Job Purpose

The Cluster Coordinator is the primary point of contact for mini-grid site operations across an assigned cluster. This role bridges commercial performance and community impact driving energy access growth through sales, customer engagement, and community development, while also serving as a business advisor to the operations and technical team. The Cluster Coordinator is expected to analyse site-level performance, co-develop business plans with local operators, unlock productive use of energy (PUE) and develop/expand connection growth opportunities across both commercial and household segments.

Key Responsibilities

Site Performance Analysis & Business Advisory

• Regularly analyse site-level data on connections, revenue, load factor, arrears, and PUE uptake
• Co-develop a structured business plan for each site in the cluster, covering connection growth targets (household and commercial), PUE opportunity mapping, revenue improvement levers, and operational risk mitigation
• Identify underperforming sites, prepare diagnostic reports with root-cause analysis, and own the recovery plan — escalating to the Head of Mini-Grids where decisions exceed cluster-level authority
• Track and report on site KPIs against plan, flagging variances with recommended corrective actions
• Lead local operators in prioritising their commercial activities and coaching them on customer acquisition, retention, and appliance financing
• Provide input into site feasibility updates and demand-side assessments to inform capacity or service expansion decisions

Community Development & Stakeholder Engagement

• Build and sustain trusted relationships with community leaders; chiefs, village headpersons, ward councillors, and local authority structures
• Facilitate the formation and ongoing functioning of local Energy User Committees, ensuring communities have a structured voice in service design and grievance resolution
• Lead community sensitisation and education campaigns on energy products, tariff structures, appliance use, and the productive potential of reliable electricity
• Identify and support community anchor institutions (schools, health posts, agro-processors, SMEs) that can serve as PUE demonstration sites and catalysts for broader uptake
• Coordinate with local NGOs, cooperatives, and government extension services to align energy access work with wider rural development programmes
• Document community feedback systematically and feed insights back to the product and commercial teams at HQ

Sales, Productive Use of Energy (PUE) & Commercial Growth

• Drive new household and commercial connections across cluster sites to meet volume and revenue targets
• Market and sell energy-efficient appliances and productive use machines (milling, irrigation, refrigeration, lighting) to existing and prospective customers
• Identify and develop commercial customer segments (agro-businesses, SMEs, institutions) and develop tailored connection and usage plans for each
• Lead credit assessments for customer loan portfolios and manage risk within cluster, escalating as required
• Manage customer contract processes end to end, from onboarding through to post-connection support
• Drive after-sales service quality in partnership with the call centre and technical teams, monitoring satisfaction and retention metrics

Cluster Administration & Reporting

• Manage general administration of all sites within the cluster, including documentation, asset tracking, and compliance with operational standards
• Prepare timely and accurate cluster progress reports covering commercial performance, community engagement, PUE pipeline, and risk flags
• Coordinate field survey activities including demand assessments, baseline surveys, and feasibility study inputs
• Supervise and coach Local Operators (LOs), acting as the key link between site-level teams and the business
• Ensure adherence to IEA policies, safeguarding standards, and health and safety requirements across all cluster activities

Qualifications & Experience

Minimum Requirements

• Bachelor’s Degree in Business Administration, Rural Development, Agricultural Economics, Community Development, or a related field
• Minimum 4 years of relevant experience combining at least two of: rural sales or business development, community development or extension work, SME advisory, microfinance, or agribusiness
• Demonstrated ability to read and interpret business or operational data and translate findings into practical recommendations
• Experience working with off-grid, rural, or underserved market segments
• Valid driver’s licence and willingness to travel regularly within the cluster
• Computer literate, with working proficiency in Excel or equivalent tools for data analysis and reporting

Preferred Experience

• Prior exposure to productive use of energy (PUE) programmes, solar home systems, or mini-grid operations
• Experience facilitating community structures such as cooperatives, user committees, or savings groups
• Familiarity with business planning or financial modelling at SME or community enterprise level
• Prior work with development finance, grant-funded rural programmes, or government rural electrification schemes

