Mechanical Engineer - Biomass Cookstoves

About the role

Onja, a social enterprise that trains underprivileged youth into software developers, is looking for a Mechanical Engineer to lead the design, development and scale-up of improved biomass cook stoves for its clean-cooking carbon offset project. The role takes the stove from early prototype through testing, iteration and production, working with the Onja Carbon team, local suppliers and testing laboratories to build models that can be produced reliably and affordably at scale and that meet the requirements to generate carbon credits.

Key responsibilities

• Lead the design and development of improved wood and, where relevant, charcoal cookstove prototypes based on existing models and international examples.
• Build, test and refine prototypes, analysing test results and user feedback to improve performance.
• Balance fuel efficiency, emissions, durability, safety, usability, cost and manufacturability with practical realities.
• Develop designs suitable for mass manufacture, including material selection, components, tools and equipment, assembly methods and quality control.
• Identify and evaluate locally available materials and components, working with local suppliers to secure a steady, high-quality, cost-efficient supply of materials for 50,000 stoves.
• Set up a quality control system for stove manufacturing, including inspection criteria and testing.
• Prepare stove samples for testing with independent laboratories and the Onja Carbon team, meeting international technical and carbon-project requirements.
• Support field distribution by addressing technical failures and user issues quickly, and feed lessons back into design and manufacturing.
• Provide technical input for reporting requirements.

Required profile

• Technical background in engineering or manufacturing; professional or concrete experience from studies or an internship is an asset.
• Comfortable working hands-on in a workshop, building prototypes from scratch, running tests and troubleshooting.
• Attention to detail with measurements, specifications and test results.
• Persistent problem solver willing to go through many rounds of design, testing and manufacturing.
• Motivated to work in an early-stage project and stay through technical setbacks.
• Organised enough to manage several workflows at once.
• Commitment to a twelve-month period, with potential to renew or extend.