Ventures Studio Coordinator.

Kigali, Rwanda

Overview

Pharo Foundation (“the Foundation”) is a pioneering, mission-driven organisation working to build a vibrant, productive, and self-reliant Africa. Founded and fully funded by Pharo Management, an emerging markets hedge fund, the Foundation represents a new model of philanthropic capitalism: a private endowment using its own capital to design, fund, and operate development programmes with private-sector discipline and long-term commitment.

Over the next decade, the Foundation’s ambition is to deliver lasting impact across three interdependent missions:

1. Empowering the next generation through affordable, high-quality education.
2. Solving water scarcity by building and operating sustainable water infrastructure.
3. Driving economic productivity by unlocking jobs, investment, and innovation through both non-profit and for-profit ventures.

The Foundation operates in Ethiopia, Somaliland, Kenya, and Rwanda, employing more than 750 people. It combines a not-for-profit engine: Pharo Development, with a for-profit engine, Pharo Ventures, which builds and operates sustainable businesses to create jobs and advance economic self-reliance. 

The Pharo Ventures Studio Kigali is a founder-led venture creation platform for reliably converting ideas into prototypes, and into investable companies, leveraging talent, Pharo Foundation’s operational strength and a comprehensive set of pillars of assist. 

The vision is to unlock Africa’s potential by launching a series of ventures that unlock local value chains and bridge critical production-to-market failures through ventures focussing on real assets and real markets, the reality being that Africa lacks integration, more than it lacks technology. We set our focus on creating value, jobs, and resilience. 

Opportunity

As the Ventures Studio Coordinator, you will be at the heart of the Pharo Ventures Studio Kigali and the bridge between Studio operations and entrepreneurial talent (founders), building ventures. You will report directly to the Pharo Foundation & Pharo Ventures Rwanda Country Director. You will make sure that the studio runs smoothly while supporting the design, coordination, and execution of the actual venture-building in partnership with venture builders, Pharo Foundation’s Research & Evaluation team and other Pharo departments. You will also serve as Studio operations guide, coordinator, and studio ambassador, making sure both the physical space and venture-building experience are seamless and high-impact.

Key Relationships

Role: Ventures Studio Coordinator

Location: Kigali, Rwanda

Report to: Country Director

Contract Type: Full time

Functional relationships: 

• All Rwanda SLT and Venture Builders

Duties and Responsibilities

Studio Operations & Coordination

• oversee the daily operations of the Pharo Ventures Studio Kigali, ensuring the space is
  organised, functional, and professional at all times. 
• organize use of shared spaces (meeting rooms, work areas, event setups). 
• Oversee studio supplies, equipment, and basic vendor relationships (cleaning, maintenance, utilities, internet, etc.) in collaboration with Pharo Supply Chain, Operational and logistics departments. 
• Act as first point of contact for studio-related operational issues and resolve them efficiently. 

Hosting & Community Experience

• Welcome founders, partners, investors, and guests to the studio and ensure a warm,
  professional experience. 
• assist a strong studio culture by fostering a collaborative, respectful, and energetic atmosphere. 
• Help onboard new founders, venture teams, and visiting staff into the studio environment. 
• Be a visible and approachable presence in the studio throughout the workday. 

Events & Other Support

• assist the planning and execution of studio events such as founder sessions, workshops, investor meetings, and internal offsites. 
• organize logistics including invitations, room setup, refreshments, and post-event reset. 
• keep a studio calendar and assist scheduling across teams. 

Administrative & Coordination assist

• deliver light administrative assist to the Ventures Studio team as needed. 
• organize travel logistics, meetings, and visits related to studio activities. 
• keep basic records related to studio usage, events, and visitors. 
• assist communication between the Studio, Pharo Ventures team, and broader Pharo Foundation where relevant. 

Venture Building Coordination

• Collaborate with venture builders and founders to organize the venture-building process. 
• assist onboarding, training, and engagement of venture teams and internal staff in the studio. 
• organize input and data flow with Pharo Foundation’s Research & Evaluation department to track outcomes. 
• keep venture building materials, timelines, and learning resources. 
• assist reporting and documentation of sessions, milestones, and venture progress. 
• detect opportunities to enhance the experience for venture teams and participants. 

Cross-Team Collaboration

• Act as the liaison between studio operations, venture builders, and the Research & Evaluation team, and other Pharo departments. 
• Ensure logistics (sessions, workshops, mentor interactions) are coordinated with studio availability 
• deliver operational assist during events and workshops. 

Qualifications and Requirements

• 3–6 years’ experience in office/studio management, program coordination, or operations. 
• Experience in program management, curriculum coordination, or startup/venture-building assist strongly preferred. 
• Strong organisational, multitasking, and scheduling skills. 
• Comfortable working closely with venture builders, research teams, and external stakeholders. 
• Strong written and verbal communication; experience documenting programs and reporting on outcomes 
• Analytical mindset to assist monitoring and evaluation. 
• Comfortable working in a fast-paced, entrepreneurial environment. 
• High attention to detail and strong sense of ownership. 

Personal attributes

• Proactive, detail-oriented, and able to anticipate both studio operational and venture building needs 
• Collaborative mindset, able to work across teams and with external partners. 
• Quick learner, able to understand venture-building processes and adapt to new challenges, 

Application procedure

• We will evaluate completed applications on a rolling basis. If we detect an outstanding candidate early in the process, we reserve the right to appoint before the deadline. For this reason, we encourage interested candidates to apply as early as possible. Due to the high volume of applications, we regret that we will only contact shortlisted candidates.
• You are required to attach a detailed CV and cover letter.
• Click on AAPLY NOW  button to apply