We’re seeking a visionary ecosystem builder to strengthen Norrsken House Kigali’s mission of supporting entrepreneurs solving the world’s greatest challenges.

Since opening in 2021, Norrsken House Kigali has become a vibrant hub - hosting 1,300+ entrepreneurs, dynamic meetups and events like Norrsken Africa Week & Founder Fridays. We’ve built a thriving community where founders, investors and thought-leaders come together to drive positive change. But we’re just getting started. Our next bet: become the catalyzer behind a thriving impact & tech entrepreneurship ecosystem in Rwanda. To do this, we want to work with like-minded partners to deliver capital, knowledge, network and visibility to founders; and support our ongoing operations.

As Head of Partnerships, you’ll lead our efforts to secure and manage impactful partnerships, ensuring they align with our mission to accelerate innovation and entrepreneurship for Rwandan startups. This includes managing relationships, curating win-win deals and developing programs, while leading a high-performing team and representing Norrsken in the broader entrepreneurial ecosystem.

The role requires you to be based in Kigali, Rwanda, reporting to the Managing Director East Africa as part of the regional management team.

Key responsibilities include, but are not limited to:

• Strategic partnerships: Identify key players and develop strategies to engage partners that would have scaling effects on supporting our entrepreneurs with access to capital, knowledge and network.

• Relationship building: Build and maintain strong relationships with current and potential partners, aligning them with Norrskens' mission to drive value to founders and unlocking financial resources.

• Team leadership: Lead and mentor the partnerships team, fostering a collaborative and results-driven culture while ensuring seamless execution of partnership activities.

• Program design & delivery: Together with partners and internal team, design and implement impactful programs that create tangible value for us, our partners and our founders.

• Representation: Represent Norrsken at industry events, conferences, and high-level meetings, advocating for our mission and priorities to build the leading innovation hub in Rwanda.

To thrive and succeed as Head of Partnerships, we believe you;

• Are passionate about making the world a better place, and believe in the power of entrepreneurship, technology and business to do so.

• Ideally, have hands-on experience as a founder or early employee of a tech scaleup.

• Bring leadership experience from managing diverse teams.

• Strong project management skills to deliver complex multi-stakeholder projects, including planning, budgeting, timeline management, and impact assessment.

• Are a skilled communicator, both written and spoken. You’re able to engage and inspire people, building connections and creating network effects. Experience in community building or business development is an advantage.

• Be familiar with, or have a strong interest in, Rwanda’s tech and entrepreneurship scene.

What we offer you at Norrsken:

• Compensation & benefits: Competitive salary based on experience, 22 vacation days/year, medical insurance, computer and new phone with mobile voice and data package.

• Personal and professional growth: Working at Norrsken is like working at a startup, it’s fast-paced and exciting. Tasks and priorities shift fast, meaning challenges may be demanding and responsibilities may change, but we guarantee in return we will fast-forward your personal and professional development.

• Passionate team and purposeful work: You’ll work alongside a team of driven and ambitious people, all committed to being a force for positive change by supporting entrepreneurs solving some of the world’s greatest challenges. Ten years from now, you will be proud of the projects and ideas you developed and acted on together.

• Unique and vibrant office: The opportunity to work in one of the coolest office spaces in Kigali where 1.300+ change-makers come together everyday to build a more fair and positive future for all of us.

The target start date for this role is February 2025. We’ll review all applications ongoing but begin interviews January 7th, after the holidays.

Norrsken wishes to attract, recruit and retain a diverse, inclusive and creative workforce to give us the best opportunity to meet the diverse needs of our members and guests. We actively encourage applications from all groups and communities.