Job Description

Interim Head of Engineering

Department: Technical

Employment Type: Fixed Term Contract

Location: Africa

Allied Talent Partners (ATP), a Three Cairns Group initiative, is a mission-driven, not-for-profit talent marketplace focused on solving the human capital bottlenecks slowing down sustainable development efforts in emerging economies, with an initial focus on Africa. ATP connects vetted, experienced, context-relevant professionals to high-impact opportunities in energy access and sustainable development – strengthening local capacity and fuelling economic vitality. We specialize in fixed-term, deliverable-driven engagements – from interim leadership and generalist projects to niche technical expertise – handling project scoping, talent vetting and matching, contracting, payroll, and compliance so that our clients can focus on impact.

High-Level Overview
Our client is seeking an Interim Head of Engineering to lead and support its engineering function during a critical phase of operational scale-up and product refinement. The role will oversee ongoing engineering delivery across R&D, product development, and manufacturing support activities, while helping strengthen the systems and processes required for continued growth. The ideal candidate will bring strong experience in battery systems, industrialization, and hands-on engineering leadership within scaling environments.

Role and Responsibilities

Role: Interim Head of Engineering

Candidates Required: 1

Key Deliverables:

• Lead day-to-day engineering execution across product development, R&D, manufacturing support, and technical operations activities
• Ensure ongoing engineering priorities are delivered effectively, including product refinement, production support, troubleshooting, and technical issue resolution
• Maintain alignment between R&D, engineering, and manufacturing teams to support reliable production output, product quality, and performance targets
• Support manufacturing scale-up through process optimization, production efficiency improvements, yield enhancement, and defect reduction initiatives
• Drive engineering-led improvements across product reliability, testing, validation, and production readiness processes
• Implement practical engineering governance, technical prioritization, and documentation processes to improve execution consistency and cross-functional coordination
• Provide technical leadership, mentorship, and operational support across the engineering function while contributing to longer-term engineering capability development and scale-up planning as required

Requirements

Experience Required:

• Proven experience leading engineering functions within battery, energy storage, or adjacent manufacturing environments
• Track record managing engineering delivery within scaling or high-growth operational environments
• Experience overseeing both product development and manufacturing support activities
• Exposure to applied R&D environments with the ability to bridge development and production teams effectively
• Experience improving engineering processes, production readiness, and operational execution within evolving businesses

Technical Requirements:

• Strong understanding of battery systems including pack design, BMS, thermal management, and production integration
• Ability to support the industrialization of products and improve manufacturability, quality, and production efficiency
• Experience with engineering governance, technical prioritization, and structured execution management
• Familiarity with testing protocols, product validation, and quality management principles within battery or manufacturing environments
• Strong commercial and operational judgment in balancing performance, scalability, and delivery priorities

Other Skills:

• Hands-on and pragmatic leadership approach with strong execution focus
• Ability to operate effectively in fast-paced, evolving environments with shifting priorities
• Clear and structured communicator across technical and non-technical stakeholders
• Collaborative leadership style with the ability to align cross-functional teams around operational priorities
• Calm and solution-oriented under operational and scale-up pressure

Working Arrangement
Location: Kampala, Uganda
Travel: Limited

Terms of agreement:
Start Date: Immediate
Contracting Period: Interim contract engagement – duration TBC