Building Tomorrow is currently seeking an Engineer in Residence to oversee a significant scale-up in the construction of our academies. The position will be based in Kampala, Uganda and the fellowship is for a minimum of one year. The application is rolling and the position is available starting today. The sooner we find a suitable candidate, the sooner we can get started!

Download a .pdf overview of the position or read below & please share widely within your networks!


introduction & background
Building Tomorrow empowers young people to invest their resources, time and talents in providing students in East Africa with access to an education. To date, 15 primary-level academies in rural Uganda have been funded, with local community partners donating more than 35 acres of land and volunteering 200,000 hours of labor to construct them. Academies # 9 & 10 opened in August 2012 and # 11-15 are currently undergoing site planning and/or construction. Furthermore, although designs vary, each Building Tomorrow academy is a simple ten-room structure, complete with seven classrooms, an office, meeting space, a library, latrines and a field for play.

Last Fall, Building Tomorrow made a public commitment as part of the Clinton Global Initiative to significantly expand our work by constructing 60 total academies by 2016. In order to achieve this goal, Building Tomorrow must significantly streamline and scale our construction efforts in Uganda. Having worked previously with contracted local engineers, multiple contractors, volunteer architects, etc., we recognize the need to add to our team a full-time, trained engineer. This is where you come in.

the specifics
Building Tomorrow’s Engineer in Residence will play a large role in successfully implementing the construction of BT academies and the scale-up of BT’s programming in Uganda. Specific responsibilities will include:

• Approving future BT academy building site designs
• Ensuring structural integrity as a top priority in the construction of BT academies
• Setting and adhering to individual construction timelines
• Making weekly visits to all active construction sites and approving completion of contracted work
• Coordinating construction teams and volunteer laborers across multiple build sites
• Implementing community construction training programs
• Delegating specific work-site management tasks to BT Community Development Assistants
• Maintaining detailed budgets & working with BT Community Development Assistants to coordinate purchase and delivery of materials
• Providing daily feedback and photos to Building Tomorrow Uganda and USA on progress reached at BT academy sites

the ideal candidate…
Building Tomorrow is looking for someone who:

• has a passion for education equality
• has an unshakable thirst to be at the heart of social change
• wishes to put their talents & skills to work for Building Tomorrow
• has experience successfully working alongside a team of diverse individuals
• is a self-starter with a great work ethic
• is a people-person and a skilled networker
• enjoys navigating unforeseen challenges, is an incredibly creative thinker & an avid problem-solver
• is willing to get their hands dirty & has experience working with local materials and employing basic construction techniques
• thrives in new environments and immerses themselves in local cultures

culture and perks
In Uganda, you’ll be working alongside a team of six motivated and incredibly dedicated individuals. Together, they have decades of experience in the NGO and social sectors, working to provide opportunities for children. Led by Building Tomorrow’s Country Director, the roles and responsibilities of the team range from overseeing new initiatives to track, assess and impact the quality of education to living and working in our partner communities, serving as BT liaisons.

A few things you should know:

• Building Tomorrow’s Uganda office is located in the capital of Kampala.
• Building Tomorrow’s current academies are all between a 1 hour and 3.5 hour drive from Kampala.
• Building Tomorrow only builds academies in rural communities that have a relatively large number of children with little or no access to a school and demonstrate a strong commitment to their children’s education.
• Each of Building Tomorrow’s partner communities is tasked with donating the land upon which the academy will be built and approximately 20,000 hours of (unskilled) labor to construct the academy.
• The community development aspect of Building Tomorrow’s work is second to none. We pride ourselves on providing our partner communities with the resources and tools they need to lift themselves out of poverty. Our academies provide not only a safe place to learn but serve as a catalyst for change. We have seen roads built, gardens harvested, scholarships funded and communities organized as a direct result of communities being empowered to help themselves.

all applicants must…

• Hold at least a Bachelor’s degree in civil, structural or architectural engineering
• Have at least 3 years working experience – ideally working directly with contractors, architects and construction teams
• Ideally have experience working in a developing country
• Possess excellent written and oral communication skills
• Demonstrate unwavering attention to detail and high levels of organization
• Be able to simultaneously juggle several demanding tasks at one time
• Commit to a minimum of one-year, living and working in and around Kampala, Uganda
• Demonstrate patience, flexibility and a willingness to travel

compensation
Building Tomorrow’s Engineering Fellow will be provided with a cost-of-living monthly stipend to cover lodging, work-related travel and meals. BT will cover one round-trip ticket to Uganda.

to apply
Applicants should direct questions as well as a cover letter, resume and contact information for three references to jobs [at] buildingtomorrow [dot] org. Applications will be reviewed on a rolling basis.