Health Specialist

Position Details

• Duty station: Kigali, Rwanda.
• Contract type: Full-time employment contract.
• Reports to: International Project Manager Africa, with day-to-day coordination with the Rwanda Country Coordinator, the MEL Officer and other technical experts.
• Travel: Regular travel to project locations in Rwanda and occasional travel within East Africa, especially Uganda.
• Candidate eligibility: Applicants should have the right to work in Rwanda, unless otherwise agreed by Suyana.

About Suyana Foundation

The Suyana Foundation is a Swiss non-profit organization founded in 2003. We design and execute long-term, integrated development programmes in Bolivia and Peru and collaborate with trusted local partners in Africa. Suyana began its engagement in Africa in 2021 and currently supports several partner-led initiatives, primarily in Rwanda and Uganda.

In Rwanda, Suyana currently supports projects implemented by local partners, promoting community empowerment through a holistic approach across health, livelihoods and education. Health-related work includes community health, health promotion, maternal and child health, nutrition, WASH-related health risks, preventive behaviours, referral linkages and household resilience. As part of our ambition to strengthen Suyana’s work, we are progressively expanding our technical assist, partner accompaniment and programme development capacity in both countries.

This approach allows Suyana to deepen its long-term impact by combining strong local partnerships with high-quality technical accompaniment and, where appropriate in the future, the implementation of Suyana-led initiatives that respond to local priorities and needs.

Position Summary

The Health Specialist strengthens the quality, relevance and development of Suyana’s health work in Rwanda, while contributing to regional learning and collaboration where relevant. Working closely with the International Project Manager Africa, the Rwanda Country Coordinator, the MEL Officer, other technical experts and implementing partners, the role supports partners to design, execute and continuously enhance evidence-based health programmes aligned with national priorities and Suyana’s integrated development approach.

The role combines programme design, field assist, capacity strengthening, monitoring and learning, proposal development and stakeholder engagement. It requires a practical professional who is comfortable working with partners, rural communities, health facilities, community health workers, local authorities and health stakeholders. Frequent field presence in rural communities is expected so that recommendations are grounded in local realities and contribute to quality, prevention, sustainability and impact.

Key Responsibilities

Partner assist and Capacity Strengthening

• Work closely with implementing partners throughout the project cycle and deliver practical advice that strengthens delivery and results in the Rwandan health context.
• Assess partners’ technical capacity and deliver coaching, training and practical assist to strengthen community health systems, preventive health practices and programme quality.
• Facilitate trainings, mentoring and learning sessions for partner staff, community health workers, health volunteers and community stakeholders.
• assist partners to adapt health approaches to local contexts while maintaining clear standards for quality, safeguarding and evidence-based practice.
• Promote continuous learning and help partners detect implementation challenges and practical solutions.

Programme Quality and Design

• guide the design and improvement of health initiatives through needs assessments, contextual analysis, programme design workshops and stakeholder consultations, with particular attention to rural health realities in Rwanda.
• create or evaluate theories of change, logical frameworks, indicators, implementation strategies and health budgets.
• deliver guidance on community health, health promotion, nutrition, maternal and child health, adolescent health and SRHR, NCD prevention and screening, behaviour change, referral systems, community health worker assist and WASH-related health risks.
• Ensure health interventions are evidence-based, adapted to local contexts and aligned with national policies, district priorities, Suyana’s standards and its integrated development approach.
• Work closely with Suyana’s Education, Livelihoods and other technical specialists to make sure that health activities are well integrated with Suyana’s broader work on education, livelihoods, WASH, child wellbeing and household resilience.
• Contribute to concept notes, proposals, donor reports, fundraising initiatives and learning products, drawing on Rwanda health sector analysis and field learning where relevant.
• keep regular exchange with Suyana’s Health Specialist in Uganda to promote practical collaboration, shared learning and coherence across the Uganda and Rwanda health portfolios.

Monitoring, Learning and Evidence Use

• collaborate with the MEL Officer to ensure health programmes have relevant indicators, monitoring tools and learning processes.
• assist the use of health data, assessments, community feedback, referral information and service uptake data to enhance programme quality and decision making.
• evaluate monitoring reports, assessment findings and evaluations, identifying lessons, risks and options for adaptation.
• Contribute to baseline studies, evaluations, reviews, research activities and learning documentation where required.
• Document and share lessons across projects, partners and countries.

