Location: Rukanga, Kenya
About One Acre Fund: Founded in 2006, One Acre Fund equips 5.5 million smallholder farmers to make their farms more productive. Across nine countries that together are home to two-thirds of Africa's farmers, we provide high-quality farm supplies, tree seedlings, accessible credit, modern agronomic training, and a wide range of other agricultural services. On average, this model enables any farmer to increase their income and assets on supported land by more than 35 percent, while permanently improving their resilience. This is all made possible by our team of 9,000+ full-time staff. Our Kenya program, founded in 2006, operates under the local brand Tupande. Close to 500 staff in our Kakamega headquarters support 1,747 field staff and serve more than 1 million farmers. In Nairobi, around 50 staff support global functions like procurement, recruitment, government relations, and communications.
About the Role: Seeking an exceptional Mechanical Engineer with 3-5 years experience to execute high-level mechanical maintenance, troubleshooting, and repairs across all Tupande Soko factories and reduce operational downtime for our processing operations.
Responsibilities:
- Hands-on mechanical repairs on critical processing machinery to ensure operational continuity across all factory locations; troubleshoot complex equipment failures directly; perform routine and deep-dive overhauls, component replacements, and structural alignments on heavy plant machinery.
- Physically execute mechanical preventative maintenance schedules and job plans assigned via the CMMS; inspect, adjust, and overhaul mechanical assemblies (gearboxes, pumps, hydraulic rams, pneumatic lines, conveyors, bearings); track and provide data to the Lead Engineer on asset conditions, failure modes, and component wear rates.
- Act as the core mechanical technical intervention specialist for Soko factory machinery; conduct technical repairs on industrial dehydrators, macadamia processing systems, and industrial-level biochar production equipment; verify precise mechanical specifications for machines, spare parts, and consumables.
- Mentor factory staff on best-practice repair techniques, assist in delivering TPM (Total Productive Maintenance) training for machine operators, and coach operators on identifying early warning signs such as abnormal vibrations, heat, or noise.
- Ensure all maintenance activities comply with safe systems of work (permit to work, LOTO, confined space) and Kenyan regulatory requirements (KEBS, DOSH, NEMA); maintain HACCP-required equipment records for food-contact assets; champion a zero-harm safety culture.
Qualifications:
- Degree or Higher Diploma in Mechanical Engineering or appropriate engineering field.
- Active registration/membership as an engineer or technical practitioner in Kenya.
- Preventive/predictive maintenance programme design and implementation.
- Experience with avocado oil machinery, industrial dehydrators, macadamia processing, and industrial-level biochar production preferred.
- Ability to use CMMS software (SAP PM, Maximo, Limble, etc.); deep mechanical fault-finding and root cause analysis on industrial plant equipment; proficiency in mechanical drawings, pneumatics, hydraulics, and welding/fabrication.
- Knowledge of food safety management systems and HACCP, Kenyan occupational health and safety legislation (OSHA, DOSH), TPM or World Class Manufacturing principles, and the Kenyan regulatory environment for food manufacturing (KEBS).
Preferred start date: As soon as possible. Contract duration: 2 years. Benefits: health insurance, paid time off. Career growth: weekly check-ins with your manager, access to mentorship and training programs, and career reviews every six months.
Closing date: 20 November 2026
HOW TO APPLY:
Apply online via the One Acre Fund vacancy page: https://oneacrefund.org/vacancies/tupande-mechanical-maintenance-engineer-specialist-fixed-term. Applications are reviewed on a rolling basis until a hire is made. Application deadline: 20 November 2026. One Acre Fund never asks candidates to pay any money or pay for tests at any stage of the interview process; official emails always arrive from an @oneacrefund.org address. This role is only open to citizens or permanent residents of Kenya.