Wanted
Exceptional professional with 2-5+ years of experience and a demonstrated passion for and knowledge of agricultural sciences and development.
Duration
Minimum 2 years commitment, full-time job.
Job Description
One Acre Fund has a robust research program spanning all countries of operation including thousands of farmers and well over a hundred agronomic and socioeconomic trials each year. The Agriculture Research Manager will be on the Agricultural Research Team, which works directly with each country research team (Innovations Teams) to identify new research opportunities, coordinate global research initiatives, and provide technical guidance where needed. The Agriculture Research Manager will be responsible for the following:
New Research Identification – The agricultural products and trainings that we provide to hundreds of thousands of smallholder farmers each year evolve each season as a result of lessons we learn from research. You will be responsible for identifying new products/trainings (e.g. new seeds, fertilizers, planting practices, pest management practices, etc.) and research methods that we can pursue to increase the impact that our program delivers to smallholder farmers.
External Relationships – We work with a number of external research institutions, including national research organizations and international research institutions such as those from the CGIAR. You will be partially responsible for liaising with some of these institutions in an effort to engage in two-way information sharing, collaboration, and to ensure that One Acre Fund is up to speed on the latest in applied agricultural research. You may also be partially responsible for supporting some of our business development work by liaising with donors on technical agricultural work.
Global Research Coordination – The Agricultural Research Team is responsible for coordinating cross-country research initiatives such as climate change adaptation strategies, a longitudinal study of the effect of the One Acre Fund program on soil health, and the adaptation of agronomic products and decisions to local, heterogeneous conditions. You will take on a leadership role in global research coordination, especially with respect to agronomic local adaptation.
Technical Support – Our field teams request guidance on practical applications of technical concepts from time to time. You will be responsible for synthesizing technical concepts and applying them to digestible, actionable recommendations. This may take the form of developing trainings and decision support tools in addition to more ad-hoc guidance. Additionally you will occasionally be responsible for writing topical memos / briefs on important agricultural research concepts to influence organizational decisions and improve organizational knowledge.
Soil Lab (if appropriate) – One Acre Fund manages a soil lab in western Kenya where we run spectroscopic soil analyses for country teams to inform research decisions and programmatic changes. Depending on your background you may be involved with the management of our soil lab.
Career Growth and Development
One Acre Fund invests in building management and leadership skills. Your manager will invest 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. This results in fast career growth for our staff.
Qualifications
We are seeking an exceptional professional with 2-5+ years of experience and a demonstrated passion for and knowledge of agricultural sciences and development. Candidates who fit the following criteria are strongly encouraged to apply:
Experience with agricultural research and application of findings, especially in smallholder tropical agriculture.
A formal educational background in the agricultural sciences, especially soil science, agronomy, or disease and pest management. MSc is required; PhD is strongly preferred.
Strong work experiences, which may include a demanding professional work experience, successful entrepreneurial experience, leading a conference, starting a business, solid Peace Corps accomplishments, etc.
Strong project management, communication, and leadership experience.
Strong data management and analysis skills. Experience with Excel required; experience with R or Stata strongly preferred.
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 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 required. Kiswahili and/or French preferred.
Preferred Start Date
Early 2017
Compensation
Commensurate with experience.
Benefits
Health insurance, immunizations, flights, housing and food stipend.
Sponsor International Candidates
Yes
East Africans strongly encouraged to apply.
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