Job Opportunities at One Acre Fund

Responsibilities

• Build and manage a high-value portfolio of existing donors and potential new prospects in targeted segments as part of the implementation of our bilateral/ multilateral and private non-US giving business development strategy. For example:

• Identify, research, and maintain a robust pipeline of potential prospects
• Develop relationships with new prospective funders in targeted segments to develop successful funding proposals to support the organization, shepherding proposals through all required stages and decision-making processes
• Steward existing donor relationships in the targeted segments to manage the required reporting and continued development of successful proposals

• Over time, grow a team to handle end-to-end donor management, from research to stewardship to proposal writing to reporting and compliance.
• Develop strong fluency in agricultural development, poverty alleviation, and One Acre Fund’s activities and impact in order to support external representation and donor stewardship and build excitement about our work among donor communities

• Represent One Acre Fund at conferences and donor meetings, as needed
• Host our key donors visiting Africa as part of the stewardship process

• Support the business development team with internal coordination and process improvement
• Establish and maintain relationships with internal stakeholders and partners (Policy, Communications, Field, and Finance teams)
• Collaborate with Business Development management and other team members to proactively improve processes, tools, and ways of working

• Keep organized. We are not a boss-employee culture. We would like to hire someone who can manage his or her own work, and will truly own the role.

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

Professional Qualifications and Requirements

Candidates Who Fit The Following Criteria Are Strongly Encouraged To Apply

We are seeking a professional with 8+ years of work experience and demonstrated passion for a career in international development.

• Top–performing academic background. Minimum of a bachelor’s degree in a related field, graduate degree strongly preferred.
• Demonstrated senior leadership experiences at or outside of work.
• Genuine passion for international development. We are seeking someone who is truly passionate about providing opportunity to the hardest-working farmers on the planet.

• Past experience in international development and/or fundraising is a plus: The ideal candidate will have past experience in international fundraising, or project/reporting experience with bilaterals and multilaterals.

• Strong ability to understand business. We would like to hire someone who will truly understand our operations, and be able to communicate about them simply and effectively.
• Past experience in a fast-paced, relationship-driven work environment, such as management consulting, is a plus.

• Professional/technical skills: Advanced proficiency in PowerPoint and Excel; and professional effective verbal and written communication, multi-tasking, organizational, prioritization skills are necessary.
• Experience with SalesForce is a plus

• People-orientation. We are seeking someone with demonstrated experience in relationship building and excellent communications and presentation skills. This skill is particularly important as the role will be partially externally facing.
• Values fit. We put a high premium on values. We want someone who has a true service orientation and humility – someone that puts our farmers before themselves.
• Humility and personal stability. We are looking for passionate professionals who combine leadership skills with good humor, patience, and a humble approach to service.
• Willingness to be based in Nairobi and willingness to travel. This role is based in Nairobi, Kenya and will have up to 20-30% travel, within Africa and other international destinations. Dates of travel are highly variable.
• Language: English fluency required (written and spoken); French is a bonus, Swahili is a bonus

Personal Attributes

The Following Personal Attributes Are Desired

• A deep commitment to serving the poor.
• A passion for One Acre Fund's program
• Comfort and experience working with individuals from diverse backgrounds and locations.
• High energy level, and a personable, flexible, tenacious, diplomatic, and respectful demeanor.
• Proven ability to serve as a team player and leader able to motivate and inspire staff and colleagues.
• Entrepreneurial spirit.
• A sense of humor.

go to method of application »

The Agronomist Role Would Include The Following Primary Responsibilities

• Conducting early stage agricultural research on new innovations:conducting literature reviews, continually tracking agricultural research developments globally, and preparing memos to synthesize knowledge and inform trial and program decisions.
• Managing all research station trials: identifying research priorities, developing trial strategies each season, and managing multiple teams across five research stations conducting experimental trials in Kenya
• Building and managing relationships with experts: reaching out to other experts at universities and research institutions to help guide our agricultural research strategy and ensure we are pursuing the most promising innovations.
• Providing technical inputs and guidance: serving as a major source of technical knowledge about agriculture to help inform key decisions for the Product Innovations department and the Kenya country program more broadly.
• Staff mentorship: supporting all staff members working on agricultural trials to develop their technical knowledge, research and data analysis capacity, and leadership and management skills.

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 2+ years of work experience and ideally a demonstrated passion for international development. Candidates who fit the following criteria are strongly encouraged to apply:

• Advanced academic training in an agricultural field such as soil science, with a PhD and previous field trial experience in a smallholder farming context strongly preferred.
• Strong work experiences. Examples include a 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).
• Advanced data analysis knowledge, with training in statistics and experience working with R strongly preferred.
• Leadership experience at work, or outside of work.
• Top-performing undergraduate background (include final grade/marks/GPA).
• 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.
• A willingness to commit to living in rural areas of East Africa for at least two years – this is a long-term, career-track role. The ideal candidate will have at least one year demonstrated experience working in the developing world, although this is not a strict requirement.
• Language: English. Swahili-speakers are particularly encouraged to apply.