Operations and Maintenance Manager

• Job Type Contract , Full Time
• Qualification BA/BSc/HND
• Experience 5 years
• Location Nairobi
• Job Field Engineering / Technical
• The Operations and Maintenance Manager is accountable for every live eWATER water system in Kenya and for the service its customers receive. That means the performance of the infrastructure - uptime, water quality and non-revenue water - and making sure customer issues are resolved in the field and communities are kept informed. The role also oversees the commissioning of new systems, most importantly our SmartTaps, and their handover into live operation. The role works closely with the Community Growth team, who lead engagement and usage growth once a system is live.
• You will lead a distributed field team of Service Delivery Officers, technicians and community ambassadors across our systems in several Kenyan counties, growing to more than 30 people over the next twelve months. Much of the operating model this team needs is still to be built, and building it is a central part of the job. The role suits an experienced operator who spends a good deal of time in the field and manages through data.
• Own the performance of all live systems, delivered through the Service Delivery Officers and technicians. Set the maintenance schedules, response standards and escalation routes they work to, hold them to resolving faults within agreed timeframes, and drive continuous improvement to resolve recurring problems.
• SmartTap commissioning and system handover
• Oversee the installation and commissioning of new SmartTaps, from issuing stock through to technical commissioning and quality checks. Lead the handover of new systems from Engineering into operations: run the pre-handover quality checks, agree any snagging with Engineering, and accept a system only once it is fully working and the field team is ready to run it. Feed lessons from live operation back to Engineering so new systems are easier and cheaper to run.
• Own Kenya stock of SmartTap components and system spares, from the central store through to the technicians in the field. Keep stock records accurate through regular counts, monitor stock levels and usage against planned installations and maintenance, and reorder in good time so work is not held up waiting for parts. Investigate losses and discrepancies, and make sure faulty parts are tested and returned to the supplier.
• Field team leadership
• Recruit, train and manage Service Delivery Officers, technicians, community technicians and community ambassadors as the network scales, and make sure people working in remote locations are supported, held to account and working safely.
• Operating model, tools and processes
• Design and document how the field operation runs - maintenance standards, escalation, customer care, technician compensation - and embed it in the job management, monitoring and stock systems the team uses. Replace spreadsheet tracking with processes that still work with 30 people in the field.
• Operating cost
• Ensure each system's revenue covers its operating costs, so that it is sustainable for the long term. Manage field expenditure, track each system's costs against its revenue, and lead efficiency and cost-saving initiatives across the operation.
• Customer service
• Run customer care, making sure customer issues are resolved quickly in the field, and that communities are told about faults and service interruptions. Maintain working relationships with key stakeholders that the operation depends on, and deal with vandalism and disputes alongside the Community Growth team.
• Report system performance and service levels to the Country Director through regular governance.
• Skills, capabilities and mindset
• Field operations leader: you have run a distributed team in remote locations and know how to manage performance you cannot see every day.
• Technically grounded: you understand pumps, pipe networks, water treatment and metered systems well enough to lead a diagnosis and challenge a contractor.
• Builds systems: you turn an informal operation into documented processes and working tools, and keep them in use as the team grows.
• Strong with data and technology: you run the operation from dashboards and live system data, and check the numbers before acting on them. You are proficient with Excel/Google Sheets and operational software, pick up new tools quickly, are comfortable configuring them yourself, and look for ways to use technology, including AI, to make a distributed team more effective.
• Comfortable with communities and officials: you deal confidently with chiefs, county staff and institutions, and hold your ground when eWATER's interests need defending.
• 5+ years running distributed physical infrastructure or field networks (water utilities, energy, telecoms, agricultural supply chains or similar), with responsibility for asset performance, service levels and operating cost.
• Extensive experience managing teams, ideally 10 or more people spread across several sites, including staff who work remotely without daily supervision, with a track record of hiring, setting clear targets, developing team leads and dealing with underperformance.