Agricultural Trials And Research Specialist at One Acre Fund

Job Description

Agricultural research and development is a critical component of our agricultural trial pipeline. Each season, we have about 4,000 farmers involved in trials on a variety of topics, including fertilizer use, seed varieties, growing methods, long-term soil health, and new crops. These trials are our first opportunity to test new agricultural technologies and methods with clients, and these are the gateway to scaling up innovations to more than 200,000 smallholder farmers in Kenya.

Agricultural Research: You will conduct and synthesize research on a wide range of agricultural innovations and provide input into the design of our agricultural trials and overall strategy. This will include literature research, synthesizing data from internal and external sources, and consulting with experts and other institutions to prepare research summaries.

Technical Input & Field Team Support: You will support the team of field leaders, managers, and officers that are executing our on-farm trials on the ground during the design, implementation, analysis, and reporting of trial activities. This will include providing advice and guidance, training and capacity building on agricultural topics, and supporting with mentorship and management of on-farm trial staff.

Trials Coordination: You will assist in coordinating the implementation of all on-farm trial activities in Kenya, including procurement of inputs and materials; managing and scheduling of trial input deliveries and field activities; communication and systems coordination across departments; writing farmer trainings, surveys and materials; and tool creation.

Career Growth and Development

One Acre Fund invests in building management and leadership skills. Your manager and a global support team will commit significant time in your career development. We provide constant, actionable feedback delivered through mentorship and through regular management consulting-style 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.

Qualifications

We are seeking an exceptional professional with experience running agricultural trials in Kenya. Specific qualifications include, but are not limited to:

• Master’s degree or above in agriculture, PhD preferred and a strong advantage. Strong connections to universities and other institutions doing agricultural research in the region.
• Deep familiarity with the current state of agricultural research and context in Kenya, including knowledge on a wide range of agricultural topics and experience with agricultural context.
• Project planning, management, and execution experience, including work with systems thinking and coordination; some logistics experience preferred. Ability to implement multiple projects simultaneously, while tracking and reporting on many activities within each project.
• Leadership and mentorship experience, including a clear record of leading teams and providing professional development support for others.
• Strong writing analytical and English writing skill, including the ability to concisely synthesize scientific and technical information from a variety of sources. Strong Excel and computer skills.
• Good teamwork, humility, willingness to do work focused on execution.
• Proficient in both Kiswahili and English.
• Strong work experiences. Examples include a demanding professional work experience, or successful entrepreneurial experience (e.g. leading a conference, starting a business, solid Peace Corps accomplishments).
• Leadership experience at work, or outside of work
• Top-performing academic background (include GPA on your resume)
• Humility. We are looking for passionate professionals who combine strong leadership skills with good humor, patience, and a humble approach to service to join our growing family of leaders.
• Language: English required

Preferred Start Date

Flexible