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 Benin), 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.  

Job Purpose/Mission

The Operations Manager will report to the Rwanda Country Director and the Head of Operations in Uganda, will sit on Rwanda and be based in Kigali, Rwanda. The position will oversee all Rwanda operations, Product management, IT and work directly with Rwanda 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

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. 
• Planning & coordination of outgoing/incoming shipments including containers from China, and other incoming shipment (air freights, couriers) from other parts of the world to ensure timely and full compliance to laws and regulations per shipment imported / exported.
• Oversee, align, forecast, and improve workshop activities and facilities. Implement departmental and organizational policies and procedures to maximize Technical output
• Forecast technical equipment and capacity requirements and include in annual budgeting process for deliverables.

International Logistics and Customs Clearance 

• Ensure on-time delivery of products from supplier (upstream supply chain team based in China) to Rwanda.
• 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 the company target.  
• Prepare and review long-term stock forecasts together with S&OP Manager to ensure constant availability of all stock items in the country.
• Manages Operational costs against budget by implementing cost efficient warehousing strategies, defining distribution routes, maximizing capacity by optimizing and combining transports, and defining take-back / reverse logistics structures
• Approves and monitors stock shifting (reshuffles or National Deliveries) between Zonal Warehouses within the country in case of stock shortages and/or ad-hoc sales promotions, with attention to related costs
• Implements centrally defined tools, processes, and procedures to monitor and enforce protection of company's stock items by ensuring preservation procedures are trained and implemented on the ground: regular physical stock checks are conducted in all stock holding points in the country warehouse & storage guidelines
• Always engage activities to maintain stock discrepancies below 0.5% of total stock value (every month) disciplinary action for missing stock items is taken accordingly - HR involvement weekly, monthly stock validations as well as reporting for valuation cycles

IT Responsibilities 

• Ensuring Deployment of group standard workstation image
• Making sure of effective and timely handling of IT requests and incidents
• Asset management via ServiceDesk CMDB
• Cybersecurity rating aligned with the group guidelines.
• System Performance and Resource Utilization
• IT Project Management and Timely Implementation
• Managing User Accounts and assuring their Safety

HSSE Responsibilities

• Develop and execute a strategy for Health, Safety & Security in Rwanda.
• Own the HSSE budget requirements and ensure optimization of resources to attain best practices.
• Curate and implement a Health, Safety Security and Environmental strategy that will meet or exceed legislative requirements in Rwanda as well as applicable standards such as ENGIE Global Care Rules and ISO45001
• Conduct HSSE visits across operational sites, review, audit and ensure strict adherence of the EPC during the construction phase to Engie HSSE Group Rules.
• Develop and implement health and safety procedures for the erection and installation of all SHS&SBS units at customer sites.
• Remain alert to emerging issues and global trends that might benefit or otherwise impact individuals, and teams work to ensure a safe working environment for all team members and third parties connected with our business.
• When incidents occur, participate in timely incident investigations and response plans to reduce the likelihood of future occurrences.
• Create platforms for employees to report safety incidents confidentially and without fear of reprisal.
• Implement and maintain emergency response plans, identify possible emergency scenarios and conduct drill exercises.
• Collect and analyze security related information from local and regional resources.

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 Rwanda’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 the 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 30 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 recruitment and admin related functions around recruitment and wider initiatives around team engagement and learning & development. 

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 Rwanda and measurement of related key performance indicators. 

Warranty claims, and process improvement 

• Operationalize product failure diagnosis and warranty claims management policies and processes. 
• Monitor and evaluate internal operation processes - collect feedback from stakeholders to continually evolve and improve. 
• Manage end-of-product life activities such as collection of broken items (reverse logistics), setting up partnerships for recycling, and product re-use to demand fulfillment for maintenance and after sales services to optimize costs of warranty.
• Devise strategies together with Technical Operations to reduce inventory backlog of untested items (items waiting for testing), increase value of items tested and repossessions processed, and increase general technical productivity.
• Design measurements and tools to monitor technical productivity on a weekly, monthly and ad-hoc basis as required.
• Determine and order spare parts for component level repairs and refurbishment on time to ensure work continuity and productivity.

At EEA, we have high expectations for our managers. Each manager plays a key role in creating

an exceptional experience not only for our customers but for every person on our team. Our

managers help EEA realize our ambitious goals while developing their leadership skills and

facilitating growth for their direct reports.

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:

• 5+ years of experience in warehouse and logistics management at the Manager level or above, preferably in FMCG; prior experience managing medium to large sized teams; prior experience with ERP systems (SAP) and inventory management.
• Leadership & project management experience
• Strong problem-solving and critical thinking ability.
• Solution-oriented and the drive to work independently with no supervision - must be proactive!
• Very strong attention to detail and data analysis skills.
• Strong Excel skills, willingness to learn systems (Engie Database & Tableau).
• Excellent communication skills, both written and verbal (English proficiency).

Qualifications:

• A holder of a minimum degree in Business Administration or equivalent in a relevant field

Language(s): 

• English
• Kinyarwanda

 Technology:

• Experience in technology is required for the role

Accountability

• Sales Target
• Team Performance
• Accountable for adherence to the company’s policies and procedures
• Accountable for adherence to the company’s budget
• Accountable for checking before approving all financial requests.

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!