Technical Manager

Technical Manager
CrossBoundary Access

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 Access (Access), Africa’s first project finance platform for mini-grids and adjacent technologies. Building on the success of this first raise, Access, closed $25 million in new funding commitments from ARCH Emerging Markets Partners Limited, Bank of America, and Microsoft Climate Innovation Fund in 2022, and an additional $10 million in funding from the African Development Bank’s Sustainable Energy Fund for Africa (SEFA) in 2023 . CrossBoundary Access is focused on raising and deploying $150 million to build its distributed utility over the next 2 – 3 years.  

According to the International Energy Agency (IEA), the solar mini-grid sector needs $187 billion to achieve universal energy access by 2030. CBEA believes project finance is key to unlocking the long-term, infrastructure-type capital that the mini-grid sector needs.

More information on CrossBoundary Access can be found at www.crossboundary.com/access/.

Job Description
CrossBoundary Access is recruiting a full-time Technical Manager. He/she will work alongside CrossBoundary Access’ investment, legal, and ESG teams to assess potential investments across Africa. They will also work with partners to drive the construction and profitable operations 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.

CrossBoundary Access 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

• Engineer with 6+ years of experience across renewable energy asset development, construction, and operations
• Self-starter who is passionate about creating lasting change in Africa
• Pioneer who is excited to work with new technologies and innovations
• 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

•  Project evaluation
  • Responsible for evaluating potential investments in solar mini-grids and adjacent technologies from a technical perspective.
  • Assess the commercial implications of different technical approaches and investigate opportunities for improving commercial outcomes.
  • Develop technical standards required for the successful completion and operation of 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 project components, including solar panels, mounting structures, inverters, batteries, control systems, distribution systems, etc.

•  Project supervision
  • Remotely oversee 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
  • Ensure projects are built on time, within budget, and in line with infrastructure quality standards

•  Portfolio management
  • Work with operating partners to optimise asset performance leveraging remote monitoring systems
  • Enforce operating contracts with third-party O&M service providers
  • Provide guidance on proposals presented by operating partners and oversee implementation of site expansions and upgrades

• Team management
  • Provide technical leadership across internal and external stakeholders, ensuring consistent application of standards and performance expectations
  • Support cross-functional decision-making by translating technical risks into actionable business insights

• • Manage and build internal technical capacity to oversee Access portfolio including mentoring and developing junior engineers and technical staff
  • Collaborate closely with ESG, legal, and investment teams to ensure alignment on technical, environmental, and commercial considerations

• 6+ years of experience in assessing, implementing, and managing PV solar and other 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 in low voltage (LV) and medium voltage (MV) power distribution networks
• Demonstrated ability to independently supervise multi-stakeholder projects
• A registered member of a relevant engineering professional body

• Experience in mature electricity sector fields including C&I, IPPs, or utilities
• 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, with particular expertise in solar
• 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 and an ability to communicate clearly and effectively with diverse audiences
• Comfort with ambiguity and an ability to operate effectively in a changing context
• Speaks English and French

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. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to age, ancestry, color, family or medical care leave, gender identity or expression, genetic information, marital status, medical condition, national origin, physical or mental disability, political affiliation, protected veteran status, race, religion, sex (including pregnancy), sexual orientation, or any other characteristic protected by applicable laws, regulations, and ordinances. We also consider qualified applicants regardless of criminal histories, consistent with legal requirements in the country where we operate. 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 our [email protected]