Construction Manager

JOB DESCRIPTION

JOB TITLE:Construction Manager

REPORTING TO: Head of Construction

LOCATION: Lusaka, Zambia

ABOUT US

Healthy Learners is an award-winning non-profit organisation working to improve the health and learning of children across Zambia—and soon, beyond. In partnership with the Government of Zambia, we bring healthcare directly into schools so that children stay healthy, stay in class, and reach their full potential. Our model is government-owned and government-led, fully embedded in national priorities, systems, and structures.

Today, we have 1,062 health rooms, trained 8,370 School Health Teachers, and operate in 𝟰𝟱 districts across all ten provinces, reaching more than 1.4 million learners through Zambia’s first integrated School Health Program. Our approach combines school-based service delivery with technical assistance to government at every level—strengthening planning, supervision, data use, and local capacity to deliver.

As we complete our national scale-up, we’re focused on deepening programme quality, strengthening delivery systems, and laying the foundation for long-term government leadership. We’re looking for a dynamic operational leader to help drive this next chapter—someone ready to manage complexity at scale and help a proven model achieve lasting impact.

Healthy Learners is the proud recipient of the Skoll Award for Social Innovation, the Duke F.M. Kirby Prize, and the Lipman Family Prize from the University of Pennsylvania. These awards reflect not just our success to date, but the strength of the opportunity ahead. If this mission resonates with you, we’d love to hear from you.

ABOUT YOU

You exemplify the qualities of being Humble, Hungry, and Smart in your leadership:

• Humble (Continuous Learning & Inclusion): You actively seek, encourage, and facilitate feedback sharing, fostering an environment of continuous learning. You adapt and grow continuously, cultivating a culture of inclusion and belonging.
• Hungry (Efficiency, Excellence, and Innovation): Your relentless drive for efficiency and excellence is evident in your approach to both everyday tasks and complex challenges. When obstacles arise, you don't merely seek answers; you develop solutions and establish structures to address future obstacles proactively. Your hunger for innovation permeates the organisation, where you eagerly explore new and best practices, ensuring our people's operations remain modern and highly effective.
• Smart (Emotional Intelligence & Psychological Safety): Your exceptional emotional intelligence is your superpower, allowing you to create psychological safety within the organization. Through your ability to build trust, encourage risk-taking, and nurture courageous conversations, you promote an environment where individuals can thrive and collaborate effectively.

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. This role requires minimal to no interaction with children according to our child protection policy.

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 (70%) and Office work (30%).

• 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.