Kenya Field Operations Associate at One Acre Fund

Job Description

Responsibilities

People Management

• The Field Division consists of over 100 HQ-based staff members, and another 2,600 field staff operating in our core working areas. Program Associates have the opportunity to hold many different management roles, from managing a sub-team of 20 call agents to managing an area expert with whom they jointly implement improvement projects. These different management challenges provide a lot of different opportunities for associates to build their own management capacity and become important force multipliers.
• Specific management tasks include facilitating impactful weekly check-ins with all reports, holding bi-annual coffee chats with all members of the team in their reporting lines, conducting bi-annual performance reviews for all staffers, and supporting on the creation and tracking of development areas through tools like development plans and promotion plans. The Field Division has the tradition of growing its staff in a way that allows them to continually take on additional responsibilities and be ready for exciting new challenges, within the department itself or One Acre Fund in general.
• The Field Program Associate is responsible for ensuring that all team members in their reporting line receive the support they need to complete their project goals, while simultaneously supporting their professional development and providing them with stretch opportunities to grow their careers at One Acre Fund.

Project and Portfolio Management

• In the Field Division, team members take on specific improvement projects, in addition to their functional portfolio management responsibilities. This allows the team member to oversee excellent design and execution while also making specific actionable changes and improvements. This allows our team to not only serve our current farmers with excellence but also set the table for us to better serve future farmers.
• Sample projects include:

• • Tablet Transition: Technology offers a lot of opportunities to a disperse field program, such as OAF’s. This project would set the entire field staff up to receive tablets, train staff how to use them, and then strategize how to leverage their versatility to improve program outcomes. This project could have amazing gains for operations and efficiency. We see tablets as fundamentally changing the way that we implement our program. The owner of this project would have substantial opportunities to affect the future of the program.
  • Field Team Management Support and Training: With over 2,900 field staff for the 2020 season, we need to provide team members with the right management techniques and skills. This exciting portfolio will have the opportunity to have direct management over district performance improvement efforts and professional development curricula. This project is an excellent opportunity to take the team from good to great and really make an impact on the Kenya Field team.
  • Service Delivery: One key to OAF’s success is our aptitude in delivery and customer service. It is vital that we continue to improve upon this strength and make the last mile of delivery as successful as possible. This project owner would oversee all of the field-facing aspects of delivery and be responsible for the systematic improvement of our customer experience. We see this area as crucial to remaining committed to our value of putting farmers first and setting the stage for positive future growth.
  • Field Staff Strategy and Research: With a remote based team, OAF Kenya is always looking for improvements to hiring and promotions, team management and administrative functions. The person that oversees this project work will have the opportunity to think creatively about some of the most important management issues in the international development sector.

Excellent Deliverables, Flexibility, and Timeliness

• As a Field Program Associate, your work will be seen by thousands of staff members and possibly hundreds of thousands of farmers. This means the standards that you are held to is high. After 6 months, you are expected to oversee excellent design and execution, with little oversight from your direct manager.
• Deliverables should be easily understood by all and be able to convey complex ideas in limited space.
• The Field Division works within the time constraints of the field program. This occasionally means quick pivots. All members of the team are expected to hit agreed upon timelines and be prepared to pivot priorities, based on field needs.

Leadership

• Strategy & Vision
  • Contribute to setting Annual Objective Key Results (OKRs), and responsible for the execution and follow up of all OKRs under your functional area of work
  • Measure progress against goals, regularly report on progress, and hold the team accountable to prioritizing and delivering results in key strategic areas.
  • Set annual Kenya strategy for your areas of work
  • Carefully manage the budget of all project work. Prioritize and plan projects to make smart spending decisions and track budgeting on spends to ensure that the project remains on track or additional spends are planned for and approved.

Communication

• • Proactively and effectively communicate up to country leadership, down to departments, and across to other sets of leaders plans, goals and progress for your area of work.
  • Ensure team members are collaborating effectively with individuals, teams, and divisions outside of the department. Set-up appropriate systems of communication to keep everyone moving together, particularly through recurring meetings and strategy sessions
  • Participate in global Field Operations (FOPs) work and collaborate with other country programs.

Career Growth And Development

We have a strong culture of constant learning and we invest in developing our people. You’ll have weekly check-ins with your manager, access to mentorship and training programs, and regular feedback on your performance. We hold career reviews every six months, and set aside time to discuss your aspirations and career goals. You’ll have the opportunity to shape a growing organization and build a rewarding long-term career.

Qualifications

We are seeking multiple exceptional professionals with 2+ years of work experience and ideally a demonstrated passion for our mission. Candidates who fit the following criteria are strongly encouraged to apply:

• Strong work experiences. Examples include demanding professional work experience, or successful entrepreneurial experience, e.g. starting a field program in a developing country, leading a conference, starting a business, solid Volunteer Service Organization accomplishments (VSO, Peace Corps, JICA, etc).
• Ability to come up with innovative and creative solutions to challenges – an entrepreneurial mindset is a strong asset.
• Strong project management skills. We are looking for someone who can plan and execute trial/pilot plans on tight schedules.
• Exceptional analytical skills, able to work with quantitative and qualitative information, exercise judgment, and make decisions in the context of uncertainty, and use data effectively to drive strategy.
• At a minimum, a Bachelor’s degree is required for this position with strong demonstrated previous work experience.
• Demonstrated leadership experience at work, or outside of work, enthusiasm for learning, and openness to feedback.
• Ability to build teams and collaborate with colleagues from diverse backgrounds.
• 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, knowledge of Swahili useful.