PURPOSE

The Infrastructure Manager oversees planning, delivery, and quality assurance of construction and water projects across So They Can Tanzania partner schools, ensuring timely implementation, community engagement, compliance, and value for money.

About So They Can

So They Can Tanzania is registered as an International Non-Governmental Organization, with its offices and operations in Babati District, Manyara Region. So They Can Tanzania was founded by So They Can International, based in Australia and New Zealand.

Our Vision: To change the future of children and communities living in poverty through education.

Our Mission: To provide quality education to children living in poverty through improved learning conditions, teacher training and development, child wellbeing and health, and women’s empowerment through inclusive partnerships with the community and governments.

So They Can Tanzania runs the Umoja Education Collaborative program, in 29 government primary schools and 5 secondary schools in 4 Wards (Mamire, Endakiso, Qash and Gallapo) of Babati District Council, Manyara Region. We focus on Teachers professional development, Student well-being, Capacity building of school boards and management, Government partnerships, Community and stakeholder engagement, School improvement and Quality Early Childhood Development.

So They Can has a zero tolerance approach to child abuse and exploitation in all its forms and promotes children’s rights as set out in the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child (1989). To guide this, a Child Protection Policy (CPP) is in place to ensure children’s rights are protected by So They Can staff and representatives.

Key Duties and Responsibilities

Planning and Budgeting:

• Develop and manage annual work plans and schedules for school improvement projects in collaboration with the MEL team.
• Prepare project budgets and cost estimates in collaboration with the finance team.

School Infrastructure Projects:

• Assess infrastructure needs across partner schools and develop cost-effective improvement plans.
• Review and update Bills of Quantities (BOQs) and allocate costs between community contributions and organizational funding.
• Liaise with school communities and agree on their timeline and contribution towards the renovation and construction of school infrastructure.
• Collaborate with District Engineers to approve and supervise construction activities, ensuring compliance with government standards.
• Lead procurement and contract management for construction services, including local labor and contractors.
• Monitor project progress, manage budgets, and report on milestones and risks, including cost overruns.
• Develop quality-check protocols and ensure materials and workmanship meet required standards.
• Review contractor/local fundis work and certify completed stages prior to payment.
• Validate contractor/local fundis invoices and certify payments based on verified deliverables.
• Maintain strong relationships with stakeholders including local authorities, communities, and school leadership.
• Develop and maintain a filing system for each project that contains all relevant documentation for internal and external audit.
• Oversee water infrastructure projects, including performance assessments, cost planning, and annual water quality testing.
• Support WASH training initiatives and identify new water project opportunities.
• Identify, assess, and mitigate project risks including delays, compliance gaps, and community disputes.

Health, Safety and Environment:

• Ensure all construction and water projects adhere to health and safety regulations and environmental considerations.
• Conduct site safety assessments and promote a culture of safe work practices.

Compliance:

• Ensure adherence to organizational policies by all project implementers.
• Support the Child Protection Policy dissemination.
• Support timely collection of data using available tools.
• Explore and foster partnerships with government and other stakeholders aligned with the organization’s mission.

Communication and Reporting:

• Ensure proper documentation and handover of completed infrastructure to government and school authorities.
• Maintain to the highest standards the timeliness and quality of data input into the Organization monitoring & evaluation (MEL) system.
• Participate in weekly staff meetings and provide updates on status of projects.
• Provide timely updates, information, photos, videos, impact stories and reports to internal teams, government bodies, and donors as will be requested from time to time.
• Collect and prepare a lessons learnt report to help improve in future projects.

