Passive System Engineer

Overview

Join Airtel Africa and be part of a dynamic team driven by passion, innovation, and a strong entrepreneurial spirit. We value diversity and strive to craft solutions that positively impact the communities we serve. This role offers a remarkable opportunity to develop your career across our African operations.

Role Summary

This position involves overseeing the comprehensive planning, management, and optimization of Airtel Nigeria's nationwide power and passive infrastructure. Key activities include managing site fueling, passive projects, infrastructure replacements, power system enhancements, and energy expenditure controls, ensuring network power availability exceeds 99.99%. The role requires collaboration with vendors and infrastructure providers spread over four regions and twelve zones.

Key Responsibilities

• Manage daily operations and maintenance of all Airtel sites including Data Centers and Base Transceiver Stations (BTS), covering passive components, power upgrades, diesel deliveries, and site fueling to maintain high availability.
• Deliver seamless operational support for the power network supporting core telecom services including Core, IN, VAS, BTS, and transmission domains.
• Develop, schedule, and oversee preventive maintenance audits for all passive equipment at BTS, BSC, Transmission, MSC, and Data Center facilities.
• Coordinate replacement, installation, and upgrade of power equipment such as Diesel Generators (DGs), Air Conditioners (AC), HVAC units, rectifiers, batteries, transformers, stabilizers, power panels, inverters, UPS, and fire protection systems while managing warranty and operational documentation.
• Liaise effectively with internal departments (Enterprise, Commercial, Customer Service Delivery, IT) and external stakeholders for smooth operations.
• Manage spare parts inventory and replacements for critical and non-critical passive components.
• Address passive alarms and incidents triggered by failures or emergencies in critical power equipment, recommending and following up on resolutions.
• Provide design recommendations and improvements to maintenance strategies enhancing power equipment efficiency.
• Plan and manage fuel consumption including monthly diesel requirements across the network.
• Monitor key energy cost drivers such as Diesel cost per hour, generator run times, battery backup performance, PHCN power availability and tariffs, ensuring vendor accountability in cost reduction initiatives.
• Prepare Bills of Quantity (BOQ) and support RFQ and RFP document preparation and evaluation related to power equipment procurement.
• Review and validate financial documentation including invoices, progress payments, billing, and job close-out documents related to power infrastructure projects.
• Ensure regular vendor governance and adherence to Service Level Agreements (SLAs) for operations and maintenance activities.
• Develop and manage annual operating plans (OPEX) and capital expenditure (CAPEX) budgets for the passive network systems, monitoring spend and reporting to senior management with a focus on achieving energy cost savings and operational efficiency.
• Drive process documentation and compliance in operational procedures and policies to guarantee consistent and efficient service provider operations.
• Develop and uphold specifications, guidelines, and performance measurement systems for network power equipment, with continuous database auditing and reporting.
• Ensure regulatory compliance of all power equipment including noise, emissions, and operational parameters in line with statutory and environmental requirements.
• Oversee partner and vendor contracts, ensuring delivery of contractual obligations and governance across multiple third-party relationships involved in power infrastructure deployment and maintenance.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in a relevant field.
• At least 8 years of diverse experience in power operations and maintenance within the telecommunications sector.
• In-depth knowledge of telecommunications architecture and mobile network operations and maintenance.
• Expertise in power equipment database management and knowledge of MSC and Data Center passive equipment.
• Strong understanding of electrical power systems, including DC rectifier plants, battery banks, inverter and UPS systems, generators (brands like Caterpillar, Perkins, Cummins), power panels, transformers, stabilizers, grid systems (HV, MV, LV), HVAC, surge protection, fire protection systems, cables, hybrid and solar power systems.
• Basic civil knowledge of BTS sites and ability to read and interpret mechanical and electrical drawings.
• Project management proficiency and strong skills in Microsoft Office applications and AutoCAD, particularly for creating single-line diagrams.
• Excellent analytical, presentation, and strategic negotiation skills.

Additional Requirements

• Entrepreneurial mindset with sound decision-making and resource management capabilities.
• Logical, flexible, dedicated with a strong innovation focus aimed at delivering business value.
• Ability to manage and motivate internal teams and external partners effectively to meet service level agreements.
• High integrity, proactive attitude, and excellent communication skills.