Head of IT

JOB TITLE: Head of Internal Technology & Systems

REPORTING TO: Chief of Staff

DEPARTMENT: IT

CLASSIFICATION LEVEL: Head

LOCATION: Lusaka, Zambia

ABOUT HEALTHY LEARNERS

Healthy Learners is an award-winning non-profit organisation working to improve the health and learning of children across Zambia and soon, beyond. In partnership with the Government of Zambia, we bring healthcare directly into schools so that children stay healthy, stay in class, and reach their full potential. Our model is government-owned and government-led, fully embedded in national priorities, systems, and structures.

Today, we have 1,062 health rooms, trained 8,370 School Health Teachers, and operate in 𝟰𝟱 districts across all ten provinces, reaching more than 1.4 million learners through Zambia’s first integrated School Health Program. Our approach combines school-based service delivery with technical assistance to government at every level strengthening planning, supervision, data use, and local capacity to deliver.

As we complete our national scale-up, we’re focused on deepening programme quality, strengthening delivery systems, and laying the foundation for long-term government leadership. We’re looking for a dynamic operational leader to help drive this next chapter, someone ready to manage complexity at scale and help a proven model achieve lasting impact.

Healthy Learners is the proud recipient of the Skoll Award for Social Innovation, the Duke F.M. Kirby Prize, and the Lipman Family Prize from the University of Pennsylvania. These awards reflect not just our success to date, but the strength of the opportunity ahead. If this mission resonates with you, we’d love to hear from you.

ABOUT YOU

You exemplify the qualities of being Humble, Hungry, and Smart in your leadership:

• Humble (Continuous Learning & Inclusion): You actively seek, encourage, and value feedback, recognizing that strong systems are built through listening and learning. You remain open to adapting tools, processes, and approaches as the organization grows, and you design technology solutions that are inclusive, usable, and supportive of how people actually work. You foster a culture of continuous improvement and shared ownership.
• Hungry (Efficiency, Excellence, and Innovation): Your relentless drive for efficiency and excellence is evident in your approach to both everyday tasks and complex challenges. When obstacles arise, you don't merely seek answers; you develop solutions and establish structures to address future obstacles proactively. Your hunger for innovation permeates the organisation, where you eagerly explore new and best practices, ensuring our people's operations remain modern and highly effective.
• Smart (Emotional Intelligence & Psychological Safety): Your exceptional emotional intelligence is your superpower, allowing you to create psychological safety within the organization. Through your ability to build trust, encourage risk-taking, and nurture courageous conversations, you promote an environment where individuals can thrive and collaborate effectively.

POSITION OVERVIEW

The Head of Internal Technology & Systems provides strategic leadership and organisational accountability for Healthy Learners’ internal technology environment. The role is responsible for defining and executing the organisation’s internal technology strategy, ensuring its systems, infrastructure, security, and IT services enable effective operations, organisational scale, and geographic expansion. As Healthy Learners grows the Head will ensure that technology evolves ahead of organisational needs, building a secure, integrated, scalable, and user-centred technology environment while strengthening governance, managing technology risk, and ensuring investments deliver measurable organisational value. The role works closely with the Digital Health team on areas of intersection between program facing and internal systems, provides leadership to the internal IT systems and support team, and partners with the designated Data Protection Officer to operationalise data protection requirements through technology.

