About EarthEnable
Who We Are
At EarthEnable, we believe that our clients deserve our very best, that work should be fun, and that the best ideas could come from any part of the company. We celebrate each other’s wins, learn from our setbacks, and are deeply proud of the impact we make every day. We believe a home that doesn’t make you sick means more than living disease-free. It means pride and dignity in the place our customers most treasure: their homes. Being a part of our team means more than building housing products: it means building an organization and building a better future for rural families.
What We Do
EarthEnable is transforming the way people live, by making homes healthier for families across rural Rwanda, Uganda, and Kenya. 80% of Rwandans live in homes with dirt floors which are dusty, unsanitary, and fertile breeding grounds for parasites and germs. While replacing a dirt floor with concrete has significant health benefits (e.g. reducing diarrhea by 50% and parasitic infections by 80%), concrete is unaffordable for many who need it, and is also responsible for 8% of global carbon emissions.
EarthEnable addresses this pressing and ubiquitous problem by selling high-quality, earthen housing products like our flagship floor that is 80% cheaper than concrete with 90% less embedded energy. Earthen floors, plasters, and blocks are composed of natural materials (gravel, clay, sand, and laterite) and sealed with a proprietary drying oil that makes them waterproof, strong, and polished. In our first decade of operations, EarthEnable has installed ~60,000 products for over 300,000 individuals and created livelihoods for over 1,300 people. See our new product – a full house – here!
Role Summary
The Managing Director – Full Housing will lead EarthEnable’s housing initiative as a subsidized, full-scale extension of our core mission, overseeing strategy, operations, construction, finance, and policy compliance. The MD will ensure that Full Housing achieves operational excellence, financial sustainability, and impact at scale, while strengthening EarthEnable’s reputation as a leader in sustainable rural housing.
This role combines strategic vision, operational leadership, stakeholder engagement, and field-based execution, ensuring that homes and communities are delivered safely, affordably, and sustainably.
Key Responsibilities
1. Strategic Leadership & Operations
- Develop and execute the Full Housing strategy, aligned with EarthEnable’s overall mission and business priorities.
- Oversee the planning, design, and delivery of housing projects, ensuring timelines, quality, and regulatory compliance.
- Ensure integration between Full Housing and core EarthEnable operations, including flooring, construction, and R&D teams.
- Monitor performance, evaluate outcomes, and implement corrective actions to ensure successful delivery at scale.
2. Construction & Housing Development
- Lead construction and development of homes and communities, ensuring adherence to low-carbon, resilient, and regulatory standards.
- Oversee neighborhood design, shared infrastructure planning, and innovative wastewater solutions.
- Establish and maintain processes for site monitoring, quality assurance, and risk management in all housing projects.
3. Policy & Compliance
- Advise on housing-related policies and regulations, ensuring projects comply with zoning, building codes, and other legal requirements.
- Collaborate with government and local authorities to advocate for sustainable housing practices.
- Incorporate insights from field operations into policy recommendations and strategic planning.
4. Finance & Innovation
- Develop and manage partnerships with banks, microfinance institutions, and other financial actors to enable affordable housing finance.
- Oversee financial modeling and repayment schemes for low-income residents.
- Integrate income-generating and sustainability initiatives (e.g., greenhouse farming) into community housing projects.
5. Stakeholder Engagement & Partnerships
- Represent EarthEnable with funders, government agencies, investors, and community partners.
- Ensure transparent and structured communication with all stakeholders regarding project progress, impact, and challenges.
- Support fundraising, grant applications, and donor reporting for Full Housing projects.
6. Monitoring, Evaluation & Impact Measurement
- Track project outcomes, including quality, safety, financial sustainability, and resident satisfaction.
- Use data and field insights to improve housing designs, community models, and delivery mechanisms.
- Prepare reports for internal management, funders, and regulators on performance and impact.
Qualifications & Experience
- Minimum 7 years of senior leadership experience in housing development, construction, or related sectors.
- Proven track record managing large-scale projects in construction, urban planning, or affordable housing.
- Strong understanding of housing policy, regulatory frameworks, and sustainable construction techniques.
- Experience designing and implementing innovative housing finance models.
- Excellent strategic thinking, problem-solving, and analytical skills.
- Exceptional communication skills, with experience engaging multiple stakeholders, including government, donors, and communities.
- Comfortable with field-based work and travel across Rwanda and the region.
- Strong alignment with EarthEnable values: operational excellence, collaboration, customer focus, accountability, and integrity.
- What Success Looks Like
- Delivery of safe, affordable, and sustainable homes at scale, meeting quality, timeline, and budget targets.
- Successful integration of Full Housing operations with EarthEnable’s overall mission and programs.
- Innovative housing finance and community initiatives operational and positively impacting residents.
- Strong relationships with funders, government, and partners, supporting sustainability and expansion of Full Housing.
