Burundi Field Operations Associate/Chargé de Programme Opérations de Terrain at One Acre Fund

Job Description

The Field Operations department supports One Acre Fund's program implementation in the field through a team that includes hundreds of field agents. These agents are in close contact with the farmers and provide them with the main services of Tubura, such as training, credit management and the organization of product distribution at the colline level. As a Program Officer in this department, you will have the opportunity to learn from an operation in the field and contribute to improving our programme. The position includes two elements: operations management and scale innovation.

Operations management

• You will focus on services for farmers. They will start as a generalist, with overall responsibility for running our program in a region. Over time, you can continue to progress as a leader in general and eventually manage the field operations of an entire country. You can also specialize, for example, in the creation and deployment of training.
• You will put in place the infrastructure necessary for the continuation of the program. These teams are proactively removing barriers to scale in a wide range of areas: processing millions of payments made by farmers, communicating to farmers through tens of millions of text messages, recruiting hundreds of new employees throughout the year and the physical transport of more than 20,000 tonnes of agricultural inputs to various delivery sites. Program Managers also make constant improvements to accelerate growth, for example by implementing a mobile money system integration for a country.

Scale innovation

• Seek innovative agricultural, nutritional and environmental materials to increase members' income. The ideas discovered could eventually help support thousands of households. Hardware Innovations employees design trials, run trials with thousands of households, synthesize trial data and make constant revisions to the hardware offering provided.
• Staff are looking to improve our core operating model. By conducting trials with tens of thousands of farmers, they analyze targeted questions such as: Does switching from a group liability loan to an individual liability loan improve repayment and member satisfaction? They could also explore radical ideas to see if there are more effective ways to deliver high-quality service to farmers. They try variations of our program to improve our adaptability, impact and financial sustainability.

Responsibilities

• Understand and solve problems: observing field operations, meeting with our field staff managers, conduct surveys, conducting desk research, analyse key performance indicators (KPIs), etc. Then create simple and lasting solutions to complex problems.
• Plan and execute large projects: identify clear objectives, create timelines for projects, design work plans, create field tools and talking points, design systems for stakeholder engagement and understanding, and track and oversee the execution of projects in the field.
• Strengthen the team: Hire staff using One Acre Fund's unique "experiential recruiting" system, mentor key assistants, and gradually delegate responsibilities to your team as it is consolidated.
• Communicate with Other Teams: Work collaboratively with other One Acre Fund teams in the field to provide members with an enjoyable customer experience in the easiest way possible.

One Acre Fund-Burundi has extensive operational experience in managing rural field programs. Program Managers take advantage of this experience and quickly develop their skills by immersing themselves in our operational environment. At the same time, the central role of the Program Manager is to accelerate growth and constantly expand and improve our operations. This is a great career opportunity to take advantage of One Acre Fund's accumulated experience and to improve and enable the improvement of the program each year.

Career growth and development

One Acre Fund invests in the development of management and leadership skills. Your supervisor will devote a lot of time to your professional development. We continuously provide concrete feedback through mentoring and regular career reviews in the form of management advice. We also hold regular one-on-one meetings where we listen and discuss career goals and work collaboratively to create truly exciting roles. Due to our rapid growth, we constantly have new high-level roles opening up and plenty of opportunities in different functions.

Requirements

We are looking for a professional with at least two years of professional experience and a demonstrated interest in our mission. Applicants who meet the following criteria are strongly encouraged to apply:

• Work experience of at least two years. 
• Hold a university degree at Bachelor's/Baccalaureate level in the fields of economics, public administration, management, agriculture or similar areas. A Master's level will be a plus.
• Proficiency in standard Microsoft Office software (Excel, Word, Powerpoint) is strongly recommended.  
• Linguistic knowledge - English (required), French (strongly recommended), Kirundi (preferred)
• Burundian nationality is preferred.

Required qualities

• Experience in a demanding job that matches the job description above.
• Experience in initiating and managing trials in the fields of agriculture, economics, business/market research, general research, administrative management, project management, or similar fields etc, including data management and analysis, is preferred.
• Leadership experience, whether at work or outside of work.
• Willingness to commit to living in a rural setting - this is a long-term career opportunity.
• The desirable candidate will have to demonstrate at least one year of work experience in developing countries or be a national of one of the countries where our program is present.
• Ability to set goals and achieve them
• Ability to communicate clearly and effectively
• Ability to solve problems independently
• Ability to manage the work and development of others
• Ability to develop a clear plan for a complex project
• Be autonomous, honest and humble
• Be organized and very attentive to details
• Passion for serving Burundian farmers

Date according

As soon as possible