KEY RESPONSIBILITIES

• Technology Strategy, Roadmap & Organisational Enablement
  • Own the development and operationalising of the Healthy Learners’ internal technology and systems strategy, aligned with organisational priorities, operational needs, geographic expansion, and long-term scale.
  • Develop and maintain a multi-year technology roadmap that anticipates future organisational needs.
  • Advise senior leadership on technology priorities, investments, emerging needs, risks, and strategic trade-offs.
  • Ensure technology investments and capabilities enable organisational effectiveness and sustainable growth.
• Enterprise Systems & Technology Architecture
  • Own the organisation’s enterprise technology ecosystem, ensuring systems are fit for purpose, scalable, integrated, and appropriately governed.
  • Support the selection, implementation, integration and optimisation, of core enterprise platforms, including ERP/finance, HR, CRM/donor management, collaboration, and document management systems.
  • Define and manage the organization's information architecture, ensuring clear frameworks for knowledge management, file taxonomy, and standardizing 'where things live' so staff can easily find the resources they need.
• IT Operations, Infrastructure & Service Delivery
  • Provide strategic oversight of IT operations and infrastructure, ensuring reliable and effective technology services across Healthy Learners.
  • Establish service standards and performance expectations for IT support, devices, connectivity, user access, system availability, and technology assets.
  • Ensure technology issues and service disruptions are effectively prioritised, escalated, and resolved.
  • Monitor the performance and reliability of internal technology services and drive continuous improvement.
• Cybersecurity, Technology Risk & Business Continuity
  • Own Healthy Learners’ internal cybersecurity and technology risk framework.
  • Ensure appropriate security controls are maintained across systems, devices, identities, access, and organisational data.
  • Lead technology risk assessments and advise leadership on material technology and cybersecurity risks.
  • Ensure effective incident response, business continuity, backup, and disaster recovery arrangements are established, tested, and continuously strengthened.
• Technology Governance, Data Protection & Compliance
  • Establish and maintain technology governance frameworks, policies, standards, and controls across the organisation.
  • Ensure technology systems and practices comply with applicable legal, regulatory, contractual, and organisational requirements across relevant jurisdictions.
  • Partner with the Data Protection Officer to embed appropriate access controls, data retention, auditability, and responsible data management.
  • Ensure technology policies and standards remain practical, proportionate, and consistently applied through training of all staff.
• Digital Workplace, Systems Adoption & Organisational Efficiency
  • Drive effective adoption and utilisation of technology across Healthy Learners.
  • Ensure that appropriate change management, onboarding, training, and user support accompany significant technology implementations and changes.
  • Promote effective digital ways of working and continuous improvement in how teams use technology.
• IT Financial Management, Vendors & Technology Assets
  • Lead technology budgeting, forecasting, and resource planning in partnership with Finance.
  • Oversee technology vendors, licences, contracts, procurement requirements, and technology asset lifecycle management.
  • Ensure technology investments demonstrate value for money, sustainability, and appropriate total cost of ownership.
  • Actively manage and consolidate the organization’s software stack to eliminate 'SaaS sprawl,' removing redundant applications and ensuring all departments are utilizing a unified set of approved tools.
  • Ensure future technology requirements are incorporated into organisational and financial planning.
• IT Leadership, Performance & Cross-Functional Partnership
  • Operate as a 'player-coach' who is highly strategic but equally willing to roll up their sleeves to troubleshoot issues, lead training sessions, and directly execute technology initiatives while building out the wider IT team.
  • Lead Healthy Learners’ internal IT function, establishing accountabilities, service standards, and performance expectations.
  • Build the capability of the IT team to meet the organisation’s evolving needs as Healthy Learners scales.
  • Foster a culture of service, security, innovation, accountability, and continuous improvement.
  • Partner with functional leaders to understand organisational needs and ensure technology effectively supports their work.
  • Collaborate closely with the Chief Digital Health Officer to ensure internal and program-facing technology environments are appropriately aligned while maintaining clear ownership and governance.

SKILLS & QUALIFICATIONS

• Significant progressive experience, typically 7–10+ years, in information technology, enterprise systems, technology operations, or related roles within a complex, multi-site, or growing organisation.
• Demonstrated experience leading an IT function, technology team, or significant organisational technology portfolio.
• Strong knowledge of IT operations and infrastructure, including end-user computing, devices, connectivity, identity and access management, systems availability, IT service delivery, and technology asset management.
• Experience translating legal, regulatory, contractual, data protection, and privacy requirements into practical technology governance, system controls, policies, and operational practices.
• Demonstrated people leadership experience, including building and developing high-performing IT teams, establishing clear performance expectations, managing priorities, and creating accountability for delivery.
• Excellent stakeholder management and communication skills, with the ability to translate technical concepts, risks, and investment needs into clear recommendations for senior leaders and non-technical stakeholders.
• A bachelor’s degree in Information Systems, Computer Science, Information Technology, Engineering, or a related field is valued.
• Relevant professional certifications in areas such as IT governance, cybersecurity, cloud technologies, enterprise architecture, or IT service management are an advantage.