Global Logistics Deputy Director at One Acre Fund

Job Description

Distribution is fundamental to the core model of One Acre Fund.  In order to serve more than a million farm families by 2020, we must work to enable a cutting-edge, cost-efficient, and professional rural delivery system.  The Logistics team works in tight concert with our field teams to deliver millions of kilograms of inputs to thousands of market points and hundreds of thousands of individual farm families across Eastern and Southern Africa.  Our opportunity as a department is to build upon a strong operational foundation in order to extend our geographic reach, develop new distribution channels, and execute distributions with increasing complexity in an otherwise infrastructure starved environment.  The Logistics Deputy Director will be an integral part of this team in terms of setting vision and strategy, providing management support to our far-flung team of logistics professionals, and contributing to projects of strategic importance to our department.  Your work will have a tremendous impact on the organization’s key mission of serving the small-holding farmer.  Responsibilities will include:

• Set Strategy and Vision
  • Work closely with the Global Logistics Director to set the vision and direction for the department
  • Drive the strategic agenda forward providing leadership on key projects and implementing them in conjunction with our country team leads.
• Provide Individual and Team Management
  • Provide individual management support to country logistics leads in core countries as well as in pilot and growth stage country operations. This includes:
    • Leading weekly “check-in” sessions with direct reports
    • Developing hard and soft skills and providing career mentorship to country logistics leads
    • Supporting calendaring and implementation of key policies and procedures in new markets
  • Provide team management by coordinating and executing monthly team calls as well as setting agendas and leading sessions in semi-annual logistics retreats.
  • Support the Logistics Director in department recruitment activities
• Contribute to Policy Development, Management and Oversight
  • Work closely with the Logistics Director to develop and codify policies
  • Oversee the implementation of key policy projects
• Lead projects of strategic importance to the department. This could include projects like:
  • Overseeing monthly reconciliations and the application of shrink policies
  • Investigating and evaluating software applications to support department functions
  • Designing a standard budgeting process for new ventures
• While the majority of this role will focus the points above, the Deputy Director may also support country operations at peak activity time. This could include short-term secondment to a country team to:

• Support input distribution where we coordinate last-mile delivery to over 2,500 unique delivery points across our core countries.
• Building and managing a team of warehouse and logistics professionals.  Average team size is about 10 full time employees and up to 100 seasonal employees.
• Researching a network of 3^rd party service providers including transportation, warehousing, and input suppliers.
• Managing logistics data and inventory flows.

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 exceptional professionals with 5-10 years of work experience.  Candidates who fit the following criteria are strongly encourage to apply:

• Strong work experiences with demonstrated leadership and management experience. Examples include a demanding professional work experience, or successful entrepreneurial experience (e.g. starting a program in a developing country, leading a conference, starting a business,). 
• Relatedly, experience in coordinating and leading teams and individuals, particularly with an emphasis on providing career management/mentorship.
• Experience in supply chain, logistics, or other operational management is beneficial, but not strictly required. Development sector experience is an asset but not required.
• Strong analytical skills – ability to quickly review, synthesize, analyze, and communicate data.
• Creativity and strong problem solving skills.
• Top-performing educational background (include GPA/class marks); related Master’s Degree is an asset, but not strictly required.
• We are looking for passionate professionals who combine strong leadership skills with good humor, patience, and a humble approach to service.
• A willingness to commit to living in East Africa for at least two years – this is a long-term, career-track role.
• Language: Fluent English required and a working knowledge of French desired. Regional languages (e.g. Kiswahili, Kirundi, Kinyarwanda) are an asset but not required.

Preferred Start Date

Flexible

Compensation

Starts 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 insurance, immunizations, flight, housing.

Sponsor International Candidates 

Yes

East African nationals are strongly encouraged to apply.