Head of Engineering & Capital Projects at The Pharo Foundation

Opportunity

• We are seeking an exceptional Head of Engineering & Capital Projects to lead the technical stewardship of Pharo’s growing portfolio of capital projects and physical assets across the region. This is a newly created, group-level role reporting to the Chief Operations Officer, designed to bring engineering rigour, professional construction oversight, and disciplined asset management to a diverse operation with over 15 assets (Schools, Plants, Offices) in four countries.
• Pharo typically does not execute construction in-house. We engage best-in-class architects, engineers, project management consultants, and contractors, and we hold them to high standards on the Foundation’s behalf. The Head of Engineering & Capital Projects is the single accountable point on the Client side, ensuring that every project Pharo commissions is delivered on quality, on time and on budget, and that every asset Pharo owns is maintained to the standard our beneficiaries deserve.
• The successful candidate will be expected to be hands on and directly working with internal stakeholders and external service providers. This is the right role for an experienced, trustworthy engineer who wants to own outcomes end-to-end rather than oversee a department from a distance and has proven their ability to deliver a greenfield construction project end-to-end.

Key Responsibilities

Capital Project Delivery and Owner’s Engineering

• Provide end-to-end Client’s Representative leadership on all capital projects commissioned by Pharo Foundation and Pharo Ventures, from feasibility through detailed design, tender, construction, commissioning, handover, and the defects notification period.
• Work directly with internal clients (school leadership, programme leads, venture General Managers, and country teams) to translate operational needs into clear technical briefs and project requirements.
• Lead the selection, contracting and management of architects, structural and MEP engineers, quantity surveyors, project management consultants, and contractors.
• Administer construction contracts on the Foundation’s behalf, including standard frameworks such as FIDIC, with disciplined handling of variations, claims, extensions of time, valuations and payment certification.
• Independently assure quality, timeline and cost against approved baselines. Intervene early when any of the three are at risk.
• Lead direct procurement of Client-supplied materials and long-lead items where this offers cost advantage, coordinating sourcing, factory inspection, logistics and on-site handover.
• Drive snagging, handover documentation, as-built drawings, O&M manuals, and the closure of defects through the defects notification period.

Asset Stewardship and Portfolio Management

• Establish and maintain a group-wide real estate asset register covering all properties owned or operated by Pharo Foundation and Pharo Ventures across Ethiopia, Somaliland, Kenya and Rwanda.
• Define and roll out planned and preventive maintenance standards in collaboration with site teams, school operators and venture managers.
• Lead lifecycle planning and capex prioritisation across the asset base, advising the COO and Executive Committee on annual investment needs.
• Lead projects to raise standards on energy efficiency, sustainability, water and waste management, and on-site safety across all Pharo properties.
• Support country teams to resolve building-related issues and to plan upgrades, expansions and refurbishments.

Standards, Quality and Governance

• Develop and maintain Pharo’s engineering and design standards, particularly for schools, classrooms and rain-water harvesting infrastructure, ensuring consistency, compliance and consistet reflection of Pharo’s values and standards.
• Set and enforce health, safety and environment standards across construction sites and operating assets; require contractors and consultants to meet them.
• Ensure compliance with statutory approvals, building regulations, environmental requirements and applicable codes in each country of operation.

Stakeholder and Partner Engagement

• Build trusted working relationships with internal clients across all four countries.
• Manage the Foundation’s external technical relationships with architects, engineers, consultants, contractors, suppliers and inspectors, holding them to the standards expected of Pharo.
• Engage with regulators, local authorities, and statutory bodies in each country as required for permitting, inspections and approvals.
• Represent the Foundation credibly in technical forums and with prospective partners, suppliers and contractors.

Financial and Commercial Management

• Own the capital projects portfolio budget and forecast; provide the COO and CFO with timely, accurate reporting on committed cost, forecast cost at completion, variations exposure and risk.
• Apply disciplined value engineering and cost control across all projects without compromising quality or safeguarding standards.
• Critically evaluate consultant and contractor proposals, benchmark prices, and negotiate fair commercial outcomes for the Foundation.
• Authorise interim payments and final accounts only when work is verified to standard, in line with Pharo’s financial procedures.

Candidate Profile

We are looking for an experienced, professionally registered engineer with strong personal credibility and the appetite to operate hands-on across a multi-country, asset-heavy portfolio.

The ideal candidate will bring:

• A Master’s degree in Civil, Structural, Mechanical, Electrical or Construction Engineering from a recognised institution; an additional degree in business administration is desirable.
• Financial acumen and excellent presentation and communication skills.
• Professional registration with a recognised engineering body (e.g., ICE Chartered Engineer, PE, ECSA, ERB Kenya, ERB Tanzania, or equivalent).
• At least 10 years of post-qualification experience in managing construction projects.
• Demonstrated success supervising at least one greenfield construction project from inception through handover in the East Africa or Horn of Africa regional context.
• Strong working knowledge of standard construction contracts (FIDIC family preferred), including Engineer’s Instructions, variations, claims, extensions of time, and final account.
• Demonstrable experience overseeing local contractors in the East African context, with a proven ability to drive quality outcomes without escalating disputes unnecessarily.
• Experience procuring international building materials and equipment, including supplier qualification, factory inspection and logistics coordination, is highly desirable.
• Multi-country project experience across the Horn of Africa, East Africa, or comparable contexts is highly desirable.
• Asset and facilities management experience across a portfolio of buildings is an advantage.
• Strong financial discipline: budget management, cost control, payment certification and forecasting.
• Excellent written and spoken English.

Personal Attributes

The successful candidate will be:

• Trustworthy, with the highest standards of personal integrity and discretion; clear commitment to anti-bribery and safeguarding principles.
• Hands-on by nature; comfortable being individually accountable for outcomes without a team to manage.
• Excellence-driven; unwilling to accept poor standards from contractors or consultants, but able to challenge constructively without creating adversarial dynamics.
• Diplomatic across a wide range of internal and external stakeholders, from school principals to overseas factory managers to senior leadership.
• Mobile and resilient; willing to travel approximately 25 percent of the time (more during active construction phases), often to challenging environments.
• Highly structured; brings discipline and process to a previously distributed function.
• Mission-driven and motivated by long-term institution building rather than personal visibility.
• Adaptable, intellectually curious, and decisive when required.