Terms of Reference / Job Description

Biomedical engineer

Health Result Based Financing Technical assistance project

Job title: Biomedical engineer

Reports to: Team leader

Location: Kigali, Rwanda, with regular travel to other regions in Rwanda

Type of contract: full-time, fixed-term contract

Contract duration: 1 year, with possibility of renewal (local contract)

Job Level: medior to senior level

Overview

Expertise France is the French agency for international cooperation, under the Ministry of Europe and Foreign Affairs and the Ministry of Finance. The agency develops and implements projects that sustainably strengthen public policies in low- and middle-income countries and focuses on four priority areas:

• Democratic, economic and financial governance;
• Stability of countries in crisis/post-crisis situations and security;
• Combating climate change and favouring sustainable urban development;
• Strengthening health systems, social protection and employment.

In these areas, Expertise France engineers and implements capacity-building projects, mobilises technical expertise and acts as a project coordinator, bringing together public expertise and private know-how. With an annual business volume of 390 million euros and over 400 projects in 145 countries, Expertise France's activities are part of France's international cooperation policy and official development assistance.

Active since 2019 in Rwanda, Expertise France Rwanda implements 6 projects, primarily funded by the European Union, AFD and the French Ministry of Foreign Affairs, for a total amount of €50M. The agency's main areas of intervention in Rwanda are:

• Economic and financial governance
• Sustainable development, climate and agriculture
• Health and human development

Project description

To support Rwanda's Health Sector Strategic Plan V (2024–2029) to address maternal mortality (203 deaths per 100,000), chronic malnutrition (33% stunting), and non-communicable diseases (50% of deaths) while prioritizing climate resilience and gender-responsive care, the Agence Française de Développement (AFD) is developing a Results-Based Financing (RBF) loan in collaboration with the Ministry of Health (MOH), Rwanda Biomedical Centre (RBC), and the Ministry of Finance (MINECOFIN).

AFD's anticipated loan will use results-based payments conditioned on key performance indicators to strengthen Rwanda's health system, building on existing RBF mechanisms to enhance access to climate-resilient, gender-responsive healthcare. This loan envisions a specific focus at district level in the Northern Province, targeting four districts: Musanze, Gakenke, Rulindo, and Gicumbi.

The RBF program is designed to target two MOH priorities:

• Increasing qualified healthcare professionals within a strengthened health system
• Enhancing access to high-quality primary healthcare addressing maternal/child health, NCDs, mental health, nutrition, and emergencies

To support the anticipated RBF implementation, AFD has requested Expertise France to provide technical assistance through residential experts to be seconded to key divisions or departments within RBC and MOH, as well as at district level. This planned support would focus on four strategic areas: Decentralized Healthcare, Health System Governance and Management, Biomedical and Health Infrastructure, and Climate Resilience.

The technical assistance project will be implemented over a period of 30 months. Under the management of a team leader, the team would consist of 8 Technical Experts, and would be supported by Expertise France’s Kigali-based Project Support Unit (PSU) for administrative, finance, HR and procurement, as well as Paris-based HQ for public health technical support.

The role

The Biomedical engineer will support central and decentralized health levels of care to ensure the presence of well-functioning equipment of high standard quality and to ensure its maintenance for optimum obstetrical, neonatal and primary health care. His/her main responsibilities will be:

• Contributing, in consultation with RBC, districts and districts health stakeholders, to the development of technical specifications of good standard for medical equipment and adapted to the different levels of care, incorporating climate-resilient design considerations
• Supporting the improvement and the use of digitalisation system regarding the stock management for the Medical Equipment Monitoring & Management Systems (MEMMS)
• Contributing to develop a district/health facilities long term management plan for maintenance of equipment according to norms and standards that will allow sustainability and continuous use of medical equipment, with special attention to climate change adaptation and equipment resilience to extreme weather
• Supporting the districts/health facilities to implement the maintenance plan with climate-resilient infrastructure considerations
• Assure the capacity building of the available staff and technicians regarding maintenance, repairing, replacement and proper use of medical equipment, including training on climate-related equipment challenges and adaptive solutions

• Contributing to the quality control of new medical equipment according to the national standards with regular evaluations, ensuring equipment can withstand climate-related stresses
• Working with health district hospitals and health centre teams to evaluate safety, efficiency, and effectiveness of existing biomedical equipment under varying climate conditions
• Conduct assessments of medical equipment needs and develop equipment procurement strategies that prioritize climate-resilient and energy-efficient technologies
• Design and implement medical equipment maintenance and calibration programs that account for climate variability and extreme weather impacts
• Provide technical support for installation, commissioning, and operation of medical deviceswith emphasis on climate-adaptive technologies and backup systems
• Train healthcare staff on proper use and basic maintenance of medical equipment, including emergency protocols during climate-related disruptions
• Establish quality assurance protocols for medical technology and equipment safety that incorporate climate resilience standards and disaster preparedness measures

Profile

Qualifications

Master's degree in Biomedical Engineering,, or related field

Professional experience

• At least 4 years of relevant professional experience in public hospitals and health centres equipment, maintenance and settings
• Proven experience and knowledge of Rwanda health facility norms and standards for equipment
• Proven experience and knowledge of quality control process for health facility equipment
• Demonstrated 4 years' experience in management, planning and reporting in the fields of health facility equipment
• Demonstrated experience and ability to produce/adapt short course training, guidelines and SOPs on health facility maintenance for medical equipment and to train health facility technicians at district level
• Knowledge of medical device regulations and quality management systems
• Experience with a wide range of medical equipment (diagnostic, therapeutic, life support systems).

Skills

• Excellent communication and facilitation skills, with an excellent capacity to translate technical concepts to a wide variety of audiences.
• Strong interpersonal and stakeholder engagement skills, including government, NGOs, and community organizations.
• Excellent analytical, problem-solving skills and strategic mindset.
• Initiative-taking and sense of responsibility.
• Proficiency in office tools (Word, Excel, PowerPoint, etc.).
• Perfect command of English and Kinyarwanda; fluency in French is an asset.

Additional information

Desired start date: September 2025

Application deadline: August 24, 2025

Remuneration: competitive remuneration will be offered according to Expertise France’s salary scale and the candidate’s qualification and experience.

HOW TO APPLY:

Please apply on that link: https://expertise-france.gestmax.fr/13695/1/biomedical-engineer-h-f/en_US?backlink=search 

Please provide your CV and cover letter (no longer than 2 pages each), as well as three professional references with contact details.

Candidates are invited to submit their application as soon as possible. Expertise France reserves the right to pre-select candidates before the application deadline.