SPOUTS of Water LTD is a for-profit social business that manufactures and sells the Purifaaya™ ceramic water filters and distributes rocket stove technology. SPOUTS was created in Uganda in 2014 with the simple idea that ceramic water filters could be made and sold locally, providing an amazingly effective product through a sustainable business model. SPOUTS is currently the largest ceramic water filter manufacturer in Africa.

Since SPOUTS sold its first Purifaaya in 2015, it has distributed 130,000+ filters to East Africa providing over 650,000 end-users with long-term access to safe drinking water. SPOUTS is a rapidly growing organization with employees across Uganda and Rwanda. The next step is to expand its operations throughout East, West and Southern Africa.

Position Summary:

The Production Engineer will be responsible for setting up new production equipment, optimizing our existing production processes, ensuring the reliability and efficiency of our equipment, and playing a key role in bringing new product innovations to life.

Duties and responsibilities:

Production Operations

• Monitor, maintain and improve production equipment and processes to ensure optimal performance, quality and minimize downtime.
• Oversee and support the installation and commissioning of new equipment and the subsequent process balancing.
• Troubleshoot mechanical, electrical, and process-related issues across production lines.
• Develop preventive and predictive maintenance plans for key equipment, including management of spare part stocks.
• Ensure safe operating procedures are followed for all equipment.
• Support data collection, root-cause analysis, and implementation of corrective actions.
• Promote a safety-first culture on the factory floor, ensure Health, Safety, and Environmental Compliance

Process Improvement

• Monitor and analyze existing production processes to identify bottlenecks, inefficiencies, and areas for improvement in terms of quality, cost, yield, and throughput.
• Document and standardize operating procedures, ensuring clear training for production staff.
• Participate in capacity expansion projects, including equipment upgrades and layout optimization.
• Ensure that all engineering and maintenance work aligns with safety standards and regulatory requirements.

Research and Development.

• Collaborate with the Innovation team to prototype, test, and scale up new ceramic products.
• Assist in the design and selection and implementation of new products, production equipment or test rigs.
• Design, develop, draw, CAD and fabricate prototypes
• Develop and refine production processes and their specifications for new products, including pilot runs and scale-up to full production.

Qualifications and Experience

• Bachelor’s degree in Mechanical or Industrial Engineering or related field.
• 5+ years’ experience in a production or manufacturing engineering role, preferably in ceramics, cement, glass, food, or other continuous/batch processing environments.
• Strong understanding of production machinery, process control, and maintenance practices.
• Hands-on experience with mechanical and electrical troubleshooting.
• Hands-on experience with product development and fabrication
• Experience with Lean, Six Sigma, or other process improvement methodologies is a plus.
• Experience with product introduction (NPI) or development processes (NPD) is advantageous.
• Familiarity with Design, Product Development skills and CAD software are a plus.
• Proficiency in MS Office Suite; experience with ERP systems is desirable.
• Excellent communication, teamwork, and interpersonal skills.
• Fluency in English is required.
• Strong experience in Leadership.

What We Offer:

• A unique opportunity to make a significant impact in a growing and innovative company.
• A dynamic and collaborative work environment.
• The chance to work on exciting new products and cutting-edge production challenges.
• The potential for career growth as the company expands.