MSF EA Legal Registration Project Manager

Role Overview

The Project Manager leads MSF EA’s legal registration work in Rwanda and Kenya, operating in close coordination with the Intersectional Legal Department’s Units 4 and 5 and under the general direction of the MSF EA management team. The role translates registration rules into practical workplans, documentation packages, and statutory advice, while keeping internal stakeholders aligned with external lawyers and authorities. Its success determines how quickly and securely MSF EA can establish its legal presence and pursue its operational and social mission in both countries.

Key Responsibilities

• Build and maintain the Rwanda registration roadmap, including execution timelines, required documents, and updates when legal or administrative conditions change.
• Serve as the coordination link between MSF EA teams and Rwandan legal counsel to gather, review, and submit the documentation needed for primary registration.
• Oversee preparation of the Rwandan registration package, including the framework Memorandum of Understanding, Action Plan, entity statutes, and any related legal instruments.
• Provide legal and statutory guidance to MSF EA management and the Board on Rwandan entity statutes, approval and delegation arrangements, operational presence and social mission activities, and financial or budgetary implications.
• Research and engage Kenyan legal counsel to map what a Rwandan organization must satisfy to establish a branch headquarters in Kenya, then present the resulting framework to MSF EA and ILD while monitoring changes to the INGO registration regime.
• Coordinate with Kenyan lawyers, MSF EA teams, and the Regional Protocol Office to pursue secondary registration in line with the Host Country Agreement integration objective.
• Advise MSF EA management and the Board on statutory adjustments needed to align with the new Kenya registration.
• Report Rwanda progress weekly to MSF EA and Kenya progress bi-weekly to ILD and MSF EA, flagging timeline shifts, risks, and bottlenecks that require institutional support.

Requirements & Qualifications

• Education: Advanced university degree in law or international law, supported by relevant experience in international or comparative legal research.
• Experience: At least five years in project management, legal or regulatory affairs, NGO/INGO registration, compliance, or institutional development, ideally within an international NGO or humanitarian organization.
• Registration track record: Demonstrated work managing or supporting NGO/INGO legal registration processes, including primary registration and branch or subsidiary registration. Experience with Rwandan and/or Kenyan frameworks is strongly preferred.
• Regulatory knowledge: Strong understanding of Rwandan NGO/INGO registration law and Kenyan INGO/NGO regulatory requirements, covering statutes, MoUs, action plans, branch registration, and compliance obligations. Familiarity with MSF structures is an advantage.
• Project management: Proven ability to create workplans, timelines, documentation lists, risk tracking, and progress reports; coordinate multiple stakeholders; and deliver against tight deadlines.
• Legal drafting and advisory: Excellent capacity to draft and review legal documents, statutes, MoUs, action plans, registration packages, and briefing notes, and to advise senior management, Board members, and teams on legal, statutory, financial, and operational questions.
• Coordination and diplomacy: Strong experience working with local lawyers, government authorities, MSF teams, management, and Board members, with excellent negotiation, intercultural, and communication skills.
• Languages: Fluency in English, spoken and written, is required. French, Kinyarwanda, and/or Swahili are assets.
• Competencies: Able to work autonomously, handle confidential matters with discretion, and commit to MSF principles and humanitarian values.