Stakeholder Engagement and Collaboration

• Build and keep constructive relationships with district health authorities, health facilities, community health structures, local government, relevant national institutions and partner networks.
• Represent Suyana in technical meetings, coordination forums and learning events.
• assist partners to strengthen their own stakeholder engagement.
• track Rwanda health sector priorities and trends, and share relevant information with Suyana teams.
• detect opportunities for collaboration, partnership and future programme development in line with Rwanda’s health priorities and rural community needs.

Safeguarding

• Promote a strong safeguarding culture across all health activities.
• assist partners to apply safeguarding standards and report concerns through the appropriate channels.
• Ensure health activities prioritise the safety, dignity and wellbeing of children, young people and other participants.

Profile and Qualifications

The organization is seeking an experienced health professional who combines strong technical expertise with a collaborative and practical working style.

Personal attributes

• Dedicated and committed to improving community wellbeing.
• Hands-on attitude and willingness to work closely with partners, communities and local health actors.
• Empathy, cultural sensitivity and respect for diverse communities.
• Strong interpersonal, communication and relationship-building skills.
• Collaborative team player with good networking skills and the ability to build trusting relationships.
• Proactive, self-motivated and able to take initiative.
• Creative and solution-oriented.
• Strong analytical and problem-solving abilities, with the ability to oversee several priorities.
• Adaptable and committed to continuous learning, quality improvement and safeguarding.

Technical qualifications

• Degree in Public Health, Community Health, Nursing, Clinical Medicine, Health Sciences or a related field.
• Minimum of 7 years of progressively responsible professional experience in health programme design, implementation and technical advisory assist.
• Strong knowledge of Rwanda’s health context, including community health, health promotion, nutrition, maternal and child health, adolescent health, NCD prevention, behaviour change and referral systems.
• Experience working with local partners, rural communities, government institutions and health-related stakeholders.
• Experience with project cycle management, monitoring and evaluation, and using evidence to enhance programme quality.
• Experience contributing to proposal development, quality assurance and results-based programme design.
• Demonstrated commitment to safeguarding, dignity and inclusion in community health programming.
• Strong written and verbal communication skills in English and Kinyarwanda.
• Proficiency in Microsoft Office and relevant health data or reporting tools.

Desirable

• Master’s degree in Public Health, Community Health or a related field.
• Familiarity with Rwanda’s health system, including district health structures, community health workers, referral pathways, health insurance and relevant policy frameworks.
• Experience supporting integrated, multi-sectoral health programmes, preferably in holistic community development contexts.
• Experience working in diverse cultural contexts within Rwanda.
• Experience supporting local partner organisations and strengthening their technical systems.

What Suyana Offers

• Opportunity to join a growing organisation investing in East Africa and strengthening its health portfolio in Rwanda.
• Meaningful role where your expertise contributes to improved community wellbeing and health outcomes in rural and underserved communities.
• Supportive working culture that values initiative, learning, collaboration and long-term engagement.
• Opportunities to contribute to partner led initiatives and to the development of future Suyana led programmes in Rwanda.
• Fair and competitive compensation package reflecting experience, responsibility and local conditions.

Application process

This recruitment process is being managed by KaizenMind, an HR firm based in Rwanda, on behalf of Suyana.

If you are interested in joining Suyana, please submit your application through the following form: https://forms.gle/NT9axHTjdFWpAsV18.

Note: As part of the application, you will be asked to deliver written responses (maximum two pages in total) to the following questions directly in the application form:

1. What are the main factors influencing health outcomes, preventive behaviours and access to care in rural and underserved communities in Rwanda, and why?
2. Describe a health programme or initiative you helped strengthen. What challenges did you detect, and what changes did you introduce?
3. How would you assist a partner organisation that is implementing health activities as planned but not achieving the expected behaviour change, service uptake or health outcomes?
4. What attracts you to a role where health is integrated with education, livelihoods, WASH, child wellbeing and household resilience? What opportunities and challenges do you see in this integrated approach in Rwanda?

📅 Application deadline: 2nd August 2026, 10PM (CAT).

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