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Job / Role Purpose:
The Program Design Lead will be responsible for leading the creative, technical, and pedagogical design components of the Creative Rwanda Program, a transformative initiative aimed at elevating Rwanda’s creative and artisan sectors. The Design Lead will combine artistic creativity, design innovation, and technical skill to conceptualize and implement product development and capacity-building activities for cooperatives and young women artisans. The role is rooted in the promotion of craftsmanship, individuality, and culturally grounded design solutions.
Key duties and responsibilities
Creative Curriculum and Learning Framework Design
- Lead the design of unique, handmade products that bridge the gap between heritage and innovation, enabling artisans to elevate their products for competitive markets while maintaining cultural authenticity.
- Develop technical training modules tailored for cooperatives and residency participants, covering artisan product design, creative process, design thinking, and material innovation.
- Integrate traditional craft knowledge with contemporary market trends to promote culturally rich and marketable products.
- Lead the design and structuring of the 12-week Creative Residency Program, ensuring it fosters innovation, critical thinking, and technical skill development.
Artisan Product Innovation and Development
- Guide the co-creation of new product collections in collaboration with weavers, textile artists, and other artisan groups.
- Lead iterative design processes including sketching, prototyping, material testing, and finishing techniques.
- Curate design labs, innovation workshops, and design mentorships that connect artisans with global creative experts and local master craftspeople.
Design Quality Assurance and Technical Standards
- Establish and disseminate product quality standards and functional design parameters tailored to each artisan product category (e.g., baskets, textiles, home décor, jewelry).
- Provide technical support for standardization, scalability, and refinement of artisan outputs while preserving uniqueness.
- Collaborate with Mass Design and Pink Mango to ensure product designs meet brand, market, and export readiness criteria.
Coaching, Capacity Building, and Mentorship
- Facilitate the training-of-trainers (ToT) process to build a pipeline of local design facilitators and artisan leaders.
- Mentor individual artisans in areas such as product ideation, creative branding, aesthetic development, and customer-centered design.
- Provide ongoing design support to cooperatives and youth artisans participating in the residency and follow-up phases.
Documentation, Learning, and Cross-Consortium Collaboration
- Work with the MEL team to define design-related outcome indicators and track impact on artisan skill level, income generation, and product innovation.
- Document design processes, stories of transformation, and before/after case studies for program learning and visibility.
- Actively engage with consortium partners to align and elevate design strategies across the program.
Ad hoc
- Carry out other related duties appropriate to the role as required by the Line Manager from time to time.
Expected Outputs/ Deliverables
- Design of unique, handmade products
- Documented design processes
- New projects designed
- Project Workplans
- Mentorship to individual artisans
- Continuous design support to cooperatives
- Technical support for standardization, scalability, and refinement of artisan outputs
PERSON SPECIFICATION
Educational Requirements
- Bachelor’s degree in industrial design, Product Design, Fashion or Textile Design, Creative Arts, or related discipline from an accredited institution.
- Relevant professional qualification such as Project Management certification, etc.
- Agile Certification is preferred.
Related Job Experience
- At least 5 years of experience in artisan product design, creative industries, or craft-based entrepreneurship.
- Proven track record in developing handmade products that blend traditional techniques with modern aesthetics and functionality.
- Experience in program and project design, planning, and managing and launching new projects across various institutions.
- Experience in successfully leading/monitoring projects and/or programs using Agile methodologies, managing large, complex projects with multi-function teams.
- Experience in facilitating workshops, mentoring artisans, and collaborating with brand or design partners.
Required Technical Knowledge/Skills
- Strong background in co-design, prototyping, materials innovation, and sustainable design practices.
- Familiarity with working in community-based development, especially with rural women and youth.
- Proficiency in design tools/software (Adobe Creative Suite, SketchUp, Rhino, etc.) is an added advantage.
Required Behavioural Skills
- Creativity and innovation rooted in cultural sensitivity
- Deep appreciation of craft traditions and heritage aesthetics
- Collaborative mindset and team facilitation skills
- Strong visual, conceptual, and technical design skills
- Ability to inspire, mentor, and elevate artisan potential
- Flexible, curious, and committed to inclusive design principles
- Excellent communication, negotiation, and relationship-building skills.
- Deep understanding of creative sector value chains in a rural setting
- Exceptional writing, presentation, and public speaking skills
- Fluency in English and Kinyarwanda; proficiency in French is an asset.
Terms of Employment and Remuneration
- The opportunity to work across departments and with external partners.
- A collaborative, dynamic environment committed to women’s economic empowerment.
- The chance to shape the future of arts and creatives development in Rwanda, and beyond.
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