Industry Manager at Msingi East Africa Limited

Purpose of the role

Msingi is seeking an ambitious, high-performing Industry Manager to work with the Industry Director - Textiles & Apparel in helping drive forward its 2nd industry programme. The role holder will work with and assist the Industry Director in leading the implementation of key intervention activities and projects within the industry programme. S/he will help to deliver support which may be offered directly to leading commercial firms (such as technical assistance or investment) or programmes of support across the wider industry. With the wider Msingi team, s/he will also contribute to the continuing development of Msingi’s strategies to transform its focus industries.

You will have opportunities to contribute to work in other industries or potentially in due course to transfer to other Industry Programmes or units within Msingi, if in-line with both Msingi’s needs and your professional development objectives. 

Key responsibilities

• Managing industry intervention activities and projects – including conducting some of the following types of activities, for example:
  • Helping to design technical assistance programmes and managing technical experts to deliver this
  • Contributing to broking strategic partnerships between firms and, where needed, with Msingi
  • Working with policymakers and regulatory stakeholders to ensure smooth execution of industry development propositions.
  • Managing market assessments and feasibility/technical studies
  • Writing motivations for grants or investments to selected firms, as needed, to be presented to the Investment Committee of Msingi.
  • Msingi’s interventions and the focus of different team members will evolve according to the programme needs, but current examples of some intervention areas include: catalysing investments in the textiles and apparel sector; identifying opportunities to strengthen regional value chains; catalysing the industry’s efforts to improve the markets available to local producers; and ensuring the industry leads in the development of environmentally sound and sustainable enterprises within the sector.
• Stakeholder and partner management – Forging and managing relationships across a multitude of stakeholders understanding the actors within the sector and being able to map their role in Msingi’s greater strategy.
• Project management – including contributing to overall project management by developing activity plans and drafting reports for key intervention activities and working with the industry director to ensure activities remain on-target and within budget.
• Managing technical experts – helping to identify, engage with and manage external consultants and world-leading technical experts who contribute to the development work in textiles and apparel sector.   
• Conducting industry analysis and supporting strategy development – conducting analysis to contribute to the development of industry/sector strategy to transform the sector and working with the wider Msingi team to periodically review and improve these strategies. 
• Data collection and dissemination - identifying, designing and executing the gathering of sector relevant data that will support and validate Msingi’s textiles and apparel strategy. Producing periodical data that will be relevant to other stakeholders and partners operating in or seeking to participate in the textiles and apparel sector.

Experience and personal qualities required

Msingi is looking for star-performers that have:

• Bachelors degree from a reputable university with a commerce or business administration bias.
• Minimum of five (5) years relevant work experience, with at least two (2) years in a role with significant management responsibility and autonomy
• Experience in several the following disciplines: partnership and/or economic development, investment promotion, delivering programmes of technical assistance or advisory support, financial and quantitative analysis, market studies or corporate strategy
• Experience working in or with the private sector, government and development agencies
• Good understanding of market sector development approaches
• Strong commercial acumen, analytical and experience of working on solving complex problems
• Ability to analyse data and other sources of information, probe for further information, make rational judgements from the available information and understand how one issue may be part of a larger system
• Experience and track record in project management and efficient/timely project execution – whether in a commercial or a development sector context
• A self-starter with plenty of energy, excellent interpersonal skills and high level of emotional intelligence
• A strong attention to detail, quick learner and flexible in new/changing environments

Terms and remuneration

The contract for this work will be permanent and full-time. The job will be based in Nairobi with some regional travel. The salary will be competitive and is negotiable dependent on experience.