Product Innovations Research Station Officer

Job Description

Job Location: Sagana
Reports To: Crop Research Station Supervisor
Organization Description: Most of the world’s poor are farmers, representing the largest and most uniform group of poor people in the world. One Acre Fund is a growing NGO in Kenya, Rwanda, Burundi, Uganda, Malawi, Zambia and Tanzania that is innovating a new way of helping farm families to achieve their full potential. Instead of giving handouts, One Acre Fund invests in farmers to generate a permanent gain in farm income.
We provide farmers with a “market bundle” that includes education, finance, farm inputs and solar lights, and market access. Our program is proven impactful-every year, we weigh thousands of harvests and measure 50-100% average gain in farm income per acre. We have laser-like focus on generating better lives for the people that we serve.
We are growing quickly. In ten years, we have grown to serve 0ver 500,000 farm families with more than 5,000 full-time field staff. Our approach has won widespread validation, winning grants from The MasterCard Foundation and Gates Foundation.
Website: www.oneacrefund.org.
Job Description: The mandate of the Product Innovations Team is to develop and test new products and product delivery systems. As a member of the Product Innovations team, you contribute to the research needed to move products from early stage trials to scale.
Your Role

Know Your Trials: Develop a thorough knowledge of the requirements for crop station trials including planting, top dressing, and harvesting
Trial Supervision: Supervise anywhere from 5 – 10 crop station trials each season, including all trial replications
Ensure Quality Execution: Fully understand the quality policy and meet quality standards by conducting regular follow ups to the trial plots to ensure quality standards are met
Perform Hard Labor Duties: Carry out all labor related activities as required by your manager, including land preparation, planting, top dressing, harvesting and all intermediate tasks. In summary, your role will require you to physically maintain the trial plots assigned to you using the farm equipment provided to you.
Carry out Technical Tasks: Carry out all technical activities as required by your manager, including spraying, creating planting tools (such as planting strings, planting sticks and row sticks), creating harvest boxes, etc.
Quantitative Data Collection: Conduct quantitative data collection according to trial requirements, including at planting, top dressing and harvesting, and ensure data quality and accuracy
Meet KPI Targets: Follow work plan set in the weekly meeting and track daily activities and KPI’s to report to your supervisor
Participate in Trainings & Staff Activities: Attend and participate in weekly staff meetings and trainings

Our Requirements

A minimum of 2 years work experience in a related field
National Identification Card (ID)
Minimum Education; KCSE D+
Strong numeric and data collections skills
Knowledge of agricultural practices for smallholder farmers
Excellent communication skills
Exceptional personal organizational skills and attention to detail
Time management skills and ability to work independently
Positive attitude with a strong work ethic
Demonstrated commitment to teamwork and collaboration
Eager to learn, teach, enhance current processes and develop new operations
Be willing to participate in hard physical labor, using the farm equipment provided
Humility, we are looking for passionate professionals who combine strong leadership skills with patience and a humble approach to service to join our growing family of leaders
Passionate about serving smallholder farmers
Language: English, Kiswahili required