Job Opportunties at PowerGen Renewable Energy

The Grid Execution Division is the beating heart of PowerGen and requires a leader who is eager to take on the challenge of managing the largest Division at the company in order to build a new type of infrastructure in an operationally demanding region.

What You’ll Make Happen:

• You will manage the largest Division at PowerGen by headcount (50+ personnel), divided into five Teams: Project Coordination, Grid Development, Engineering, Supply Chain, and Installations

• Working with the various Team for which you are responsible, you will provide support for their various areas of focus:

  • Grid Development – database and GIS analytics, site selection process, site surveying, customer application surveying, customer and site data management and analytics, customer signups, local government engagement

  • Engineering – power system design and distribution system design for total cost of ownership and reliability, explorations into new technology options, fabrication and assembly of technologies into PowerBoxes and other assemblies

  • Supply Chain – procurement of high-value renewable energy components from abroad, inventory management of equipment in both Kenya and Tanzania, logistics management to site for final installation

  • Installations – personnel resources management for installations, installation personnel training and onboarding programs, subcontractor management, installation quality control, design input

  • Project Coordination – master scheduling, resources planning, precedence mapping, optimizing inter-team efficiency

• You will manage intra-Divisional processes to maximize the efficiency of resources

• You will manage a Division which is split across two countries: Kenya and Tanzania

• Through PowerGen’s Objectives, Indicators and Results system (OIRs) you will be responsible for achieving quarterly targets related to the Grid Execution Division, including:

  • Number of Connections

  • Cost / Connection

  • Initial Spend per Connection

  • Connections / PG Headcount

  • And more

• You will lead the Grid Execution Division’s interfaces with the six other Divisions in the company:

  • Grid Operations – providing effective handover materials after commissioning of grids, and receiving feedback from this Division on how grids can be built to minimize ongoing issues and maximize customer satisfaction

  • People Operations – overseeing biannual review processes for the team, driving hiring for your Division, and leading employee engagement and retention efforts for your Division

  • Commercial Development – providing feedback to these teams to enable them to refine our our financial models, and collaborate with this Division on exploring the operational viability of potential partnerships

  • Technology – collaborating with this Division to ensure that we are seamlessly integrating our metering, communication, mobile money, and other technology platforms with our assets and customers

  • Finance & Admin – ensuring Divisional compliance with finance and business systems (ERP) controls and procedures

  • EPC – collaborating with the EPC Division to maximize resources allocation between the two Divisions as they take on non-micro-grid construction projects

Who You’ll Report To:

You will report to the COO, who oversees the Grid Execution, Grid Operations, People Operations, and Technology Divisions.

What Excites You:

• Leading large teams of people towards a common goal

• Working with new people in new places to solve problems with new solutions

• A fast-paced environment where constant change is the norm and individual initiative-taking is encouraged

• Handling ambiguity and creating order where previously none existed

• Having autonomy to implement your creative solutions – not just coming up with ideas, but possessing the commitment and skill to implement them

• Being a part of creating a healthy and motivating company culture

• Passion for organization, details, and precision

Your Qualifications:

• Experience in the areas of engineering, supply chain management, surveying, sales of FMCGs, and/or construction

• Experience managing teams of thirty or more subordinates

• Tanzanian and Kenyan citizens a significant plus

• MBA is a plus

• Fluent English required

• Strong Kiswahili a significant plus

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What You’ll Make Happen:

• You will manage the “tip of the spear” with regards to the growth of PowerGen, ensuring that the business has sufficient capital, regulatory space, and key partners to continue growing the African micro-utility sector with PowerGen at the lead.

• Design and Implement Capital Raising Strategy

  • Project Finance

    • Build relationships with a range of project funders including DFIs, strategics, private equity firms, local and international banks, foundations, and local and international governments.

    • Source and close debt, equity, and grant deals to fuel the construction and ownership of micro-grid assets.

    • Design optimal structures for the ownership and ongoing management of micro-utility assets, to streamline capital participation from a wide range of investors.

    • Build pitch decks, models and other materials to support capital raising efforts for projects.

    • Oversee due diligence for potential project investments.

  • Corporate Finance

    • On the back of a successful Series A capital raise in December 2016, lead the efforts on Series B capital raise efforts.

    • Source and close non-dilutive corporate financing through grants and strategic partnerships.

    • Build pitch decks, models and other materials to support capital raising efforts for the company.

    • Oversee due diligence for potential corporate investments.

• Design and Implement Regulatory Engagement Strategy

  • In both Kenya and Tanzania, and perhaps more countries in the future:

    • Engage with relevant government agencies including the Ministries (MoEP, MEM), rural electrification agencies (REA, REA), environmental regulation agencies (NEMA, NEMC), national utilities (KP, TANESCO), and power regulators (ERC, EWURA) to create a clear regulatory pathway for micro-utilities

    • Engage with other relevant policy stakeholders and funders including the World Bank, GIZ, Power Africa (USAID), AFD, DFID, SIDA, IFC, Shell Foundation and more as the sector works to forge a policy framework

    • Leverage the Africa Mini-grid Developers Association (AMDA), an association of ten regional companies which PowerGen played a leading role in establishing in early 2017 to promote the sector

• Design and Implement Strategic Partnerships Strategy

  • Manage PowerGen’s interface with all potential partners including:

    • International utilities

    • NGOs

    • Demand Stimulation partners

    • Telecoms

    • Technology and internet companies

    • Equipment finance organizations

    • Community development organizations

    • Software and hardware partners

  • Prioritize and triage partnership opportunities appropriately, and delegate internally within the Commercial Development Division or to other Divisions appropriately.

• Manage the Objectives, Indicators, and Results system (OIRs) for the Commercial Development Division (PowerGen version of KPIs)

• Proactive Management of Interfaces with other Divisions

  • Grid Operations – maintain tight communication with the Grid Operations Division to ensure that our models are up-to-date with the most current operating data, and that the Grid Ops Division is aware of their revenue and cost targets.

  • Grid Execution – coordinate with the Grid Execution team to ensure that growth plans for new connections and grids are aligned with our financial and external plans.

  • Finance & Administration – ensure that the F&A Division is tracking financial and other data in such a way that is consistent with our outward-facing narrative and models.

  • People Operations – align with the People Operations Division to ensure hiring plans for the company match our financial and other models.

Who You’ll Report to:

You will report to the CFO, who oversees the Commercial Development and Finance & Administration Divisions.

What Excites You:

• Pioneering the financing structure for a completely new asset class that will require billions in capital over the next decade

• Driving a project capital raise process involving multiple financiers and parties 

• Solving for a multitude of legal and tax implications and costs

• A fast-paced environment where constant change is the norm and individual initiative-taking is encouraged

• Handling ambiguity and creating order where previously none existed

• Having autonomy to implement your creative solutions – not just coming up with ideas, but possessing the commitment and skill to implement them

• Being a part of creating a healthy and motivating company culture

• Passion for organization, details, and precision

Your Qualifications:

• 5+ years work experience in renewable energy or infrastructure project financing

• Experience in the energy, clean tech or utility sectors

• Ability and desire to build complex financial models and prepare due diligence materials for investors

• Strong proficiency in Microsoft Excel, PowerPoint and other Microsoft Office products

• Work experience in East Africa strongly preferred

• MBA is a plus

• Excellent written and oral communication skills

• Fluent in both English and Swahili preferred

• Enthusiasm in working for the field of renewable energy!