Operations and Asset Manager - Telecom Solutions

CrossBoundary Energy

About the Firm
CrossBoundary Energy (“CBE”) is a leading developer, owner, and operator of distributed renewable energy solutions for businesses, providing cheaper and cleaner energy through power purchase and lease agreements. CrossBoundary Energy is currently delivering a portfolio of over $450 million of renewable energy and storage assets for clients including Rio Tinto, Diageo, Heineken, Unilever, and AB InBev, and was recognized by Africa Solar Industry Association as “Solar Company of the Year” in 2022. CrossBoundary Energy is a member company of the CrossBoundary Group, a mission-driven investment firm founded in 2011 and committed to unlocking the power of capital for sustainable growth and strong returns in underserved markets. We have shared summaries of some landmark projects in the supporting documentation. Further information is available at www.crossboundaryenergy.com.

CBE has been investing in Telecom Energy Solutions (TESCO) since 2021, looking at providing affordable, reliable, quality, renewable power solutions for the telco sector. These solutions include the provision of power to BTS sites, data centres, and other digital infrastructure.

Job Description
CrossBoundary Energy is recruiting a full-time Operations and Asset Manager to manage the asset management function for TESCO projects across Sierra Leone. The pool of assets in the planned portfolio consists of hybrid (renewable, battery, grid and diesel generator) power systems, PV mounting structures and monitoring systems, installed across digital infrastructure sites providing Mobile Network Operators and Tower Companies with reliable, cheap and renewable power. She/he is responsible for operating and maintaining all assets to maximise power availability and the return on investment of the Assets. The Operations and Asset Manager will lead the Operations and Maintenance (“O&M”) of all energy assets in the field, as well as for specific pieces of passive infrastructure at each Base Transceiver Station (“BTS”). The Asset Manager will also have responsibility for managing the relationship with the operations teams of the customer and overseeing revenue assurance against the project agreement. The role will focus initially on sites in Freetown, before expanding across the country. The role will also include the structuring, growing and managing of a team in line with the growth of the portfolio.

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

• Self-starter: You don’t wait to be asked to add value. When faced with an impasse, you convene the subject-matter experts you need to find a way forward. You hold yourself personally accountable for brokering solutions where authority is unclear.

• Deliberate: You are straightforward and known for choosing the simple, robust solution where more complicated approaches would deliver the same results. Your colleagues praise you for translating complex inputs into a plan of action.

• Entrepreneurial: You want to work out how new technologies can be used to optimize our work and enable us to create robust products

• Excellence: You demonstrate and maintain the highest personal standards, continually pursuing opportunities for improvement. You are not afraid to get your hands dirty to untangle a complex issue

• Flexibility: You are comfortable with ambiguity and effective in a fast-moving and complex environment that does not have a fixed rule book. You identify opportunities where control or processes are needed, or where creative problem solving is required and take the necessary action

• Collaborative: You are eager and willing to train up colleagues, contractors and stakeholders to consistently deliver excellent work

• Curiosity: You distill the signal from the noise, and assist others to generate creative solutions by looking at problems from new perspectives.

• Authentically Cares: You are patient and skilled at developing relationships with clients, suppliers, and teammates to consistently deliver excellent outcomes

• Clear Communicator: Excellent written and verbal communication skills; crisp, clear, concise, and persuasive communicator that can connect with a broad range of audiences

Primary Responsibilities

• Responsible for leading and managing the technical and commercial performance of CBE’s operating portfolio of TESCO projects in Sierra Leone

• Management of O&M subcontractors and partners, ensuring work is executed on time and to the highest standards

• Responsible for meeting MTTR obligations for incident resolution, ensuring job tickets raised by Network Operations Centres are closed within expected timelines, and to expected standards and quality

• Responsible for timely delivery of fuel to sites as well as avoiding fuel theft.

• Management of subcontractor Engineering resources in the Client’s Network Operations Centres with oversight of trouble ticket resolution processes from alarm to resolution

• Ensuring that all CBE Assets are maintained in compliance with Component Warranties

• Monitoring, forecasting and ensuring sufficient stocks of spares are held within CBE warehousing, and that MSPs have sufficient consumable inventory to conduct preventative and corrective maintenance

• Ensure compliance of all statutory and contractual requirements for all projects in the operating portfolio

• Pursue cost reduction strategies, to exploit synergies and other opportunities to reduce costs and increase margins

• Identify opportunities to improve operational performance, working with analytics platform providers and CBE group engineering and asset management teams.

• Interface regularly and effectively with the operations and finance teams to continue improving on the systems and processes required to manage the operating portfolio

• Support the expansion of existing projects, and advise on the Operations on new projects in Sierra Leone

Qualifications

The ideal candidate will have the following skills and qualifications:

• 5+ years relevant working experience

• 3+ years work experience in managing the operations and maintenance of a large portfolio of digital infrastructure assets within a Towerco or MNO

• Process Optimisation, continual improvement, and automation experience

• Experience managing the contracts and performance of multiple subcontractors

• Experience driving operational change in complex or stressful environments

• Experience with monitoring and control systems and management of Network Operations Centres

• Experience building teams and controlling costs through the introduction of technology

Required skills and qualifications:

• Bachelor’s engineering degree (mechanical/electrical/electronic)

• 3+ years work experience in operations of a large corporate

• Experience managing the contracts and performance of multiple subcontractors

• Experience in working with hybrid power systems

• Clear effective communicator across diverse audiences

Location

The position will work initially from the customer’s office in Freetown, Sierra Leone.

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 human.resources@crossboundary.com