Head of Bike Mechanics

Upway is a fast growing startup building the largest marketplace for refurbished electric bikes, and is now present in 6 Upcenters around in Europe and in the United States, with presence in Germany in Berlin and Dusseldorf.

We are looking for a Head of Bike Mechanics to take over the management of our largest global Upcenter, located in Berlin. The team of mechanics repairs a large number of different used e-bikes and refurbishes them to excellent condition, providing Upway’s customers with high-quality and vast e-bike selection.

As Head of Mechanics, you will be responsible for the entire repair process of the e-bikes and for ensuring that the e-bikes are delivered in excellent quality. You will also be responsible to continue to scale a big team of talented mechanics: currently composed of ~40 mechanics (including team leads), we are aiming to double the team in the next ~2 years. You will recruit and lead them by example with a problem solver mindset and a great eye for details.

Your team and yourself will work in a well-equipped UpCenter in Berlin, looking over a large operations with a direct impact on Upway’s overall productivity and e-bike repair quality.

Tasks

• Recruit and continue to build a successful team of bike mechanics
• Manage and lead the team, assessing and organizing the workload across the members and keeping motivation high
• Develop your direct reports - Mechanic Team Leads - and own their and their teams’ performance and development
• Be responsible for the inspection, repair and quality control of a variety of different e-bike brands and models
• Building and maintaining a solid training program to onboard new Mechanics as well as increase level
• Manage the inventory of spare parts and consumables to guarantee that e-bikes get repaired in record times, with the support and indirect management of our Spare Parts Specialist
• Together with your team, ensure that every bike meets the highest quality standards and contribute your expertise to the further training of your employees
• Bring your expertise in hardware and software, and work on constantly improving our service and our e-bikes
• Become an essential part of our team and bring in your ideas for optimizing the UpCenter and its operations

Requirements

• Mechanical Expertise: Ability to find solutions to any complex mechanical issues, and continuously improve / test new repair processes. 7+ years of experience as a bike mechanic required
• Team Management: Ability to hire and manage a team of skilled and engaged mechanics (experience leading a team of Mechanics is required). 2+ years of experience managing a team required
• Continuous Improvement: Ability to continually increase the efficiency of your team through processes and organization improvements
• Inventory Management: Ability to build and manage a complex inventory of spare parts and consumables
• Planning & Organisation: Organizational skills and capacity to strive working at high pace
• Leadership: Be results oriented with strong decision-making skills and a focus on customer satisfaction
• Communication: Communicate effectively, with fluent knowledge of German and good knowledge of English (other languages are a plus)

Benefits

• You work in an early-stage start-up backed by renowned investment funds such as Sequoia Capital, Exor Ventures and Global Founders Capital (Rocket Internet).
• You will be part of an exceptional team of talented employees who thrive in a fast-paced environment and are committed to the common mission.
• At Upway, you take on as much responsibility as you can handle and have great learning and growth opportunities!
• Bureaucracy and slow processes do not exist with us! You work flexibly and solution-oriented and do not have to wait long for important decisions.
• You are one of the first employees in the German Upway team and actively shape the culture of the team.
• You will receive stock options as part of your compensation package.
• You benefit from a 15% discount on an e-bike from our shop per year.

At Upway, we are building the largest marketplace for pre-loved, refurbished e-bikes, making electric mobility more affordable, and giving a new life to millions of great products.

1/ We buy used e-bikes from individuals, retailers, manufacturers and leasing companies

2/ We fully inspect, repair and refurbish these e-bikes to the highest standards in our workshops in Germany, France, Belgium and the US

3/ We sell them online at a fraction of the price of new, with a one-year warranty

A great way to reduce unnecessary waste and accelerate e-bike adoption