Repairs Manager - Sierra Leone

About Imagine Worldwide

All children have immense potential, but hundreds of millions don’t have access to the learning they need. Imagine Worldwide’s mission is to empower millions of children across Sub-Saharan Africa with the literacy and numeracy skills they need to reach their full potential. We provide a tablet-based, personalized learning solution designed for the most challenging environments. Nine Randomized Control Trials (RCTs) across multiple countries and settings have shown dramatic learning gains, increased school attendance, and gender parity, all for less than $7 per child per year.

Imagine Worldwide partners with governments, organizations, and communities to provide child-directed, tablet-based learning that is accessible, effective, and affordable. We are a California-based (United States) nonprofit organization operating across seven Sub-Saharan African countries. Learn more on our website.

 

About the Role

The Repairs Manager will play an instrumental role in carrying out Imagine’s mission to scale tablet-based learning solutions that enable children in Sierra Leone to become literate and numerate. The successful candidate will play a key role in establishing the repair and maintenance function of all deployed assets to maximize their lifespan and to ensure the school program runs efficiently. They will be tasked with testing faulty products, determining failure rates, carrying out repairs, claiming warranties to global and local suppliers, placing orders for spare parts and tools and handling end-of-life of products and components (e-waste management). The candidate will join a highly committed and collaborative team that is working together to empower every child, to achieve their full potential.

 

Key Responsibilities

The Repairs Manager will work closely with the Director of Technical Services, local technical service providers (TSPs) and the Director of Supply Chain to establish a repair and maintenance ecosystem that can be decentralized at the district level to sustain the program in the long term. Imagine procures in the following categories: tablets, lithium batteries, solar panels, inverters, lighting, internet connectivity, security, cages, security alarms and security lights. This role’s responsibility includes coordinating with TSPs to establish a repair process for tablets and accessories, and to maintain solar systems and storage cabinets. The Manager will work with technical service providers (TSPs) for regular maintenance of deployed assets and with the Director of the Supply Chain for the supply of spare parts and tools. The Repairs Manager’s responsibilities will include - but will not be limited to the  following:

 

Repairs 

The first stage of repairs management:

• Work with the Director of Technical Services and Director of Supply Chain to develop troubleshooting processes and repair processes.
• Troubleshoot faulty products and report failure rates. 
• Carry out debugging, repairs and refurbishments for tablets and accessories. 
• Place orders for spare parts and tools to enhance the repair centre throughput. 
• Manage spare parts and tools inventory and accurately report spare parts usage. 
• Maintain a clean and tidy working station and warehouse. 

 

In the second phase of repairs management builds on the first stage and requires the role to: 

• Establish and maintain a process to decentralise repair processes and tools at the district level for the government entities to handle the process autonomously as far as possible. 
• Develop continuous improvements on component level repairs (be able to troubleshoot and replace components on the printed circuit board) 
• Ensure efficient and effective responses to address issues related to repairs from the program’s team.
• Track and report the cost of repair.
• Achieve 30 days throughput of repairs for all products received from the field. 

 

Maintenance 

• Develop trackers and incident reports of malfunctioning installed assets (Solar, Storage cages etc). 
• Work with TSPs on timely resolution and report the resolution time. 
• Coordinate maintenance activities and fixing devices in the field to maximize the lifetime of equipment. 

 

Capacity Building 

• Develop comprehensive technical training program for repairs and also for maintenance, in multiple forms appropriate for the audience
• Work with government units to train and build capacity in managing, repairing and maintaining all equipment in the field.
• Facilitate training in troubleshooting for repairs and maintenance on the field.  
• Coach trainees on an ongoing basis in order to achieve required competency levels.
• Conduct quality assurance reviews on skills proficiency of trainees.

 

Warranty 

• Collaborate with the Director of Technical Services to develop warranty management systems. 
• Raise monthly warranty claims on all hardware failures with local and global suppliers. 
• Maintain a record of warranty claims (Credit notes or free spares) with suppliers. 
• Communicate hardware issues flagged by the programs team and local implementation partners to the Director of Technical Services and Director of Supply Chain. 

 

Inventory Management

• Manage inventory of all equipment, serialized and non-serialized, procured for the program
• Manage spare parts and tools inventory and accurately report spare parts usage. 
• Manage inventory of returned products for repair, spare parts and tools. 
• Report stock loss and spare usage every month. 
• Implement 6s warehouse management protocols and other best practices in inventory management.  

 

Health & Safety & E-Waste Management

• Implement security, health and safety policies for Imagine in Tanzania with clear physical safety precautions for electrical equipment in all sites. 
• Assess and mitigate risks for fire, electrical shocks and any potential dangers to learners, educators, partners and staff
• Implement the e-waste management policy to manage the end-of-life of products. 
• Ensure long-term sustainability and responsible use and disposal of electronic products

 

Requirements

Minimum Qualifications

The successful candidate will possess the following competencies, experiences, and qualities: 

• Diploma or Bachelor’s Degree in Engineering (Electronics engineering or related field) 
• A minimum of 5 years experience in electronics repairs, maintenance and component-level repairs. 
• Experience maintaining solar systems. 
• Experience in E-waste management. 
• Experience managing warranty claims with vendors. 
• Good knowledge of computer hardware and software 

Ideal Candidate Profile

Exceptional project management skills and proven experience that include: 

• Excellent written and oral communication skills in English 
• Strong interpersonal and relationship-building skills 
• Ability to work effectively in multicultural environments and teams 
• Strong organization skills and superior attention to detail 
• Ability to work under pressure and meet deadlines 
• Ability to proactively manage and resolve conflicts
• Experience in managing multi-site and multi-partner projects
• Ability to prioritize and display a high level of adaptability/flexibility while handling job responsibility
• Experience of both iOS and Android operating systems
• Mac OS experience is beneficial

Qualities

•  Passion for Imagine’s mission and vision 
•  Demonstrated commitment to equity in educational access and outcomes
• Passion for project management
• Demonstrated ability to think independently and solve problems
• Collaborative team player; clear and proactive communicator
• Flexible, adaptable, and able to work in a fast-paced, changing environment

 

Compensation & Benefits

Salary is competitive and commensurate with experience.

 

Location

The Director of Technical Services must be based in Freetown, Sierra Leone.

 

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Imagine Worldwide is proud to be an equal opportunity employer. All applicants will be considered for employment without attention to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, veteran or disability status.