Organization Description

Most of the world's poor are farmers, representing the largest and most uniform group of poor people in the world. One Acre Fund is a start-up NGO in Kenya, Rwanda, and Burundi that is innovating a new way of helping farm families to achieve their full potential. Instead of giving handouts, One Acre invests in farmers to generate a permanent gain in farm income. We provide farmers with a "market bundle" that includes education, finance, seed and fertilizer, and market access. Our program is proven impactful – every year, we weigh thousands of harvests and measure more than 100% average gain in farm income per acre. We have laser-like focus on generating better lives for the people that we serve.

We are growing quickly. In six years, we have grown to serve 130,000 farm families with more than 1400 full-time field staff. In three more years, we will at least quadruple in size, while adding several new countries. Our approach has won widespread validation, winning grants from the highly competitive Echoing Green and Skoll Foundations, and the global Financial Times/ IFC award for "basic needs financing" in 2010 and 2011. Website: www.oneacrefund.org

Job Description

We are seeking an experienced candidate to help bring the world’s agricultural innovations to One Acre Fund. As liaison between One Acre Fund and a major foundation, the Agricultural Innovation Manager will keep our organization informed about the agricultural innovations being implemented at the foundation’s grantees around the world. The manager will then serve as an internal subject matter expert, helping One Acre Fund determine if or how these innovations can be integrated into our program.

The Agricultural Innovation Manager will accomplish these tasks through:

• Quarterly visits to foundation headquarters: These are opportunities to learn about relevant, ongoing work from foundation leadership. During visits, the manager will also update the foundation on One Acre Fund’s progress and vision.
• Regular visits to foundation grantees: Foundation grantees around the world are making impressive strides through innovative processes, technologies, and partnerships. The manager will visit the most promising grantees to learn from their successes. All visits will involve on-the-ground interviews and data collection to facilitate thorough documentation.
• Literature Review: On-the-ground findings will need to be challenged or validated through relevant research in agricultural and social enterprise journals.
• Internal Reporting Meetings: Findings and potential recommendations will need to be synthesized and presented to One Acre Fund leadership in regular working sessions.

Career Growth and Development

One Acre Fund invests in building management and leadership skills. We provide constant, actionable feedback delivered through weekly mentorship and through regular career reviews. We also have regular one–on–one meetings, where we listen to and discuss career goals, and work collaboratively to craft roles that each person can be passionate about. Because of our rapid growth, we constantly have new high–level roles opening up and opportunities in many functions and countries. This results in fast career growth for our staff.

Qualifications

We are seeking exceptional professionals with a Master’s or PhD in a relevant agricultural or scientific field. The Agricultural Innovation Manager will need to quickly understand and assess new technologies, so a robust understanding of agronomy and applied science will be critical. 1 to 3 years of work experience implementing or designing agricultural technologies is a plus.

This manager will be travelling at least 50% of the time, so experience working independently or in an unstructured environment is also critical.

We are looking for truly extraordinary candidates that will help take our organization to the next levels of impact and scale. This is a competitive posting for a career-track role with minimum initial commitment of two years. Candidates who fit the following criteria are strongly encouraged to apply:

• Master’s or higher agricultural or scientific graduate degree
• Strong agricultural work experiences—experience designing or implementing agricultural technologies desired, but not strictly required
• Leadership experiences at or outside of work
• Top-performing undergraduate background (please include GPA and test scores on your resume)
• Humility, personal stability, and warmth. Much of this job will depend upon in-person discussion and interviews, so an ability to develop and nurture professional relationships is critical.
• A willingness to commit to living in East Africa for at least two years – this is a long–term, career–track role. The ideal candidate will have had experience working in the developing world, although this is not a strict requirement.
• Professional/technical skills –proficiency with Excel and other professional programs.
• Willingness to travel—at least 50% of the time will be on the road
• Language: English required; French highly desirable
• Ability to cook/laugh – desirable 

Location: Nairobi, with 50% travel

Preferred Start Date: Flexible

Compensation: Starts very modest. However, this is a career–track role with fast raises for performance, paying a meaningful salary for long–term placement in developing nations

Benefits: Health cover, immunizations, two home flights per year if applicable
Career development: Bi-annual management consulting-style career reviews, and significant investment in career development. Your manager will invest significant time in your career development.

To Apply

Email cover letter and resume to jobs@oneacrefund.org 
(Subject line: Agricultural Innovation Manager Search + name of the site that referred you)