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Senior Technical Manager at Crossboundary

Visits: 2

About the Firm

Founded in 2011, CrossBoundary is a mission-driven investment firm committed to unlocking the power of capital for sustainable growth and strong returns in underserved markets. CrossBoundary provides transaction and investment advisory services, having developed a specialized expertise in unleashing investment across all sectors in these markets. Our advisory clients include governments, development finance institutions, private equity firms, Fortune 100 companies, and research institutions. Learn more at www.crossboundary.com  

In 2019 CrossBoundary launched CrossBoundary Energy Access (CBEA), Africa’s first project finance fund for mini-grids. Over 600 million people in Sub-Saharan Africa still lack access to electricity. CrossBoundary conservatively estimates that at least 100 million of these people are most cost-effectively served by mini-grids today. CBEA raises blended finance from corporates, institutional investors, DFIs, and foundations, and invests in a developer’s pipeline of mini-grids. This unique approach injects investor capital at scale into mini-grids in Africa through project finance. CBEA completed its first transaction in July 2019 with PowerGen Renewable Energy in Tanzania, covered in Forbes, and has since fully committed its first fund with additional investments in Zambia and Nigeria. CBEA has recently reached first close on a scale-up facility of $150m to bring power to 1 million people. More information on CBEA can be found at www.crossboundary.com/energy-access/.

Job Description

CrossBoundary Energy Access is recruiting a full-time Technical Asset and Operations Manager. The Technical Asset Operations Manager will work alongside CBEA’s investments team and will be involved in assessment of potential mini-grid investments across Africa and ongoing technical management of the portfolio.

We are seeking a highly motivated candidate with previous experience managing renewable energy assets and overseeing projects through engineering, procurement, construction, and operations phases. Experience in developing countries and particularly Africa will be regarded extremely favourably. Qualifications in engineering or equivalent are required.

CBEA will look to you for practical insights on how to make discrete business decisions that will directly affect our financial outcomes.

Who We Are

CrossBoundary operates in frontier markets that also hold immense investment opportunities. The chosen candidate will play an important role in a unique team with the opportunity to make a large impact on the renewable energy landscape in Africa. Team members come from diverse backgrounds, but share a number of qualities: curiosity, humility, integrity, a drive for excellence, and a bias for action.

Who You Are

  • Self-starter who is passionate about creating lasting change in frontier markets
  • Interest in or willingness to learn about the off-grid energy sector
  • Belief that innovation is at the heart of finding solutions to the world’s biggest challenges
  • Willingness to take on new types of work, even without prior experience or direct supervision
  • Willingness to work and live in a sometimes-challenging environment

Primary Responsibilities

  •  Project evaluation
    • Responsible for evaluating potential solar mini-grid investments from a technical perspective and advising the investment team on opportunities and risks
    • Carry out techno-economic analysis on mini-grid assets, assess the commercial implications of different technical approaches, and investigate opportunities for improving the commercial outcome from the perspective of the long-term asset owner.
    • Develop technical standards required for the successful completion and operation of mini-grid projects and continually seek to improve and update these standards based on the evolution of solutions and ongoing learnings
    • Collaborate with project developers and provide strategic guidance and input into the selection process for mini-grid assets components, including solar panels, mounting structures, inverters, batteries, control systems, distribution systems, etc.
  •  Project supervision
  • Remotely oversee mini-grid projects during engineering, procurement, and construction phases, ensuring compliance with requisite standards
  • Remotely manage partners through project development process, including target-setting and milestone payment approvals
  • Manage enforcement of technical standards agreed upon in development services contracts
  •  Portfolio management
  • Optimise asset performance through oversite of operations partners and use of remote monitoring systems
  • Ensure operating partner compliance with standards agreed upon in operating services contracts
  • Provide guidance on proposals presented by operating partners and oversee implementation of site expansions and upgrades

Qualifications

The ideal candidate will have the following skills and qualifications:

  • Demonstrated technical skills, preferably in fast-moving and complex environments
  • Exceptional understanding of technical aspects of off-grid power projects and the spectrum of renewable energy technologies
  • Project management skills: candidate takes personal accountability for tracking numerous activities across workstreams and driving them all to a successful conclusion 
  • Strong quantitative skills; familiar with valuation, project finance, and financial models for renewable energy projects
  • Understanding of key technical aspects in legal contracts
  • Excellent analytical ability and discipline; ability to think clearly, structure problems logically, and then design and implement solutions that focus on the core issues
  • Ability to build strong relationships with partners and colleagues in challenging environments
  • Strong presentation skills: ability to communicate clearly and effectively with diverse audiences
  • Comfort with ambiguity; ability to operate effectively in a changing context

Required skills and qualifications:

  • 6+ years of experience in assessing, implementing, and managing energy projects
  • Experience in renewable energy and/or off-grid generation projects (particularly solar) and developing countries (particularly Africa) will be regarded extremely favourably
  • Bachelor’s degree in a relevant engineering field is required; other advanced degrees and project management courses will be regarded favorably
  • Work experience or demonstrated familiarity with renewable energy systems, particularly solar PV installations or operating assets
  • Demonstrated ability to independently supervise multi-stakeholder projects

A registered member of a relevant engineering professional body

Think you have what it takes but are not sure you check every box? Research shows that while men apply to roles when they meet an average of 60% of the criteria, women often only apply when they meet every requirement. If you’re passionate about what we’re building, we want to hear from you!  

Location

Nairobi, Kenya

Equal Opportunity Employer

CrossBoundary is an equal opportunity employer. If you need assistance and/or a reasonable accommodation due to a disability during the application or the recruiting process, please send a request to  human.resources@crossboundary.com

Contact

Interested candidates should apply at https://crossboundary.applytojob.com/apply/FqGcpr04lR/Senior-Technical-Manager

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