Head of Operations

Job Title:  Head of Operations 

Department: Operations 

Reporting line:  Managing Director 

Location: Kampala, Uganda 

Job Grade: HL 18 

About ENGIE Energy Access  

ENGIE Energy Access is the leading Pay-As-You-Go (PAYGo) and mini-grids solutions provider in Africa. The company develops innovative, off-grid solar solutions for homes, public services and businesses, enabling customers and distribution partners access to clean, affordable energy. The PAYGO solar home systems are financed through affordable instalments from $0.19 per day and the mini-grids foster economic development by enabling electrical productive use and triggering business opportunities for entrepreneurs in rural communities. With over 1,800 employees, operations in nine countries across Africa (Benin, Côte d’Ivoire, Kenya, Mozambique, Nigeria, Rwanda, Tanzania, Uganda and Zambia), over 1.9 million customers and more than 9 million lives impacted so far, ENGIE Energy Access aims to impact 20 million lives across Africa by 2025.  

www.engie-energyaccess.com    

www.linkedin.com/company/engie-africa  

Job Purpose/Mission   

The Head of Operations will report to the Uganda Country Director, will sit on the Uganda Management team, and be based in Kampala, Uganda. The position will oversee all Uganda operations and work directly with Uganda and Global sales, customer service and engineering teams on the ground to design, test, execute, analyze, and refine innovative operations systems and processes.  

Candidates must have a passion for entrepreneurship, renewable energy, and sustainable development in Frontier Markets. The role will be working on critical projects with real and immediate impact and will have the opportunity to travel domestically and internationally to understand our customer base and attend training and workshops.  

Responsibilities  

Leadership  

• You are part of a highly effective and top performing leadership team!  

• Be a role model and leader in the organization by living our values and through active participation and collaboration with other management team members to meet Uganda’s and Access to Energy’s goals. 

• Be an active strategic thought partner on the management team with joint ownership in development and achievement of Uganda goals.  

• Pro-active cross-departmental communication of challenges as they arise and proactive development of solutions to these challenges.  

• Work effectively with other department heads to ensure all goals are met, specifically Product team and Commercial team, such as successful product launches or opening of new points of sale.   

Team and Culture  

• Manage and lead production, logistics, inventory management, quality assurance, and refurbishment teams of over 35 team members and build the team for scale and efficiency.  

• Create a culture of teamwork with a focus on quality, honesty, and integrity and hold the team accountable to those standards.  

• Ensure the team is fully supported, engaged and has the training & tools needed to be successful in their role.  

• Suggest and implement changes in working conditions and use of equipment to increase safety and efficiency of department.  

• Design and conduct operations team trainings and coordinate trainings with customer experience and commercial teams for full team focus on inventory management, minimizing shrinkage, health & safety, etc.  

• Work with Talent and Admin teams to support in recruitment and admin related functions around recruitment and wider initiatives around team engagement and learning & development.  

S&OP Ordering Process Custodianship  

• Ensure implementation of the company’s Inventory Planning & Ordering Policies   

• Order stock monthly as needed, based on sales forecast, product failure rates, inventory on hand, and pipeline (on-order and in-transit) inventory.  

International Logistics and Customs Clearance  

• Ensure on-time delivery of products from supplier (upstream supply chain team based in China) to Uganda. 

• Coordinate with all external partners and parties to clear and import products. 

Inventory Management  

• Ensure full implementation of the company's inventory management policy and guidelines.  

• Provide visibility on stock position, aging pyramid, and management of slow moving and obsolete items (SLOBS) vs. Active Inventory items.  

• Oversee monthly stock count and reconciliation of inventory with the Finance department.  

• Accountable for maintaining inventory shrinkage within company target.   

Distribution & Logistics Management  

• Devise strategy for in-country distribution to all service center and stock points  

• Implement policies covering transportation, handling, storage, delivery and regularly measure performance.  

• Accountable for availability of inventory in all stock points and service centers across the country.  

Quality, HSE, Waste Management  

• Implement end-to-end product quality management in the value chain, including waste management.  

• Oversee the full adherence to ENGIE Health Safety and Environment policies in Uganda and measurement of related key performance indicators.  

Tech-Ops, warranty claims, and process improvement  

• Operationalize product failure diagnosis and warranty claims management policies and processes.  

• Oversee production team and facilities to ensure high quality product outputs of sellable inventory and timely stock preparation and delivery.  

• Oversee tech team and facilities to ensure high quality product repair and refurbishment for customer service in the field.  

• Monitor and evaluate internal operation processes - collect feedback from stakeholders to continually evolve and improve.  

We believe that great managers:  

• Deliver ambitious results: As a high-performing and accountable leader, you create an enabling environment for effective action and bold decision which contribute to successful delivery of results.  

• Act with integrity: As an ethical leader you are honest, respectful, objective, and transparent. You create and build upon a foundation of trust and openness.  

• Inspire and mentor the team: As an inspirational leader you walk the talk. You empower and coach your team with trust and humility.  

• Are accessible: as an accessible leader, you develop and maintain deep connections with stakeholders through approachability and active listening.  

• Ensure diversity and inclusion: as an inclusive leader, you ensure diversity and foster a sense of belonging.  

Knowledge and skills    

Experience:  

• A minimum of 7 years working experience in Operations, Logistics or supply chain management preferably in Fast Moving Consumer Goods (FMCG)  

• Strong data analysis skills preferred.  

• Entrepreneurial spirit and collaborative nature. 

• Attention to detail, strategic thinker.  

• A passion for Access to Energy and our customers!   

• Prior experience managing medium to large sized teams is required.  

Qualifications:  

• A bachelor’s degree in a relevant field.  

• Master’s degree in a relevant field will be an added advantage. 

Language(s):   

• English.  

• At least one Ugandan Local Language. 

 Technology:  

• Prior experience with ERP systems is required (experience with SAP is an added advantage)  

• Prior experience with inventory management software is required. 

• Proficient in Microsoft Word, Excel and PowerPoint.  

• Prior experience with Microsoft 365 is an added advantage. 

We thank all applicants for their interest, however due to the large volume of applications we receive, only shortlisted candidates will be contacted.   

ENGIE is an equal opportunity employer, promoting diversity and committed to creating an inclusive environment for all. All applications are screened based on business needs, job requirements and individual qualifications, without any regard to origin, age, name, sexual identity, orientation or preference, religion, marital status, health, disability, political opinions, union involvement or citizenship. Our differences are our strengths!