Construction Innovation Lead

About the job

· Position title: Construction Innovation Lead

· Contract type: Full time Employment

· Location: Kigali, Rwanda

About Charis UAS

Charis UAS is a 10-year-old drone and geospatial analytics company headquartered in Kigali, Rwanda, with active operations across East and West Africa. We have grown from a drone services pioneer in 2016 into one of the continent's most established geospatial analytics platforms, with a flagship Charis Analytics platform serving construction, carbon, agriculture, and infrastructure clients.

We work with public infrastructure clients, major contractors, and donor-funded programs (World Bank, AfDB, EU, JICA among others) to replace paper-based progress reporting with drone-captured data, point cloud analytics, and earned value methodology. Our reference projects include flagship large-scale infrastructure verification for both private and public sector clients.

We are now scaling our presence in Rwanda and are looking for the right person to lead that growth.

About the Role

As Construction Innovation Lead in Rwanda, you are the face of Charis Analytics in the local market. You translate the platform's capabilities into commercial outcomes but more importantly, you make the case to chief PMs, project directors, and resident engineers that there is a better way to deliver and monitor infrastructure projects. You will work directly with public infrastructure clients, major contractors, and donor-funded programs.

This is not a typical sales role. We are looking for someone whose identity is already half-formed around the conviction that technology should fix what is broken on construction sites someone who has lived the gap between contractor-reported progress and site reality, and who is ready to spend the next chapter of their career closing that gap for an entire country.

You will be supported by the founding team in Kigali, the Charis platform engineering team, and local partners on the ground. You will be expected to grow from individual contributor in year one into a country leadership role as we scale.

Key Responsibilities

In your first 12 months, you will:

• Build a qualified pipeline of construction monitoring opportunities across Rwanda's infrastructure sector public clients, major contractors, and donor-funded programs.
• Lead client meetings, run platform demonstrations, and translate technical capabilities into business outcomes that procurement, project directors, and finance teams can defend internally.
• Structure and close pilot engagements that convert into long-term recurring contracts. Negotiate scope, pricing, and success metrics that protect both client outcomes and Charis margin.
• Work alongside the Charis delivery team to ensure that early projects exceed client expectations your reputation is built on the success of the first three to five engagements.
• Develop relationships with relevant professional bodies, regulators, and procurement bodies to position Charis as the credible local partner for digital construction monitoring.
• Provide market intelligence to the founding team what is winning, what is stuck, what we should build next, and where we should expand within country.
• Contribute to the development of Rwanda-specific case studies, references, and content that builds the Charis brand in the local market.

Who we are Looking for

We are not looking for a typical project manager or a typical salesperson. We are looking for the construction professional who has already said, on more than one site, "there has to be a better way to do this."

• You will likely be a strong fit if you have:
• 5 to 10 years of hands-on experience managing real infrastructure projects in Rwanda ( roads, power transmission, water, urban infrastructure, or major vertical works)
• Direct experience with monthly progress claims, quantity reconciliation, variance disputes, and client-facing reporting cycles.
• Deep familiarity with RPPA-framework procurement and donor-funded program procurement (World Bank, AfDB, EU, JICA, or equivalent).
• Membership of IER (Institute of Engineers Rwanda), or registration with the relevant national regulator.
• A genuine, not performative, belief that technology should fix what is broken on site and the curiosity to learn the platform deeply enough to defend it in technical conversations.
• The willingness to learn commercial discipline: pipeline management, follow-up cadence, proposal writing, and how to close. We will train you on these we cannot train the construction depth.
• Comfort working independently while being held to clear targets and outcomes.

What would make you standout

• Prior exposure to drone surveys, photogrammetry, GIS, BIM, or earned value methodology — even informally, on past projects.
• A degree in civil engineering, surveying, construction management, or a related discipline.
• Experience working with international consulting engineers or supervision firms.
• A track record of mentoring junior engineers or running formal internal training.

What we Offer

Competitive base salary aligned with Rwanda senior PM benchmarks, payable monthly.

Meaningful commission on closed revenue, paid quarterly in arrears.

Quarterly milestone bonuses tied to qualified pipeline and named-account progression so you are rewarded for activity in the first two quarters before deals close.

Travel and field allowance explicit and generous. This role belongs on sites and in client offices, not behind a desk.

Direct mentorship from the CEO and platform engineering team during your first 90 days.

Access to a part-time external sales coach for the first six months of your tenure.

A clear path into a country leadership role as Charis grows in the market.

The chance to build your professional brand as a leader of the digital construction movement in your country.

How to Apply

Applications are submitted through a single online form. The application takes 20 to 30 minutes to complete. You will be asked to provide:

Your CV (PDF or Word, max 10 MB).

A short written response (300 words maximum) to a screening question about a project where reported progress did not match site reality.

A 2-minute video introduction (phone-recorded is fine — we are not judging production quality).

Salary expectations, notice period, and one professional reference.

Apply here: 

https://forms.gle/9tYg3GrczquC3Low6

(Note: Please copy the full link above. If the link is not clickable, please copy and paste it into your browser's address bar to open the application form.)

Our process has five stages: application screen, an initial 45-minute conversation, a take-home technical scenario, a presentation and pressure test with our leadership team, and a reverse reference plus field day with the finalist. The full process takes three to four weeks from first contact to offer.

We respond to every applicant within 10 working days, regardless of outcome. If your background does not match what we are looking for at this stage, we will tell you directly and keep your application on file.

Charis UAS is an equal-opportunity employer. We hire on the basis of evidence what you have done, what you can do, and how you think not on the basis of background, gender, age, or personal circumstance. We strongly encourage applications from women and from candidates outside the most-represented professional networks. The construction industry has not historically opened its doors evenly. We are doing our part to change that

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