Legal Registration Project Manager

About the role

MSF EA is looking for a Project Manager based in Nairobi to lead its legal registration in Rwanda and Kenya. The role works closely with the Intersectional Legal Department (ILD) Units 4 and 5 and under the general coordination of the MSF EA management team. The work is split into two phases: primary registration in Rwanda and secondary registration in Kenya.

Key responsibilities

• Rwanda: review and update the registration framework, including timeline and documentation list; coordinate with Rwandan local lawyers to collect the required documents; supervise the registration process and the drafting of the Memorandum of Understanding, Action Plan and related documents.
• Rwanda: advise the management team and Board on local legal requirements, including entity statutes, approvals and delegation, operational presence and social mission activities, and financial and budgetary aspects.
• Rwanda: identify and liaise with Kenyan local lawyers to gather the requirements for a Rwandan organisation to open a branch headquarters in Kenya.
• Rwanda: share progress weekly, highlighting changes to timelines and bottlenecks needing institutional support.
• Kenya: present the registration framework to MSF EA and ILD, monitor the evolution of the INGO registration legal framework, and coordinate with Kenyan local lawyers to collect the required documents.
• Kenya: supervise the registration process, advise on statutory changes needed for the new registration, and coordinate with the Regional Protocol Office so the registration complies with the Host Country Agreement integration objective.
• Kenya: share progress bi-weekly with ILD and MSF EA, highlighting timeline changes and bottlenecks.

Required profile

• Advanced university degree in law or international law, with experience in international or comparative legal research.
• Minimum 5 years of professional experience in project management, legal/regulatory affairs, NGO/INGO registration, compliance or institutional development, ideally in an international NGO or humanitarian organisation.
• Demonstrated experience managing or supporting NGO/INGO legal registration, including primary and branch/subsidiary registration.
• Experience with Rwanda and/or Kenya registration frameworks is highly desirable.
• Fluency in English (spoken and written); French, Kinyarwanda and/or Swahili are an asset.

Required skills

• 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: workplans, timelines, documentation lists, risk tracking and progress reports, coordinating multiple stakeholders under tight deadlines.
• Legal drafting and advisory: drafting and reviewing statutes, MoUs, action plans, registration packages and briefs, and advising senior management and the Board on legal, statutory, financial and operational issues.
• Coordination and diplomacy with local lawyers, government authorities, MSF teams, management and Board members.