Plan and all related documents, which shall be part of the registration document package;
• Advise MSF EA management team and Board on local legal requirements:
• regarding the finalisation of the Rwandan entity statutes; regarding their approvals and delegation; regarding operational presence and social mission activities to be deployed in Rwanda; financial and budgetary aspects.
• Identify and liaise with Kenyan local lawyers to gather legal registration requirements for a Rwandan organisation to open a branch Head Quarters in Kenya;
• Share progress with MSF EA on a weekly basis- highlighting any changes to the proposed timelines for execution and potential bottlenecks to the registration requiring institutional support.

Secondary legal registration in Kenya

• Present registration framework to MSF EA and ILD, including timeline for execution and documentation requirement list, as well as monitor evolution of the INGO registration legal framework.
• Coordinate between MSF EA teams and Kenyan local lawyers in the collection of required legal documentation for the registration;
• Supervise the registration process in Kenya to achieve secondary registration as quickly and securely as possible;
• Advise MSF EA management team and Board on possible statutory changes required to align with new registration of MSF EA in Kenya;
• Coordinate with the Regional Protocol Office to ensure the secondary registration is carried out in line with the Host Country Agreement (HCA) integration objective;
• Share progress with MSF Intersectional Legal Department (ILD) and MSF EA on a bi-weekly basis- highlighting any changes to the proposed timelines for execution and potential bottlenecks to the registration requiring institutional support.

Qualifications

Education

• Advanced university degree in law, international law, with relevant experience in international or comparative legal research.

Experience

• Minimum 5 years of professional experience in project management, legal/regulatory affairs, NGO/INGO registration, compliance, or institutional development, ideally with an international NGO or humanitarian organisation.
• Legal registration experience: Demonstrated experience managing or supporting NGO/INGO legal registration processes, including primary registration and branch/subsidiary registration. Experience with Rwanda and/or Kenya registration frameworks is highly desirable.

Knowledge

• Strong knowledge of Rwandan NGO/INGO registration law and Kenyan INGO/NGO regulatory requirements, including statutes, MoUs, action plans, branch registration, and compliance obligations. Familiarity with MSF structures is desirable.

Project management skills

• Proven ability to develop workplans, timelines, documentation lists, risk tracking, and progress reports; coordinate multiple stakeholders; and deliver under tight deadlines.

Legal drafting and advisory skills:

• Excellent ability to draft/review legal documents, statutes, MoUs, action plans, registration packages, and briefs; ability to advise senior management, Board, and teams on legal, statutory, financial, and operational issues.

Coordination and diplomacy:

• Strong experience liaising with local lawyers, government authorities, MSF teams, management, and Board members. Excellent negotiation, intercultural, and communication skills.

Language:

• Fluency in English (spoken and written) is required. French, Kinyarwanda, and/or Swahili are an asset.

Competencies

• Ability to work autonomously, handle confidential matters, and commit to MSF principles and humanitarian values.