MSF EA Legal Registration Project Manager

Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF), also known as Doctors Without Borders, is an international humanitarian organization founded in 1971. It provides medical assistance to people affected by conflict, epidemics, disasters, or exclusion from healthcare, operating in a humanitarian and social development sector.

This role involves managing the legal registration project for MSF EA, working closely with the Intersectional Legal Department and MSF EA management. The project is divided into two main phases: primary legal registration in Rwanda and secondary legal registration in Kenya. The manager will be responsible for reviewing and updating registration frameworks, coordinating with local lawyers and internal teams for documentation, and supervising the entire registration process to ensure timely and secure completion. This includes advising management and the Board on local legal requirements related to entity statutes, approvals, operational activities, and financial aspects. The role also involves monitoring the evolution of INGO registration legal frameworks and ensuring alignment with Host Country Agreements.

1. Review and update the legal registration framework, including timelines and documentation requirements.
2. Coordinate with MSF EA teams and local lawyers in Rwanda to collect necessary legal documentation for primary registration.
3. Supervise the primary registration process in Rwanda to ensure quick and secure completion.
4. Oversee the drafting of legally required documents such as the Memorandum of Understanding and Action Plan for the registration package.
5. Advise MSF EA management and Board on Rwandan legal requirements concerning entity statutes, approvals, operational presence, social mission activities, and financial aspects.
6. Identify and liaise with Kenyan local lawyers to gather requirements for a Rwandan organization to establish a branch headquarters in Kenya.
7. Provide weekly progress updates to MSF EA, highlighting timeline changes and potential bottlenecks.
8. Present the registration framework for secondary registration in Kenya to MSF EA and ILD, including timelines and documentation.
9. Monitor the evolution of the INGO registration legal framework in Kenya.
10. Coordinate with MSF EA teams and Kenyan local lawyers for collecting required legal documentation for secondary registration.
11. Supervise the secondary registration process in Kenya for quick and secure completion.
12. Advise MSF EA management and Board on statutory changes needed to align with the new registration in Kenya.
13. Coordinate with the Regional Protocol Office to ensure secondary registration aligns with the Host Country Agreement.
14. Provide bi-weekly progress updates to MSF Intersectional Legal Department (ILD) and MSF EA, highlighting changes and bottlenecks.

1. Advanced university degree in law or international law, with relevant experience in international or comparative legal research.
2. Minimum of 5 years of professional experience in project management, legal/regulatory affairs, NGO/INGO registration, compliance, or institutional development, preferably with an international NGO or humanitarian organization.
3. Demonstrated experience managing or supporting NGO/INGO legal registration processes, including primary and branch/subsidiary registration, with experience in Rwanda and/or Kenya frameworks being highly desirable.
4. 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.
5. Proven ability to develop work plans, timelines, documentation lists, risk tracking, and progress reports, coordinate multiple stakeholders, and deliver under tight deadlines.
6. Excellent ability to draft and review legal documents, statutes, MoUs, action plans, registration packages, and briefs.
7. Ability to advise senior management, Board, and teams on legal, statutory, financial, and operational issues.
8. Strong experience liaising with local lawyers, government authorities, MSF teams, management, and Board members.
9. Excellent negotiation, intercultural, and communication skills.
10. Fluency in English (spoken and written) is required. French, Kinyarwanda, and/or Swahili are an asset.
11. Ability to work autonomously, handle confidential matters, and commit to MSF principles and humanitarian values.