Senior Mechanical Engineer

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 and the Global South towards a zero-carbon future, not just to make a living? Ampersand is your answer.

About Ampersand

Ampersand is Africa’s emobility pioneer. Ampersand provides electric motorcycles and charging infrastructure (battery swap stations), uniquely tailored to serve half of Africa’s road fleet: Commercial motorcycle taxi and delivery 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 gasoline in East Africa alone. Ampersand has developed an electric solution that is more powerful, fun to drive, and more cost-effective than the incumbent. Ampersand drivers routinely earn over 30% more income by going electric.

The company started in Kigali, Rwanda and expanded into Nairobi, Kenya in 2022. Today it has over 3,000 e-motorcycles on the road and 36 battery swap stations across the two countries. Ampersand is leading the market in quality and affordable tech, customer traction, and operational systems. The Ampersand team consists of 400+ 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.

Our Values

• Customer-centric Everyday: We prioritize our customers daily, tailoring solutions to exceed expectations.
• Challenge The Status Quo Through Innovation: Our dedicated teams constantly challenge the status quo, driving innovation to enhance customer experiences and deliver solutions that go beyond expectations
• Love Solving Problems Together: Internal collaboration is our approach; we thrive on solving challenges alongside our customers.
• Stay Agile: We stay agile to swiftly meet dynamic customer needs and adapt to a changing landscape.
• Driven By People And Planet: Beyond business, we're committed to people and the planet, ensuring a positive impact.

About the role

In this role, you will hold the following responsibilities:

Product design and engineering analysis:

• Championing customer needs and translating them to technical requirements
• Optimizing designs and processes for low-cost and durability
• Applying the product design process of rapid prototyping, testing, and refining
• Applying a solid understanding of mechanical systems, preferably experience with vehicles and/or batteries and power systems
• Testing and analysis with tools such as MATLAB and Excel
• Building CAD models and technical drawings, and applying FEA

Product development:

• DfM with a strong understanding of capacities and constraints in varied environments
• Collaborating with the Production team on designing and building in-house production processes and tools
• Performing engineering and production validation tests
• Ongoing follow-up of product performance after launch

Team leadership:

• Lead project teams, taking responsibility for team and individual growth and development, in addition to project outcomes
• Collaborate with the Head of Mechanical Engineering and other senior engineers
• Own project outcomes with regular design reviews

Minimum requirements

• Minimum 5 years of prior industry experience in a relevant role and with management experience.
• Degree in mechanical engineering, systems engineering, or equivalent
• Experience with design for manufacturing seeing products through to production
• Strong CAD/CAM/FEA skills, and analysis using MATLAB/Excel
• Experience with vehicles, batteries, BMS’s, controllers, or BLDC motors preferred
• Experience effectively leading technical teams
• Fantastic communication

Timing

ASAP

Compensation

A competitive compensation package commensurate with international market rates and experience including health insurance

Job location

This role will be based either in Kigali, Rwanda.

📢 Important Notice:

At Ampersand, we want to emphasize that we do not charge or request any form of payment from applicants at any stage of our recruitment process. Your job application and interviews with us are entirely free of charge. If you encounter any requests for payment or fees claiming association with our hiring process, please report it to, recruitment@ampersand.solar, immediately. Your trust and confidence in our company are paramount, and we are committed to providing a fair and transparent recruitment experience for all applicants.