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We are a team of passionate minds working together to create lasting solutions to challenges faced by farmers.
Working together with farmers;
We do this by partnering with farmers to provide them with affordable modern farming solutions to increase efficiency and improve production. We want farmers to do what they love most-farming! and leave all the h...
Role summary
You will discover and qualify buyers, run trials and samples, and test the unit economics of value chains so we know which crops, buyers and models actually work. You will translate buyer needs into operational rules, quality checks and simple commercial contracts that our field teams, authorised partners and FarmCloud can use.
Key responsibilities
Market Discovery & Buyer Research — Primary (~60%)
You will build a disciplined buyer pipeline and a buyer-requirements library we can act on.
What this looks like every day:
- Find and profile buyers: local processors, traders/aggregators, institutional buyers, and export-adjacent firms.
- Run structured conversations (we will give you templates). Capture exactly: crop types, quality specs, allowable moisture, packaging, traceability needs, indicative price bands (not negotiated prices), minimum and trial volumes, payment terms and buyer expectations.
- Record everything in a buyer intelligence file: buyer name, contact, date, notes, and a short, factual summary of their requirements. No hearsay. No “I think”. Only documented inputs.
- Keep a buyer prioritization framework so we focus on buyers who can actually scale volume and pay on time.
Trial & Sample Coordination (~25%)
You will run the practical work that turns buyer interest into acceptance.
What this looks like:
- Coordinate how samples are prepared (drying to agreed QA rules), packaged and delivered.
- Use a structured feedback form to capture buyer responses and rejection reasons. Record exactly why a trial failed or passed.
- Keep a clean pipeline: Leads → Active Trials → Trial Outcomes → Repeat Interest / Negotiation.
- Make sure lessons from trials go straight to Field, Product and QA teams so we fix the real problems.
Unit Economics & Assumption Testing Support (~15%)
You will test whether buyer prices match the real costs and whether the value chain is financially viable.
What this looks like:
- Work with the Grants and Partnerships Lead and the Business Growth and Enablement team to compare buyer price bands to real costs (drying, collection, packing, transport, commissions).
- Tell us which value chains are viable and which are not, and why. Flag margin or payment risks early.
- Build simple financial scenarios: break-even, sensitivity to price swings, and the impact of late payments. Keep models readable — not fancy, just correct and usable.
Other responsibilities
- Map value chains (mango, chilli, ginger, onions, coffee, tomato, spices), identify bottlenecks, and propose operational fixes.
- Define QA and traceability rules that use FarmShield logs as evidence for buyers. Work with Product to make FarmCloud support batch traceability, inventory, collection-scheduling and buyer orders.
- Design aggregation models (hub, co-op, authorised partners, micro-collectors) that pool volumes, keep quality, and make payments traceable.
- Lead buyer negotiations for MOUs/offtake terms that include price, quality, volume and payment timelines; operationalize KPIs and dispute rules.
- Build partnerships with aggregators, financiers and government where needed to support buyer financing or advance payments.
- Produce short, practical market briefs and dashboards we can act on.
What we are looking for (qualifications & experience)
Education
- Degree in Agricultural Economics, Horticulture, Agribusiness, Supply Chain, Development Studies, or similar. Master’s is useful but not required.
Experience
- Good experience in the sector doing market access or value-chain roles. You should have worked directly with buyers, processors or exporters. A good fit would have 2 - 3 years experience.
- Hands-on experience designing aggregation/collection models and negotiating MOUs/offtake agreements.
- Field experience in East Africa and with crops like mango, chilli, coffee, tomato or spices is a big advantage.
Technical skills
- We are AI first! You must be able to use AI tools such as ChatGPT or Gemini. We will provide premium account access to these tools to supercharge your role.
- Strong Excel modeling. Comfortable with Google Sheets and Microsoft Excel is helpful.
- Comfortable with value-chain methods: actor mapping, gross margin and cost-to-serve.
- Experience with digital platforms or traceability systems is an advantage — we want someone who sees how software and sensors turn into commercial proof.
Practical traits
- You travel to the field and get things done in dusty places.
- You write clear notes and run tidy pipelines.
- You can translate buyer requirements into SOPs and simple contracts.
- You sense check your assumptions with AI and optimise your work with it.
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About the Role
Synnefa Green Limited is a Nairobi-based agri-tech company making complex farming simple through smart solar dryers, smart greenhouses, and our FarmCloud SaaS platform. We work with cooperatives, county governments, NGOs, and agro-processors across Kenya.
We're looking for a Fundraising Intern to join our Grants & Partnerships team. This role is central to keeping our funding pipeline alive — from spotting new opportunities to helping tell Synnefa's impact story to funders. You'll get hands-on exposure to proposal writing, donor reporting, and funder engagement, working closely with our Grants & Partnerships Lead and across marketing and tech teams.
What You'll Do
- Search for and track funding opportunities — scanning calls for proposals, grants, and funder pipelines that fit Synnefa's mission, and maintaining a live opportunities tracker
- Draft and assemble funding applications, including concept notes and full proposals, for review by the Grants & Partnerships Lead — using AI tools to learn and apply global best practice in proposal structuring and submission
- Support donor reporting — helping prepare reports, evidence packages, and compliance documentation
- Help plan and execute funder visits, designing site experiences that bring Synnefa's mission and founding story to life
- Collaborate with the marketing team to create funder-facing impact content
- Work with the tech team to support funder pitch calls and brainstorm fundable ideas
- Help create a funder newsletter to keep partners updated on Synnefa's progress
What We're Looking For
- A recent graduate (within the last year) in Development Studies, Economics, Agribusiness, Communications, Public Policy, Business, or a related field
- 0–1 years of experience; exposure to grant writing, donor reporting, research, or fundraising through coursework, volunteering, or internship is a plus
- Strong written English and comfort working with data and indicators
- Proficiency in Excel/Google Sheets and slide design
- Organised, deadline-driven, and willing to travel to project sites and events
- Preferred background in agritech, climate, development, or social enterprise
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