About the Role
The Refurbishment Line Manager oversees end-to-end refurbishment operations in Kenya facilities, ensuring that returned and recovered solar products are efficiently assessed, repaired, graded, and returned to a saleable condition. This role also encompasses full inventory accountability for spare parts, refurbished goods, and field return goods — maintaining accurate stock records, minimising losses, and ensuring materials are available to sustain uninterrupted refurbishment throughput. The role requires strong operational management skills, hands-on technical expertise, and a focus on continuous improvement.
Key Responsibilities
Operations Management
- Plan, organise, and oversee daily refurbishment line and After Sales warehouse operations.
- Set and monitor production targets to ensure throughput, quality, and turnaround time (TAT) KPIs are consistently achieved.
- Manage the end-to-end flow of returned products — from intake and diagnostics through repair, grading, and dispatch.
- Coordinate closely with logistics, warehouse, and supply chain teams to ensure smooth material flow.
Inventory Management
- Maintain accurate and up-to-date inventory records for spare parts, refurbished goods, and field return goods across all locations.
- Oversee the intake, logging, and classification of all field return goods, ensuring proper condition assessment and traceability from receipt to final disposition.
- Manage spare parts inventory to ensure adequate stock levels for uninterrupted refurbishment operations while minimising excess or obsolete inventory.
- Implement and enforce stock control processes, including cycle counts, periodic stock audits, and reconciliation of physical versus system inventory.
- Work with procurement and supply chain teams to forecast spare parts requirements based on return volumes and repair trends.
- Ensure refurbished goods are properly graded, labelled, and stored, with clear visibility of available stock ready for redeployment or resale.
- Identify and escalate inventory discrepancies, shrinkage, or losses, and implement corrective actions.
Team Management & Development
- Manage, coach, and develop technical and non-technical teams within the Refurbishment Centre function.
- Conduct regular performance reviews, identify skill gaps, and facilitate development plans.
- Foster a culture of accountability, safety, cross-functional partnership, and continuous improvement on the shop floor.
Quality Assurance
- Implement and enforce quality control standards at every stage of the refurbishment process.
- Oversee product grading frameworks to ensure accurate classification of refurbished units.
- Investigate and resolve quality concerns or recurring defect trends through structured root cause evaluation.
Process Improvement & Reporting
- Identify opportunities to improve efficiency, reduce waste, and lower refurbishment costs.
- Maintain accurate operational records and produce regular reports on output, quality, inventory, and costs.
- Contribute to the implementation of new systems, tools, and processes as the refurbishment programme scales.
Health, Safety & Compliance
- Ensure the refurbishment facility operates in full compliance with health, safety, and environmental regulations.
- Conduct regular safety audits and maintain a safe working environment for all team members.
- Manage the disposal of non-recoverable components in line with e-waste and local regulatory requirements.
Required Qualifications & Experience
- A degree in Engineering or a related discipline from a recognised regional or global university (An advanced degree is an added advantage).
- 5+ years of experience in a refurbishment, manufacturing, repair, or related operations environment.
- Experience managing production lines or technical teams in a fast-paced environment.
- Strong knowledge of solar PV systems, electrical wiring standards, and power electronics.
- Demonstrated experience in inventory management, including spare parts, returned goods, and finished goods stock control.
- Strong knowledge of quality control, grading processes, and defect management.
- Proficiency in ERP systems for inventory tracking, production planning, and spare parts management is an added advantage.
- Excellent organisational skills with the ability to manage multiple priorities across locations.
- Excellent verbal and written communication skills, with the ability to simplify information and adapt communication to different audiences.
- A customer-focused approach and dedication to resolving issues effectively.
- The ability to remain calm and effective under pressure.
- Strong planning, problem-solving, and organisational capabilities.
