About M-KOPA Solar
M-KOPA Solar, headquartered in Nairobi, Kenya, is the global eader of "pay-as-you-go" energy for of- grid customers.
The company was founded in 201 by former executives behind M-PESA (the world's leading mobile
payment platform) on the belief that mobile technology could revolutionize energy services in emerging markets the same way it has already revolutionized the delivery of communications and financial services.
In under 2 years since commercial launch (Oct 2012), M-KOPA has connected over 10,00 homes in
East Africa to solar power. As of Q4 2014 the company is adding over 10,00 new homes each month
and employs nearly 50 full time staff with ofices in Kenya, Uganda, Tanzania, the UK and Hong Kong.
M-KOPA works in partnership with leading mobile network operators including Safaricom in Kenya, and is busy developing additonal pay-as-you-go products and services. The company has also begun
licensing its technology to partners in markets outside East Africa.
In 2013 M-KOPA was given the Excellence in Sustainable Finance Award by the Financial Times and IFC, and in 2014 was selected by Bloomberg New Energy Finance as the world's top New Energy Pioneer. The company's innovative business model has been profiled in leading global media including The Economist, the BC, Bloomberg, the Financial Times and Wired.
ROLE PROFILE
M-Kopa is seking an experienced technical operations profesional to join the M-KOPA Technology
Group to suport and improve infrastructure and operations for the East Africa region and group
technology services.
Position Title: Head of Technical Operations (East Africa)
Location: M-KOPA’s head ofice in Nairobi, Kenya.
The role wil require international travel (up to 25%), largely within the East Africa region with some travel to the UK and China as required.
Position Start: As soon as possible
Contract: Permanent contract with inital 3 month probation
Reporting to: M-KOPA’s Chief Technology Officer
OVERALL PURPOSE
The Head of Technical Operations wil be responsible for the ongoing suport, management and
continual improvement of:
• The technology platforms used by M-KOPA’s offices in East Africa
• M-KOPA’s global PAYG energy platform (M-KOPANet) and related technology platforms
As M-KOPA’s business continues to grow, the provision of reliable technology services to M-KOPA
employees, customers and partners is an essential part of the success of M-KOPA’s business. The role of Head of Technical Operations is essential in driving quality and reliability for the technology platforms used at M-KOPA, and for delivering new services and innovations that will help M-KOPA maintain its position as the leading supplier of PAYG Solar technologies and services.
KEY ACOUNTABILITIES
The Head of Technical Operations will be responsible for driving operational excellence across the
technology group, working with senior managers from across M-KOPA’s business, including engineering,software delivery, finance, human resources and sales.
Key Functions
• Overall responsibility for effective delivery of operational incident management, problem
management and escalations for al network and platform services at M-KOPA’s offices and for the M- KOPANet Platform hosted services.
• Driving innovation and quality improvement across the technologies and services used by M- KOPA and its partners and customers. Contributing to the development of M-KOPA’s technical
operations and platform strategy, including resourcing, skills and budgeting.
• Planing, prioritizing and coordinating the delivery of network and platform projects and
services in support of M-KOPA’s business operations, including engagement with and coordination of suppliers and partners.
• Being responsible for the reliable delivery of technology support services across the East Africa
region and for the other M-KOPA technology platforms, including adherence to Service Level
Agreements within M-KOPA’s business and for partner and customer technology services.
• Management of Network and Platform operations teams in the delivery of projects and
business-as-usual technical support.
Ensuring staff have appropriate skils, training and carer development in alignment with M- KOPA’s technology strategy.
Planing support schedules, rotas and escalations to support a 24x7x365 operation.
Monitoring and assessment of staff performance in support of M-KOPAs technical operations
goals.
• Managing compliance, security, assets and software licensing for M-KOPA’s information
technology systems.
• Providing IT operations functions to offices for the M-KOPA’s standard hardware, software and
voice/data network solutions.
• Creation and maintenance of operational suport procedures, manuals, documentation and
supporting systems, including service desk, monitoring, aset management and service reporting.
• Reporting on business-as-usual operational performance to senior management, including SLA
compliance, incidents, rot cause analyses and technical operations projects.
INCUMBENT REQUIREMENTS
Knowledge / Skills
Required
• Bachelor’s degree or higher in an information technology related subject.
• Minimum of 10 years’ experience working in operations management or elated technology
field, with at least 3 years in a senior supervisory capacity.
• Demonstrable record of delivery of complex outcomes on time and to budget.
• Experience in delivering managed services using formal methods such as ITIL or COBIT.
• Experience in implementing and running service desk or helpdesk operations, including
personnel management and ticketing systems.
• Knowledge of networking, security and voice/data technologies and solutions from major
vendors, e.g. Cisco, 3CX, Avaya.
• Experience of designing and implementing service monitoring and reporting systems such as
System Center, NAGIOS, PRTG or equivalents.
• Demonstrable experience of working in complex, multi-vendor, multi-technology environments
for the delivery of technical operations services.
• Experience in running IT management / office technology services including PC/LAN/Server
implementation, maintenance, troubleshoting and end-user support.
• Experience of running a gated process for operational system maintenance and change
management.
• Knowledge and practical experience of working with the Microsoft technology stack, including
current / recent versions Windows Server, SQL Server, Active Directory and related technologies.
Beneficial
Practical knowledge / experience in:
• Implementing solutions using cloud-computing services from the major cloud service vendors – Amazon, Microsoft, Google.
• Software development, deployment and change management.
• Database administration and database performance management.
• Running formal performance and capacity management processes for server and network
resources.
• Linux or other *NIX operating systems implementation and management.
• Mobile worker solutions and mobile device management in a corporate setting.
• Cloud-based productivity solutions such as Google Apps or Office 365.
Personal Attributes
• Strong sense of ownership and proactive problem resolution
• Strong communicator able to manage teams across time zones and cultures
• Ability to get others to do things on time
• Excellent interpersonal skills
• Team building skills
• Analytical and problem solving skills
• Decision making skills
• Effective verbal and listening communications skills
• Attention to detail and high level of accuracy
REMUNERATION
Competitive covering a monthly salary, performance bonus and medical benefits reflective of the
candidate’s experience and skills.
TO APPLY
To apply, send an updated detailed copy of your CV and a cover letter expressing why you feel you
would be an excellent candidate for the role to applications@m-kopa.com with the email tile “Head of Technical Operations 114”