About the role

EarthEnable is seeking a Housing Director to play a key role in tackling the affordable housing challenge in Rwanda. This position is ideal for a proactive and independent professional who thrives on problem-solving, research, and balancing creative design solutions with cost-effective implementation. The ideal candidate will be an excellent communicator—both verbally and graphically—capable of presenting complex information in a way that facilitates decision-making.

Key Responsibilities

• Construction Management:
  • BoQ development: Review Bills of Quantities in accordance with the design to set the right budget at the outset, critically looking for ways to reduce cost.
  • Team Management: Ability to manage teams on 2 or more construction sites at the same time, building 20-50 houses each. The site manager/s and quantity surveyor will directly report to the Housing Director. Support site team with scheduling, ongoing budget management, and general management of works.
  • Quality Control: Ensure construction meets design intent and quality standards, through production of mock-ups, checklists and ensuring construction team understand the design.
  • Health and Safety: Support site team to develop a health and safety culture.
• Design Management: Depending whether the candidate’s background is in architecture, structural or civil engineering, or a related field, the design roles below may be directly performed by the Housing Director, or may be consultants.
  • Site Analysis: Conduct site visits to assess conditions and gather data to inform design decisions. Ensure compliance with Rwandan building codes and zoning regulations.
  • Architectural Design: Develop or oversee the design of affordable, sustainable housing designs that align with EarthEnable’s mission. Prepare detailed architectural drawings and technical documentation using Autodesk Revit and AutoCAD. Convey design concepts and updates to internal teams and external partners. Utilize tools such as Lumion, Adobe Photoshop, Illustrator, InDesign, and Google Suite (Slides, Docs, Sheets) to create compelling visual representations. Contribute to EarthEnable’s catalog of building systems and materials, including the design of windows, doors, ceilings, and finishes.
  • Structural Design: Oversee the design of housing structure that is seismically qualified, minimises material wastage and aligns with international best practice for earth construction. Research and testing of natural materials will be required to find the most affordable solution. Prepare technical documentation using Autodesk Revit and AutoCAD.
  • Infrastructure Design: Oversee the design of grading, retaining walls, stormwater and wastewater treatment that is robust yet affordable and appropriate for the context. Iterations may be required to balance costs for example grading iterations to balance cut and fill with foundation depths and block production needs. Prepare technical documentation using AutoCAD and Civil 3D.
  • Contextual and Sustainable Design: Supervise designs that respect local cultural and environmental conditions. Integrate sustainable practices and local materials to enhance affordability and environmental impact.
  • Project Coordination: Collaborate closely with engineers, business professionals, technicians, foremen, and investors. Assist in managing project timelines and budgets while ensuring smooth communication among all stakeholders.
  • Technical Support: Provide technical expertise throughout the design and construction phases, resolving design challenges and coordinating with contractors and suppliers.
• Research & Development: Stay up to date with emerging materials, construction techniques, and design trends relevant to affordable and sustainable housing. For example, looking for innovative ways to reduce costs such as use of AI technology in design, growing our own bamboo, or bulk ordering roof sheets from China.
• Represent EarthEnable: EarthEnable works closely with the government. Ability to represent EarthEnable at District Meetings, Rwanda Housing Authority meetings, and to wider audiences. Community engagement may also be required in some Districts prior to design/construction commencement.

Qualifications

• Education: Bachelor’s degree in Architecture, Structural or Civil Engineering, or a related field.
• Experience: 3+ years of experience in architectural/engineering design, preferably with a focus on affordable housing or sustainable projects.
• Technical Skills: Proficiency in Autodesk Revit and AutoCAD is required. Familiarity with the Adobe and Google suites is advantageous.
• Knowledge: Strong understanding of Rwandan and International building codes, zoning regulations, and market context. Awareness of sustainable design practices and their application to affordable housing.
• Skills: Excellent organizational abilities, independent task management, and strong verbal and graphic communication skills.
• Language: Proficiency in English is required; knowledge of Kinyarwanda is a plus.