Do you want to do work that matters? Do you want to help improve the lives of some of the most hardworking people in Africa, while also reducing carbon emissions? Do you want to use your skills to advance Africa towards a zero-carbon future, not just to make a living? Ampersand is your answer.

About Ampersand

Ampersand is a pioneer provider of electric motorcycles and charging infrastructure (battery swap stations), especially for motorcycle taxi drivers. Moto taxis are a primary means of public transport in African cities, and it is estimated that these drivers spend >$6Bn p.a. on fuel alone in East Africa. Ampersand has developed an electric solution that is more powerful, fun to drive, and more cost-effective than the incumbent. Ampersand drivers routinely earn 25-30% more income by going electric.

The company started in Kigali, Rwanda and expanded into Nairobi, Kenya in 2023. Today it has ~1,300 e-motorcycles on the road and 30 battery swap stations. Ampersand is leading the market in quality, affordable tech, customer traction, and operational systems. The Ampersand team consists of 240+ staff drawn from diverse backgrounds and is working hard to see all 5 million taxi motorbikes in East Africa become electric by 2030. Ampersand is rapidly scaling its operations and is looking for innovative professionals who are passionate about clean energy and environmental impact to lead and contribute to our rapid growth.

Ampersand is a company that values innovation, creativity, and continuous improvement. It seeks people who are proactive problem solvers to drive results. Ampersand promotes leadership within the organization and is a place where you can grow your career as you work with some of the brightest and hard-working individuals in East Africa.

About the role

Ampersand is seeking an experienced operations leader capable of managing a diverse and complex team of professionals across key departments. The Chief Operations Officer will oversee operations across all markets and will support the growth of our leading mobility platform in an increasingly competitive market. Maintaining the company culture of exemplary service to customers and managing increasingly complex operations as the company grows is of utmost importance. The Chief Operations Officer will report to the CEO and will handle the following responsibilities:

Strategy

• Contribute to the strategic vision for the business and work with the rest of the company executives to analyze important strategic decisions.
• Leadership of geographic expansion strategy, especially considering the overall profitability of the business.
• Work closely with CEO on long-term company strategy and market positioning
• Strategic product positioning, supporting the product development roadmap to maximize long-term revenues and growth channels.
• Develop and strengthen channel partnerships that catalyze the company’s ability to grow the battery swap network rapidly, which includes the design and oversight of pilot programs that test these channel partnerships.
• Input on and guidance around financial partnerships that will encourage faster expansion of the business while retaining significant value capture from the battery swap business.
• Support the CEO in development of fundraising strategies and participate in fundraising endeavours when necessary.

Commercial

• Responsible for growing revenue and profitability of the business, especially recurring revenue derived from battery swap operations.
• Ownership of company operational performance and business intelligence, including key performance metrics (e.g., profit margins, customer savings rates, network utilization).
• Oversight of each business unit to ensure budgets are appropriate and adhered to, especially the performance of the battery swap stations and operations.
• Responsible for geographic expansion of the battery swap network while maintaining maximum utilization of the network, which may include strategic partnerships and creative business models to incentivize rapid growth.
• Support the establishment and development of strategic partnerships with vehicle OEMs, fuel retail network companies, asset finance providers and others.

Operations

• Production forecasting and product delivery channels, including high-level oversight of supply chain functions.
• Ensure regulatory and homologation compliance of products across markets.
• Overseeing policies and operating procedures that reinforce the operational efficiency and safety of the business.
• Accountable for the overall performance and operations in the network of battery swap stations, including station facilities, charge teams, and secondary services.
• Foresee operational issues in the horizon and identify solutions in anticipation.
• Ensure the operations department budget is followed.

As with all Ampersand positions, we expect that you have strong work ethics, and the ability to manage shifting priorities and unforeseen challenges.

Minimum requirements

• Undergraduate degree in a relevant field such as Business, Finance or Engineering.
• MBA or similar degree a plus.
• 10-15 years of working experience, including at least some commercial experience in businesses selling hardware products
• Based in Kenya or Rwanda
• Strong track record of building teams
• Track record of successfully scaling business operations and building processes.

Ideal work experience:

• Prior work experience at growth-stage companies that achieved major growth over several years in terms of geographic expansion, revenue generation, and strategic partnerships.
• Has 5+ years of experience in automotive, fuel retail, electronics, electric mobility, other hardware in Africa, logistics, telecoms or a similar field
• Has some prior exposure working in the private sector in Sub-Saharan Africa

Timing

ASAP

Compensation

A competitive compensation and benefits package commensurate with international market rates will be offered, including Medical Insurance, Relocation package if required and Ampersand stock options.

Qualified female candidates are encouraged to apply. Ampersand offers a working environment and culture that supports families and women.

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