Refurbishment Line Manager (m/w/d)

Job Description

The Refurbishment Line Manager oversees end-to-end refurbishment operations in Tanzania 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.

What you would be expected to do

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.

You might be a strong candidate if you have

• 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 and organisational capabilities.
• Strong problem-solving skills with the ability to structure complex issues and identify practical solutions in evolving situations.
• Resourceful and proactive, with the ability to navigate new situations, apply innovative thinking, and develop practical solutions.
• Demonstrates humility and a willingness to learn from others.
• Motivated by the social mission of expanding energy access and creating employment opportunities in rural communities, with strong alignment to Sun King's values.

What Sun King offers

• Professional growth in a dynamic, rapidly expanding, high-social-impact industry
• An open-minded, collaborative culture made up of enthusiastic colleagues who are driven by the challenge of innovation towards profound impact on people and the planet.
• A truly multicultural experience: you will have the chance to work with and learn from people from different geographies, nationalities, and backgrounds.
• Structured, tailored learning and development programs that help you become a better leader, manager, and professional through the Sun Center for Leadership.

We place great importance on sustaining a diverse, inclusive work environment.

We believe that innovation and understanding comes from diversity on every spectrum. We work to make sure every Sun King team member knows that they belong, knowing that sustaining an inclusive workplace requires conscious effort and is a continuous journey, not an end-state.

Sun King recruits, employs, trains, compensates and promotes people based on their experience, skills, effort, and results. We explicitly prohibit discrimination on the basis of race, religion, caste, national origin, color, gender, marital status, family structure, sexual orientation, HIV/AIDS status, or disability.