Required Skills and Experience

• Commitment to safeguard and protect Children
• Commitment to So They Can Vision and Mission
• Degree or Diploma in civil engineering, construction management, quantity surveying, or related fields.
• Minimum of five years of relevant technical skills and experience.
• Strong project management skills with experience in planning, execution, and reporting.
• Demonstrated leadership abilities in managing teams and stakeholder relationships.
• Knowledge of government construction standards and procurement processes.
• Experience using digital tools for project tracking (e.g., Excel, TolaData, project management software).
• Ability to read and interpret drawings, BOQs, and technical documentation.
• Excellent communication and reporting skills.
• Experience working in school environments or community-based education initiatives is an advantage.
• Experience working with Government funded projects is an added advantage.
• Knowledge, skills and experience in community engagement is an added advantage.
• Competence in use of computer programs for reporting including Word and Excel. Understanding of other tools is an added advantage.

Other Skills

• Ability to work independently
• Fluent written and spoken English and Kiswahili
• Problem solving and adaptability
• Cultural sensitivity and community engagement
• Strong negotiation skills
• Integrity and accountability
• Teamwork and collaboration

• Develop and manage annual work plans and schedules for school improvement projects in collaboration with the MEL team.
• Prepare project budgets and cost estimates in collaboration with the finance team.
• Assess infrastructure needs across partner schools and develop cost-effective improvement plans.
• Review and update Bills of Quantities (BOQs) and allocate costs between community contributions and organizational funding.
• Liaise with school communities and agree on their timeline and contribution towards the renovation and construction of school infrastructure.
• Collaborate with District Engineers to approve and supervise construction activities, ensuring compliance with government standards.
• Lead procurement and contract management for construction services, including local labor and contractors.
• Monitor project progress, manage budgets, and report on milestones and risks, including cost overruns.
• Develop quality-check protocols and ensure materials and workmanship meet required standards.
• Review contractor/local fundis work and certify completed stages prior to payment.
• Validate contractor/local fundis invoices and certify payments based on verified deliverables.
• Maintain strong relationships with stakeholders including local authorities, communities, and school leadership.
• Develop and maintain a filing system for each project that contains all relevant documentation for internal and external audit.
• Oversee water infrastructure projects, including performance assessments, cost planning, and annual water quality testing.
• Support WASH training initiatives and identify new water project opportunities.
• Identify, assess, and mitigate project risks including delays, compliance gaps, and community disputes.
• Ensure all construction and water projects adhere to health and safety regulations and environmental considerations.
• Conduct site safety assessments and promote a culture of safe work practices.
• Ensure adherence to organizational policies by all project implementers.
• Support the Child Protection Policy dissemination.
• Support timely collection of data using available tools.
• Explore and foster partnerships with government and other stakeholders aligned with the organization’s mission.
• Ensure proper documentation and handover of completed infrastructure to government and school authorities.
• Maintain to the highest standards the timeliness and quality of data input into the Organization monitoring & evaluation (MEL) system.
• Participate in weekly staff meetings and provide updates on status of projects.
• Provide timely updates, information, photos, videos, impact stories and reports to internal teams, government bodies, and donors as will be requested from time to time.
• Collect and prepare a lessons learnt report to help improve in future projects.

• Commitment to safeguard and protect Children
• Commitment to So They Can Vision and Mission
• Strong project management skills with experience in planning, execution, and reporting.
• Demonstrated leadership abilities in managing teams and stakeholder relationships.
• Knowledge of government construction standards and procurement processes.
• Experience using digital tools for project tracking (e.g., Excel, TolaData, project management software).
• Ability to read and interpret drawings, BOQs, and technical documentation.
• Excellent communication and reporting skills.
• Experience working in school environments or community-based education initiatives is an advantage.
• Experience working with Government funded projects is an added advantage.
• Knowledge, skills and experience in community engagement is an added advantage.
• Competence in use of computer programs for reporting including Word and Excel. Understanding of other tools is an added advantage.
• Ability to work independently
• Fluent written and spoken English and Kiswahili
• Problem solving and adaptability
• Cultural sensitivity and community engagement
• Strong negotiation skills
• Integrity and accountability
• Teamwork and collaboration

• Degree or Diploma in civil engineering, construction management, quantity surveying, or related fields.
• Minimum of five years of relevant technical skills and experience.