Chikondi Gurira

Key Qualifications & Responsibilities

• Enhanced and redefined organizational structure to maintain competitive edge.
• Managed the operations of virtual office staff and office bearing volunteers of SAIAE and two other engineering voluntary associations as clients, operating locally and across Africa.
• Improved and established structured frameworks to develop and run virtual and in-person CPD webinars, training and conferences utilizing internal and externally sourced funding.
• Increased and sustained relationships with government funders, private sector, media and other voluntary associations to increase SAIAE’s visibility.
• Centralized member databases and carried out financial management and invoicing for three engineering voluntary associations, increasing member involvement, fee payments and collections.
• Project managed externally funded projects, including administration, financial management, reporting and task team management.
• Compiled quarterly reports for board meetings, highlighting insights and the results of all activities carried out across the institute, ongoing projects and client organisations.
• Developed and implemented marketing strategy, including arranging media engagements for board and volunteer members to promote the profession, attended local and international conferences on behalf of SAIAE and client organisations and established agreements with SA Tourism and Food 4 Mzansi to promote the profession and institute.

Key Achievements

• Secured external funding to cover 28% of SAIAE 2022 Biennial Symposium expenses.
• Personally recruited 28 new members for the Pan African Society of Agricultural Engineers (PASAE) during the 4th PASAE Annual Conference in Ghana (2022) co-hosted with the Ghana Society of Agricultural Engineers (GSHAE).

Key Qualifications & Responsibilities

• Virtual Office Manager and Client Representative for EVN Africa and MESCA Agri Engineers on their KwaZulu-Natal Projects.
• Project Managed construction sites with activities including running site meetings, contract management, construction quality, environmental and health & safety management.
• Compiled tender submissions and proposals for government and parastatal engineering projects.
• Maintained client relationships from Procurement Office across to Technical Department Heads.
• Developed real-time solutions to construction site and project management issues, as well as providing expert procurement, reporting and planning support to government clients.
• Presented of drawings, plans and procurement documentation to Department Public Works and other clients’ technical review committees.
• Reinforced and maintained relationships at multiple levels within client organisations such as the Department of Rural Development and Land Reform, Agribusiness Development Agency, Umgeni Water and Department of Public Works.
• Managed client and office accounts including invoicing and collection of fees as well as subconsultant and contractors’ payment certifications.

Key Qualifications & Responsibilities

• Pursued new business opportunities, market segment development activities and compiled project proposals and design reports to meet client business requirements.
• Design and implementation of multiple Civil and Agricultural infrastructure projects from inception to completion including rural bulk water supply, stockwater, agro-processing, sewer and stormwater infrastructure.
• Presented technical project designs, proposals and company marketing content to local and national decision makers.
• Project Managed projects and on-site personnel across the province of KwaZulu-Natal. Managing ongoing project budgets, certifying complete work and contractor payments.
• Provided high-impact technical advice to clients throughout project implementation and facilitated tender briefing sessions prior to implementation.
• Collaborated with engineers in other provincial branches and companies on bidding, business development and technical design activities to reach overall company goals.
• Trained and developed site and office personnel on company Quality Management System (QMS) procedures, construction site management and site Health, Safety, Environment and Quality (HSEQ) precautions to ensure internal operational compliance and performance.
• Provided client relationship management and rapid solution generation as the official point of contact for clients such as the Agribusiness Development Agency (ADA), Department of Rural Development and Land Reform (DRDLR), Department of Public Works (DOPW), Umgeni Water and Worldwide Fund for Nature (WWF-SA) from 2016. Including invoicing, collection of fees certifying subconsultants and contractors’ payments.

Key Achievements

• Rebuilt a functional local office including admin and site personnel, after whole office retrenchments, leveraging on relationships with subconsultants and other branches.
• Landed the office’s first project with the World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF-SA).
• Achieved over 80% success rate with bids submitted through effective grasp of project scope and required resource allocation.

• Researched technologies for the on development of biorefinery solutions for the KwaZulu-Natal sugar and forestry industries under the supervision of a Professor of Agricultural Engineering.
• Provided administrative support to the research group of Professors, Post-doctoral and postgraduate researchers, including coordinating and documenting all research meetings.
• Sourced, briefed and managing over 10 students to transcribe postdoctoral research interviews with various sugar industry workers as inputs for post-doctoral research on improved loading practices on sugarcane farms.
• Translated and presented post-doctoral student’s research outcomes to sugar farm workers in IsiZulu.
• Developed of a Microsoft Excel based tool to optimise sugarcane short haulage networks on commercial sugarcane farms.
• Tutored and presented Department’s supplementary lectures on Engineering Drawing for first-year undergraduate student.

Key Achievements

• Learnt how leading researchers manage project deliverables, university administrative processes and multiple postgraduate students.
• Achieved a first-time 100% pass rate for students in the Engineering Drawing Module.