Skills & Attributes

• Strong analytical thinking - can synthesise site data into actionable insights without being prompted
• Natural communicator and community builder - equally comfortable presenting to a village chief, Senior Govt Officials
• Commercially driven with genuine commitment to energy access and rural development
• Self-directed and organised - manages a dispersed portfolio of sites with minimal supervision
• Coaching mindset - develops the capability of teams, not just personal targets
• Resilient and adaptable in remote and resource-constrained environments
• High integrity in customer credit assessment and community trust relationships

Languages

• English (required)
• Local languages predominantly spoken across Eastern Province mini-grid sites — Nsenga, Chewa, and/or Nyanja (required)

• Regularly analyse site-level data on connections, revenue, load factor, arrears, and PUE uptake
• Co-develop a structured business plan for each site in the cluster, covering connection growth targets (household and commercial), PUE opportunity mapping, revenue improvement levers, and operational risk mitigation
• Identify underperforming sites, prepare diagnostic reports with root-cause analysis, and own the recovery plan — escalating to the Head of Mini-Grids where decisions exceed cluster-level authority
• Track and report on site KPIs against plan, flagging variances with recommended corrective actions
• Lead local operators in prioritising their commercial activities and coaching them on customer acquisition, retention, and appliance financing
• Provide input into site feasibility updates and demand-side assessments to inform capacity or service expansion decisions
• Build and sustain trusted relationships with community leaders; chiefs, village headpersons, ward councillors, and local authority structures
• Facilitate the formation and ongoing functioning of local Energy User Committees, ensuring communities have a structured voice in service design and grievance resolution
• Lead community sensitisation and education campaigns on energy products, tariff structures, appliance use, and the productive potential of reliable electricity
• Identify and support community anchor institutions (schools, health posts, agro-processors, SMEs) that can serve as PUE demonstration sites and catalysts for broader uptake
• Coordinate with local NGOs, cooperatives, and government extension services to align energy access work with wider rural development programmes
• Document community feedback systematically and feed insights back to the product and commercial teams at HQ
• Drive new household and commercial connections across cluster sites to meet volume and revenue targets
• Market and sell energy-efficient appliances and productive use machines (milling, irrigation, refrigeration, lighting) to existing and prospective customers
• Identify and develop commercial customer segments (agro-businesses, SMEs, institutions) and develop tailored connection and usage plans for each
• Lead credit assessments for customer loan portfolios and manage risk within cluster, escalating as required
• Manage customer contract processes end to end, from onboarding through to post-connection support
• Drive after-sales service quality in partnership with the call centre and technical teams, monitoring satisfaction and retention metrics
• Manage general administration of all sites within the cluster, including documentation, asset tracking, and compliance with operational standards
• Prepare timely and accurate cluster progress reports covering commercial performance, community engagement, PUE pipeline, and risk flags
• Coordinate field survey activities including demand assessments, baseline surveys, and feasibility study inputs
• Supervise and coach Local Operators (LOs), acting as the key link between site-level teams and the business
• Ensure adherence to IEA policies, safeguarding standards, and health and safety requirements across all cluster activities

• Strong analytical thinking
• Natural communicator and community builder
• Commercially driven
• Self-directed and organised
• Coaching mindset
• Resilient and adaptable
• High integrity
• Proficiency in Excel or equivalent tools for data analysis and reporting

• Bachelor’s Degree in Business Administration, Rural Development, Agricultural Economics, Community Development, or a related field
• Minimum 4 years of relevant experience combining at least two of: rural sales or business development, community development or extension work, SME advisory, microfinance, or agribusiness
• Demonstrated ability to read and interpret business or operational data and translate findings into practical recommendations
• Experience working with off-grid, rural, or underserved market segments
• Valid driver’s licence
• Computer literate
• Prior exposure to productive use of energy (PUE) programmes, solar home systems, or mini-grid operations (Preferred)
• Experience facilitating community structures such as cooperatives, user committees, or savings groups (Preferred)
• Familiarity with business planning or financial modelling at SME or community enterprise level (Preferred)
• Prior work with development finance, grant-funded rural programmes, or government rural electrification schemes (Preferred)