Job Openings at One Acre Fund

About the Role

• Seeking an exceptional Engineering Lead to lead factory machinery and equipment maintenance. The lead will establish engineering maintenance excellence across the Tupande Soko factories and reduce operational downtime for our processing operations.

Responsibilities

Build and own the maintenance management system

• Implement a CMMS across all three factories within 90-120 days of joining; own the equipment hierarchy, PM job plans, and work order lifecycle
• Design and standardize preventive maintenance schedules for all critical equipment; target 80:20 planned-to-unplanned maintenance ratio within 12 months
• Own the cross-factory spare parts strategy: set minimum stock levels, manage replenishment, and prevent stockouts on critical items
• Establish RCA processes for major failures; track corrective actions to closure and use findings to improve PM plans
• Troubleshoot complex equipment failures directly, providing on-the-spot technical interventions when maintenance staff or vendors are unavailable.
• Mentor and model best-practice repair techniques during direct interaction with the maintenance team to elevate technical standards.

Drive management visibility through reporting and KPIs

• Design, maintain, and present the Tupande Soko maintenance KPI scorecard to the Soko Director monthly.
• Produce weekly factory-level maintenance reports for Business Leads; provide clear production-impact assessments and escalation flags
• Maintain a cross-factory equipment risk register; flag capital investment needs and imminent replacement requirements to the Soko Director
• Attend monthly Soko leadership meetings as the technical representative of the maintenance function

Professionalize the maintenance workforce

• Lead the transition from operator-led to technician-led maintenance: define job families, competency frameworks, and career pathways
• Partner with HR to recruit dedicated Maintenance Technicians (mechanical and electrical) at each factory (where needed)
• Design and deliver TPM autonomous maintenance training for machine operators (cleaning, lubrication, basic checks)
• Coach and assess technicians and operators on maintenance standards; conduct monthly team reviews with factory leads

Internal and External Coordination

• Oversee maintenance-related vendor relationships and manage associated service contracts in partnership with the Procurement team
• Define scoping requirements and establish Service Level Agreements (SLAs) in coordination with Corporate Operations for non-technical repairs (e.g. factory structure repairs and maintenance)
• Ensure correct specifications listed for machines, spare parts and consumables requested by all factory teams

Ensure safety and food safety compliance

• Ensure all maintenance activities comply with safe systems of work: permit to work, LOTO, confined space, and relevant Kenyan regulatory requirements (KEBS, DOSH, NEMA)
• Maintain HACCP-required equipment records for food-contact assets; lead the maintenance function's contribution to food safety audits
• Champion a zero-harm safety culture; conduct regular safety walks and close out hazard reports

Qualifications

Technical skills (must have prior to joining):

• Degree in an appropriate engineering field
• Active registration as an engineer in Kenya
• Preventive/predictive maintenance programme design and implementation
• Experience with avocado oil machinery repairs and maintenance preferred
• Experience with industrial dehydrators, macadamia processing, and industrial-level biochar production preferred
• CMMS operation and administration
• Mechanical and/or electrical fault-finding and root cause analysis on industrial plant equipment
• KPI dashboard development and maintenance performance reporting
• Spare parts inventory management

Knowledge (required understanding):

• Food safety management systems and HACCP requirements as applied to plant maintenance
• Kenyan occupational health and safety legislation (OSHA, DOSH requirements)
• TPM (Total Productive Maintenance) or World Class Manufacturing principles
• Kenyan regulatory environment for food manufacturing (KEBS, relevant standards

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About the Role

• Owns the facility's Compliance function, combining leadership of the Monitoring, Reporting, and Verification (MRV) programme with responsibility for facility Health, Safety, and Environment (HSE) programme design and oversight. Designs and runs the data system that captures feedstock, production, quality, and end-use data to the standard required by the external verifier. Owns HSE programme design, training, documentation, and audit readiness. Serves as the primary interface with external verifiers, auditors, and regulators (NEMA, DOSH, third-party carbon verifiers). Reports to the Biochar Lead.

Responsibilities

Health, Safety, and Environment (HSE) Leadership

• Design and maintain the facility's HSE programme, including risk registers, emergency response plans, and safety-critical procedures
• Design and deliver HSE training for all facility staff, including inductions, toolbox talks, and emergency drills
• Ensure PPE distribution, safety signage, and site safety infrastructure are in place and maintained
• Support the Production Shift Supervisors, who carry shift-level safety accountability, with the programme, tools, and training they need to enforce safety on shift.
• Coordinate scheduled third-party HSE testing and audits (fire safety, emissions, occupational health)

Monitoring, Reporting, and Verification (MRV) Leadership

• Design, implement, and manage the facility's MRV system covering feedstock inputs, production outputs, quality measurements, and carbon removal calculations.
• Ensure data collection processes across all shifts are accurate, consistent, and traceable to the carbon standards the facility reports against
• Oversee and support the Lab and Quality Technicians in their data recording responsibilities to ensure the standard required for verification
• Develop and maintain data management systems, dashboards, and reporting templates for MRV purposes
• Stay current on evolving carbon standards, methodology requirements, and MRV best practices in the biochar sector

Audit Readiness

• Serve as the primary point of contact with external verifiers, auditors, and certification bodies during verification and audit cycles (carbon, HSE, environmental)
• Prepare and submit monthly and quarterly reports required for carbon credit verification
• Prepare the facility for audits, including documents, site walkthroughs, and evidence for the verifier
• When auditors flag issues, own the corrective and preventive actions (CAPAs) through to closure
• Maintain audit-ready documentation across MRV, HSE, and environmental compliance streams at all times

Staff Training

• Train all relevant staff at the facility on MRV data recording requirements, HSE procedures, and the importance of data and safety discipline
• Coordinate cross-functionally with Production, Quality, and Administration on the completeness and accuracy of the data they record for MRV and safety reporting

Farmer Engagement

• Develop and maintain training materials for field staff on correct biochar application methods and how to collect data at the point of delivery
• Deliver refresher training to field teams before the start of each season

Qualifications

• Degree in Health and Safety, Environmental Science, Engineering, Data Science, Agronomy, or a related field
• Minimum 3 years of experience in HSE, compliance, audit, or environmental data management roles
• Strong background in HSE, OSHA (Occupational Safety and Health Act, Kenya, 2007), ISO (International Organization for Standardization), or comparable regulatory environments is a strong advantage
• Comfort engaging with third-party auditors and external verifiers, and comfort designing and running audit-facing programmes
• Familiarity with carbon standards (e.g., Isometric, Puro.earth, EBC, IBI) or carbon credit methodologies is a plus but not required. Successful candidates will build this expertise on the job, supported by Tupande's carbon partners
• Strong data management, reporting, and analytical skills
• Experience with data management platforms, spreadsheets, or environmental monitoring software
• High attention to detail and a strong commitment to data integrity, traceability, and safety discipline
• Willingness to learn on the job across both MRV and HSE domains; the role's success depends on translating a strong compliance foundation across both areas
• Fluent in English; experience working in an East African context is an advantage