JOB DESCRIPTION
JOB TITLE:Construction Manager
REPORTING TO: Head of Construction
LOCATION: Lusaka, Zambia
ABOUT US
Healthy Learners is an award-winning non-profit organization committed to improving the health of children in Zambia and beyond. We partner directly with the government and local communities so that schoolchildren can stay healthy, learn effectively, and have a brighter future. School-aged children in low-resource settings suffer from a high burden of disease and lack access to even basic healthcare, which causes otherwise preventable and curable illnesses to frequently result in life-long health challenges or disability. In the short term, these illnesses contribute to school absenteeism, poor academic performance, and high drop-out rates. In the long term, they undermine physical, cognitive, and emotional development and hinder economic prosperity.
Healthy Learners is working with the Zambian Government to bridge this gap through our unique model of school health. By training teachers in community health and leveraging innovative diagnostic and data analytic technology, we can make schools entry points into the public healthcare system. As a result, children now receive medical attention in substantially greater numbers, improving health outcomes and reducing absenteeism. We currently serve over 1,000,000 students across ten provinces, and we are working with the Zambian government to cover 70 districts by 2028.
ABOUT YOU
You exemplify the qualities of being Humble, Hungry, and Smart in your work
- Humble (Adaptability and Collaboration): You embody humility by actively seeking and embracing feedback, fostering a culture of continuous learning in the realm of policy and government engagement. Your inclusive approach encourages diverse perspectives, ensuring all voices are heard and valued in the process of shaping policies.
- Hungry (Strategic Vision and Innovation): Your relentless drive for efficiency and excellence translates into a strategic vision for policy development and government engagement. When challenges arise, you proactively seek innovative solutions and establish structures that anticipate future obstacles. Your hunger for innovation ensures that policy strategies remain cutting-edge, enabling the organization to navigate complex governmental landscapes effectively.
- Smart (Relationship Building and Diplomacy): Your exceptional emotional intelligence is a cornerstone of your leadership, allowing you to build strong relationships and foster trust with key stakeholders in the government and policy-making spheres. By creating an atmosphere of psychological safety, you encourage open dialogue and constructive discourse, enabling effective collaboration and consensus-building among diverse groups and individuals.
THE OPPORTUNITY
Healthy Learners is built on a solid foundation of government engagement to ensure all construction projects are government-led, and we are proud of our highly capable team and robust culture. As we navigate an exciting period of growth, we are looking for an experienced and passionate Construction Manager to be instrumental in ensuring effective resource usage and work coordination. This role will oversee construction planning execution, Budgeting , support technical team liaison and relationship management on infrastructure matters, coordinate with multiple stakeholders, and promote effective communication between the organization and relevant government entities as they relate to school infrastructure and health-supportive facilities.
The Construction Manager will collaborate closely with the Head of Construction and Chief Visionary Officer at Healthy Learners to spearhead infrastructure initiatives, contribute to long-term planning, and nurture multistakeholder relations to improve program delivery and sustainability with government partners. This includes a particular emphasis on construction oversight, strategic government coordination, and ensuring alignment with national infrastructure standards and policies. The role will involve active engagement with various teams within Healthy Learners, including partnering with other managers and reporting into the Head of Construction, to foster and nurture robust connections with government officials and other stakeholders critical to the sustained advancement of our mission through high-quality, context-appropriate construction solutions.
ROLE AND RESPONSIBILITIES
1. Project Planning & Execution
- Lead the development and consolidation of regional project work plans, ensuring alignment with the organization’s scale-up strategy across the Northern and Southern regions.
- Oversee multi-district expansion initiatives, ensuring execution remains within defined scope, timelines, and financial parameters.
- Drive adherence to quality, regulatory, and organizational standards across all project deliverables.
- Optimize resource allocation by coordinating cross-functional internal teams and external partners.
- Prepare regional activity budgets for all prospective planned construction and prepare subsequent monthly cost reports.
- Support procurement processes and material supply chains for efficient and timely delivery inline with set timeliness
2. Monitoring, Reporting & Risk Management
- Establish structured monitoring mechanisms, producing bi-weekly progress reports that support informed decision-making.
- Deliver strategic project updates to the Head of Department and key stakeholders, highlighting progress, risks, and required interventions.
- Lead the identification, assessment, and mitigation of project risks in alignment with enterprise risk management practices.
- Conduct post-implementation reviews to extract strategic insights and embed continuous improvement across future initiatives.
- Conduct inventory stock checks in all implementing districts and provide status reports.
- Collaborate with warehousing by providing quality assurance and control to all materials received at our onsite and offsite locations.
3. Stakeholder Management & Communication
- Serve as the central liaison for internal and external government stakeholders, ensuring unified direction and expectations.
- Build and maintain strong partnerships that facilitate seamless project delivery and effective issue resolution.
- Provide clear, proactive communication on project milestones, emerging challenges, and mitigation strategies to promote stakeholder confidence and transparency.
- Provide quality control tools and ensure adherence to the prescribed quality aspects of all construction elements.
4. Leadership & People Management
- Provide strategic oversight and guidance to provincials & district construction technical teams to ensure cohesive execution.
- Develop and implement performance management structures, including goal setting and ongoing evaluation for team members.
- Cultivate a high-performance culture that encourages collaboration, accountability, and innovation within the project teams.
QUALIFICATIONS AND EXPERIENCE
The ideal candidate is an excellent strategic thinker, has impeccable follow-through, and is deeply passionate about the mission and vision of Healthy Learners. S/he is an exceptionally clear, precise and confident communicator, with excellent verbal and written skills. The candidate is excited to join a rapidly growing organization. S/he approaches that opportunity with humility, hunger, and a “no job too small” commitment to meeting the needs of the organization.
In addition, the ideal candidate must have:
- A minimum of a Bachelor’s degree in Civil Engineering, Quantity Surveying Construction Management, Architecture, or a related field.
- Has at least Five (6) years of relevant experience with increasing levels of responsibility.
- This role involves field operation (60%) and Office work (40%).
- A strong track record in delivering infrastructure projects, ideally in education, health, or community development sectors.
- A passion for Healthy Learners’ mission and a strong alignment with its values.
- Excellent analytical, problem-solving, and risk management skills in the context of infrastructure development.
- Strong interpersonal skills, with the ability to build and sustain long-term relationships with government agencies, contractors, community leaders, and donors.
- Outstanding verbal communication skills, capable of articulating technical concepts and project impacts to diverse audiences.
- Cultural competence and sound judgment in working with diverse stakeholders in sensitive or complex environments.
- Exceptional attention to detail, with the ability to manage multiple construction projects simultaneously.
- Strong commitment to meeting deadlines, delivering results, and maintaining clear and timely communication across all levels of the organization.
