1. Role Purpose

The Project Manager is responsible for planning, executing, monitoring, and closing all strategic capital and operational projects at easyHATCH Ltd, ensuring that each initiative is delivered on time, within budget, to the agreed scope, and to a standard of quality that supports the organisation's growth ambitions. The role is the single point of accountability for project delivery across the business and works closely with the CEO, CFO, Chief Veterinary Officer, and department heads.

This is a pivotal role for an organisation in an active growth phase. The Project Manager will be expected to lead all active projects simultaneously, bringing the structure, discipline, and stakeholder management needed to turn Board-approved capital plans into operational reality.

The ideal candidate is someone who is equally comfortable writing a Gantt chart and walking a construction site; who can hold a contractor to a milestone and present a progress report to the Board in the same week; and who understands that in an integrated poultry operation, project delays have direct production consequences.

2. Key Responsibilities

2.1 Project Planning and Initiation

• Translate Board-approved capital expenditure plans and operational mandates into detailed project charters, scopes of work, work breakdown structures, and resource plans
• Develop comprehensive project schedules (Gantt charts or equivalent), identifying all critical path activities, dependencies and milestones from commencement through to commissioning and handover
• Prepare, in collaboration with the CFO and relevant department heads, detailed project budgets aligned to approved CapEx; establish cost baseline and contingency frameworks
• Identify all project risks at initiation and maintain a live risk register throughout the project lifecycle, including regulatory, environmental, biosecurity and construction risks specific to the poultry industry
• Define quality standards and acceptance criteria for all deliverables in advance of commencement, in consultation with the relevant technical and operational leads
• Coordinate the pre-qualification and competitive tender process for contractors and suppliers in accordance with the Supplier and Procurement Policy, working with the Procurement Officer

2.2 Project Execution and Control

• Lead and manage day-to-day project execution, including chairing weekly progress meetings with contractors, consultants, and internal stakeholders
• Monitor project progress against schedule, budget, and scope; identify deviations early and implement corrective action before milestones are missed
• Manage and administer all project contracts, including scope of work enforcement, variation order control, progress claim assessment, and retention management
• Maintain a master project dashboard and issue it to the CEO weekly, providing a clear, accurate, and concise view of status, budget consumption, schedule adherence, and emerging issues
• Oversee quality assurance on all physical works, ensuring that construction, fit-out, and equipment installation meet the standards required, biosecurity compliance, and operational readiness
• Manage all regulatory approvals, permits, and inspections required for project completion, including RAB, REMA environmental compliance, and local authority permits
• Apply strict change control: all scope changes must be documented, costed, approved in writing by the CEO, and reflected in the updated project schedule and budget before implementation

2.3 Stakeholder Management and Communication

• Serve as the primary point of contact between the project and all internal stakeholders — CEO, CFO, CVO, Farm Manager, HR and Finance — ensuring all parties are informed, aligned, and have what they need to support the project
• Prepare and present monthly project status reports to the CEO and quarterly Board progress updates, including budget burn, milestone achievement, risk status, and forecast-to-completion
• Manage external stakeholder relationships, including the architect, quantity surveyor, construction contractor, equipment suppliers, RAB, REMA, local government, and utility providers
• Proactively surface issues to the CEO before they become crises; escalate only when a decision is required at CEO or Board level, not as a default communication style

2.4 Commissioning, Handover, and Close-Out

• Lead the commissioning process for all new facilities and equipment, ensuring that operational readiness criteria (defined at project initiation) are met before any facility is handed over to the relevant department
• Coordinate the biosecurity commissioning process with the CVO and Biosecurity Officer, ensuring all new facilities are operationally approved before first live bird placement or hatchery operation
• Conduct formal project close-out reviews, documenting lessons learned, final cost outturn vs budget, actual vs planned schedule, and contractor performance assessments
• Ensure all project documentation — drawings, as-built records, warranties, O&M manuals, permits, and inspection certificates — is complete, archived, and handed over to the relevant department manager at project close
• Oversee the post-implementation review of operational projects, confirming that intended benefits (production improvements, cost reductions, biosecurity upgrades) are being realised within 90 days of handover

2.5 Financial Management and Reporting

• Maintain the project cost ledger and track actual expenditure against budget at a granular line-item level; report variances weekly to the CFO
• Assess and approve (within delegated authority limits) all contractor progress claims, supplier invoices, and variation orders before they are submitted to Finance for payment processing
• Manage project cash flow forecasting and advise the CFO of anticipated payment milestones at least 30 days in advance to support treasury planning
• Ensure that all project expenditure above the delegated threshold is approved by the CEO before commitment, in strict accordance with the Supplier and Procurement Policy and the Delegated Authority Framework

2.6 Health, Safety, Environmental, and Biosecurity Compliance

• Ensure that all project sites comply with Rwandan occupational health and safety requirements, the Health and Safety Policy, and applicable site safety standards throughout the project period
• Enforce biosecurity controls at all active project sites located within or adjacent to existing poultry facilities, in accordance with the Hatchery and Farm Biosecurity Policies — including PPE requirements, access controls, and decontamination procedures for all contractors and site visitors
• Ensure REMA environmental impact assessment compliance and waste management obligations are met throughout project execution

3. Required Qualifications and Experience

• Bachelor's degree in Project Management, Civil Engineering, Construction Management, Business Administration, or a related field; postgraduate qualification is an advantage
• Professional project management certification: PMP (Project Management Professional), PRINCE2 Practitioner, or equivalent; certification in progress is considered where candidate demonstrates substantive practical experience
• Minimum 10 years of project management experience, with a track record of delivering capital construction or infrastructure projects from initiation to close-out
• Demonstrated experience managing projects of over RWF 25 billion (or the USD equivalent), including multi-contractor management and competitive tendering
• Strong financial acumen: experience with project budgeting, cost control, earned value management, and contractor payment assessment
• Experience working with regulatory authorities for permits, registrations and environmental approvals — experience with Rwandan authorities (RAB, REMA, RURA, local government) is a significant advantage
• Proficiency with project management tools: Microsoft Project, Smartsheet, Monday.com, or equivalent; proficiency in Microsoft Excel for financial tracking
• Experience in the agriculture, food production, construction, or agro-industrial sector is strongly preferred; direct experience in poultry or livestock infrastructure is an advantage but not a prerequisite
• Valid Rwanda driving licence (Category B); willingness to travel regularly between sites in Musanze District and beyond

4. Core Competencies

5. Working Conditions

• Based primarily at Head Office (Musanze), with frequent travel to active construction sites, the hatchery, the rearing farm, and the production farm
• Work pattern varies with project phase: planning phases are primarily office-based; active construction phases require regular site presence, including early morning site inspections and occasional weekend visits for milestone events
• When present on any poultry site or adjacent project site, must comply in full with the applicable Biosecurity Policy, including PPE, shower-in/out protocols, and 72-hour animal contact restrictions

Work intensity increases significantly during critical project phases (construction commencement, commissioning, close-out); the role carries the expectation of extended hours during these periods, consistent with the management-grade employment terms under the Working Hours Policy.