CONSULTANCY OPPORTUNITY – ELECTRICAL DISTRIBUTION UTILITY

CUSTOMER CONNECTION SPECIALIST (ETHIOPIA AND TANZANIA)

Background:

RTI International, a non-profit research and international development project execution -was -
awarded the East Africa Energy Program (EAEP) Task Order which was the second task order
to be released under USAID’s Power Africa extension mechanism. It involves regional technical
support to Kenya, Ethiopia, Rwanda, and Tanzania with possible additional advisory support for
Uganda, the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), Burundi, Somalia, Eritrea, and Djibouti.

The Power Africa East Africa Energy Program is tasked with expanding affordable and reliable
electricity services throughout the region with the goal of supporting development priorities
including inclusive economic growth, security, and improved health and education outcomes. RTI
International is implementing this activity designed to address critical opportunities across the
following major program objectives: optimization of the power supply, increased grid-based
power connections, strengthened utilities and other power sector entities, and increased regional
power trade.

An important part of this project is helping the electrical distribution utilities in Ethiopia and
Tanzania connect additional customers across all three customer classes: residential, commercial,
and industrial. The project is tasked with characterizing existing processes, procedures, and
materials currently used to identify and connect new customers and provide service
improvements. Additionally, the project is supporting implementation of these new procedures
to facilitate the expeditious connection of 4 million new customers over the next three years.
Power Africa East Africa Energy Program seeks to have technical advisors embedded in both
TANESCO (Tanzania) and EEU (Ethiopia) to support this work. As such, two individuals are
sought to provide these services.

Scope of Work:

The Electrical Distribution Utility Customer Connection Specialists will be responsible for
overseeing the characterization and analysis of existing utility processes for connecting new
customers and developing improved connection practices. This includes all procedures, practices,
and software systems, as well as all mechanisms used to identify new customers and prioritize
their connection, i.e. scheduling, performing, inspecting, and managing the supply chain for meters,
service drops, and all other required materials.

She/he will be responsible for identifying and rectifying bottlenecks in the current processes and
procedures. These bottlenecks may be shortcomings of materials, poorly trained personnel, or
inefficient or missing procedures. She/he will identify and characterize changes to be made to
existing practices, prioritizing them based on cost, ease of implementation, and expected impact.
She/he will identify any training requirements of existing staff and the need for additional staff, if
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necessary. The candidate will support staff training and provide oversight of utility teams in the
implementation of improved procedures.

Qualifications and Experience:

At least 10 years’ experience in an electrical distribution utility with responsibilities and

experience relevant to this assignment. Proven practical (hands-on) experience in customer
connections, supply chain management, scheduling, project management and oversight.
Demonstrated international experience in utilities outside of Tanzania/Ethiopia as well as
knowledge of best practices, norms, and standards. Proven knowledge of and prior experience
with donor project management policies, procedure and reporting requirements, particularly
USAID. Strong writing and communication skills are required. Additionally, oral and written
communication skills in either Amharic, Kiswahili or both are strong pluses. Ideal
candidate will possess excellent interpersonal, cross-cultural communication skills, and the ability
to interact professionally with culturally and linguistically diverse staff, clients and consultants. A
demonstrated ability to set and deliver on priorities as well as strong computer skills are required
for contributing to written and visual documents, reports, presentations, and project debriefing
meetings.

Level of Effort:

60 working days, including field work as necessary

Application process:

Interested candidates should submit a cover letter and curriculum vitae via

https://rtiint.referrals.selectminds.com/international/jobs/consultancy-opportunity-%E2%80%93-
electrical-distribution-utility-customer-connection-specialist-ethiopia-and-tanzania-3900

no later than March 31st, 2020 by 5.00 p.m. Only shortlisted applicants will be contacted.

RTI International is an equal opportunity employer and female candidates are highly encouraged
to apply.

*No applicant will ever be asked for any payment either to secure a role with RTI
International or as a follow-up to having been awarded a position with RTI
International. If anyone ever approaches you asking for any such payment, please
immediately email ethics@rti.org

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