Terms of Reference / Job Description
Infrastructure expert
Isonga 2 Technical assistance project
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Job title: Infrastructure expert Reports to: Team leader of the TA project Location: Kigali, Rwanda, with regular travel to other regions in Rwanda Type of contract: full-time, fixed-term contract Contract duration: 1 year, with possibility of renewal (local contract) Job Level: senior level |
Overview
Expertise France is the French agency for international cooperation established in 2015. The agency develops and implements projects that sustainably strengthen public policies in low- and middle-income countries and focuses on four priority areas:
- Strengthening health systems, social protection and employment;
- Democratic, economic and financial governance;
- Stability of countries in crisis/post-crisis situations and security;
- Combating climate change and favouring sustainable urban development.
In these areas, Expertise France engineers and implements capacity-building projects, mobilises technical expertise and acts as a project coordinator, bringing together public expertise and private know-how. With an annual business volume of 445 million euros in 2024 and over 400 projects in 145 countries, Expertise France's activities are part of France's international cooperation policy and official development assistance.
Active since 2020 in Rwanda, Expertise France Rwanda implements technical assistance projects, primarily funded by the European Union, AFD and the French Ministry of Foreign Affairs. The agency's main areas of intervention in Rwanda are:
- Health
- Education and TVET
- Sustainable development, climate and agriculture
- Digitalisation
Project description
Rwanda recognizes sport as a powerful catalyst for human development and social transformation. Since the adoption of the Rwanda Sports Development Policy in 2012, the government has affirmed its commitment to promote mass participation, equitable access, and talent development in sport. This commitment was further consolidated through the 2020 School Sports Policy, which positioned sport as an integral part of the national education pathway, encouraging health promotion as well as structured and inclusive opportunities for talent to emerge from pre-primary through higher education.
However, this developing sector faces systemic challenges, including insufficient number of adequate infrastructure, insufficiently qualified technical staff, gender disparities, and limited access for learners with disabilities which continue to hinder the development of a truly inclusive sports ecosystem.
AFD supported the first phase of ISONGA programme (2021–2024) with a €1.5 million grant, reaching 599 student-athletes (42% girls) across 17 pilot schools. This phase delivered initial training, coaching support, equipment, and coordination mechanisms.
In alignment with these ambitions, Isonga Phase 2 financed through and loan and a grant of AFD, hold the core objective to establish a sustainable, inclusive, and gender-responsive national school sports system. This system aims to guarantee that all girls and boys, regardless of their background, have equitable opportunities to access high-quality sports activities as part of their educational journey. Thus, the program seeks to strengthen their academic retention, nurture civic values, and contribute to greater social cohesion and youth empowerment across Rwanda. The phase 2 will also extend the geographic scope, and cover all the districts of the country to expand the opportunities for the young Rwandan generation.
The second phase of ISONGA (2025–2029) aims to expand and consolidate this school-based sports system in 42 schools nationwide. Expertise France is mobilized to provide technical assistance to reinforce the MINISPORT and notably its Single Project Implementation Unit (SPIU) capacity, enhance multi-level coordination, and support the professionalization of a sustainable, inclusive school sports ecosystem throughout the country. The objective of the technical assistance mission is to ensure strategic, operational, and institutional support to the Ministry of Sports’ SPIU for the effective implementation of the ISONGA 2 program.
The role
The Infrastructure Expert will be embedded within MINISPORTS/SPIU in Kigali and report to the Isonga 2 Technical Assistance project Team Leader. As a technical advisor, he or she will strengthen the quality and consistency of sport-infrastructure packages by supporting standards, procurement documents, bid evaluation, early-works backstopping, site-supervision protocols and maintenance planning while transferring know-how to SPIU and partners.
He/she will work on a daily basis with the Infrastructure Infrastructure Technician specialist of the SPIU notably.
Key Responsibilities
- Revise and refine technical ToRs, BoQs and specifications for works tenders, including framework agreements for sport field construction/rehabilitation.
- Co-develop and operationalize sport-specific infrastructure standards with federations and local stakeholders (safety, accessibility, inclusion).
- Contribute to bid evaluation: review technical proposals against specs/standards and document quality, compliance and sustainability findings.
- Advise on supplier/contractor selection, ensuring transparency, eligibility and delivery capacity; prepare evaluation notes/recommendations.
- Provide technical backstopping to SPIU during the first wave of works: QA/QC arrangements, schedule and variation control, and budget integrity.
- Design and roll out a site supervision toolkit (protocols, checklists, progress-monitoring templates, reporting tools) and brief/train SPIU/district focal points.
- Contribute to the infrastructure maintenance plan, incl. KPIs and the use of framework repair contracts and basic asset handover documentation.
Profile
Qualifications
Master’s in Civil Engineering/Architecture/Construction Management (or equivalent); professional licensure an asset.
Professional experience
- 7+ years delivering public infrastructure covering design review, tendering, early works supervision, handover and maintenance.
- Proven drafting of technical ToRs/Specifications/BoQs and standardizing unit quantities for multi-lot
procurements. - Bid evaluation & supplier selection within public procurement frameworks; auditable evaluation reports.
- Site supervision backstopping: Quality Assurance /Quality Controll, progress controls, risk/variation management, schedule and budget oversight.
- Maintenance planning and basic asset/lifecycle management; use of framework agreements for repairs.
- Coordination with implementation unit (SPIU/ministries) and local actors;
- Experience in education/sport facilities is a plus.
Skills
- Design compliance and constructability reviews; value-for-money analysis;
- Quality control, HSE/safeguarding, and inclusion/accessibility standards embedded in designs;
- Clear, buildable technical writing; concise technical notes and recommendations.
- Tools: plan reading/AutoCAD, MS Office (Excel/Word/PowerPoint), collaboration platforms; contractor
performance KPIs/monitoring. - Perfect command of Kinyarwanda and English; fluency in French is an asset.
Additional information
Desired start date: February 2026
Application deadline: December 15th 2025
Remuneration: competitive remuneration will be offered according to Expertise France’s salary scale and the candidate’s qualification and experience.
HOW TO APPLY:
Please apply on that link:
Please provide your CV and cover letter (no longer than 2 pages each), as well as three professional references with
contact details.
Candidates are invited to submit their application as soon as possible.
Expertise France reserves the right to pre-select candidates before the application deadline.