Amanda Matenda graduated with a Bachelor of Science in Civil and Environmental Engineering in 2010 and started working as a research assistant at Southern Illinois University in Carbondale, Illinois in the United States. She went on to acquire a Master of Science in Civil and Mining Engineering from the same institution. The culmination of her work is published as her graduate thesis "Geopolymer concrete production using coal ash"; which was funded as one of the winning designs of the People, Prosperity and Planet -P3 competition organised by the United States Environmental Protection Agency (USEPA).
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In 2014, Amanda started working for Prairie State Generating Company in Marissa, Illinois as a Consulting Engineer and later took a position as a Civil Engineer at AECOM in Baton Rouge, Louisiana in the United States. In that position, she worked with oil and gas, forestry and chemical companies in managing their sites around the Gulf of Mexico. After a couple of months, Amanda was trusted with taking over the management, interpretation, and organization of all soil and groundwater analytical results for one of the group’s biggest clients.
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In late 2016, Amanda followed her heart to Johannesburg, South Africa. After getting her registration with the ECSA, Amanda joined Cadre Plan in July 2017.