Junior Engineer - Aspire Food Group Ghana

Aspire Food Group is an international social enterprise dedicated to the sustainable practice of farming edible insects. With offices in the US and Ghana, Aspire seeks to farm locally desired insects as a way to address food insecurity. In Ghana, Aspire farms the palm weevil larva, a local delicacy that has been traditionally harvested. Aspire Ghana seeks to rapidly scale its production, co-develop packaged products, take advantage of export opportunities to other West African countries and to advance research on the palm weevil larvae.

Role description:

Aspire is looking for a driven individual to join the organization as a Junior Engineer. We are in a high period of growth, scaling up insect production in one facility and looking to expand into a larger facility. The role will require the individual to get a thorough understanding of our systems and processes used to farm, store and process feed and insects. The individual will play a key role in supporting the engineering team towards converting the current farming process into a semi-automated industrial process, dealing with day to day engineering tasks in the farm and support with developing designs and processes for the current and new production facilities. The individual will perform assignments requiring knowledge and application of mechanical engineering principles under the guidance of a design engineer. Completion of an undergraduate degree in an Engineering discipline is required.  You must be able to transport yourself to the on-site location of our farm on Mango Road, KNUST Campus on a daily basis.

Tasks/duties:

• Gain a thorough understanding of the insect’s biological requirements and the current farming operations to identify opportunities for optimization
• Setting up experiments, collecting and analyzing data to inform engineering projects
• Undertaking relevant research to support engineering projects
• Create and modify engineering drawings of prototypes and solutions
• Assisting with the construction of prototypes
• Sourcing parts and suppliers for various items
• Critically analyze large quantities of data and provide process improvement recommendations based on conclusions drawn
• Preparing concise reports and documentation to summarize information and trends
• Presenting solutions to a multidisciplinary team and incorporating feedback into the solutions
• ‎Additional responsibilities upon request

Requisite Skills:

• Bachelor’s Degree in Engineering specializing in Industrial, Mechanical, Agriculture, Materials, Manufacturing, or related field
• Experience using computer-aided design/modelling software such as AutoCad or IntelliCad
• Ability to plan, schedule, coordinate and problem solve effectively
• ‎High proficiency with Microsoft Office Suite (Word, Excel, PowerPoint)
• Working knowledge of web and cloud based software such as Google Suite (Drive, Docs, Sheet)
• Excellent communication skills, written and verbal
• Ability to work well with limited direction as well as in teams; collaborate with other individuals and teams on cross-departmental projects
• Demonstrated ability to think creatively and develop innovative solutions
• Ability to effectively coordinate and manage a number of tasks
• Ability to use hand tools and perform maintenance on mechanical equipment is a plus.

Start Date: As soon as possible

Compensation: Commensurate with experience

Benefits: Mobile allowance immediately and health insurance after a 3-month probation period