What You Will Do
Lead our engagement with external researchers and experts to understand existing best practices in forestry – including site selection, species R&D, nursery operations, planting, growth, enumeration, and harvesting.
Lead Komaza’s internal multi-departmental design process to create new methodologies, tools, and approaches to forestry activities across the value chain.
Monitor, evaluate, and improve Komaza’s existing forestry practices across the value chain.
Research forestry products and tools appropriate for small-holder farmers, trial them with small-holder farmers, and scale them.
Build a small team of design and forestry specialists who can continue to grow our internal expertise in designing farmer-centered forestry best practices.
Lead the creation of Komaza’s farmer and environmental impact evaluation methodology and execute that methodology.
What You Should Have
Bachelor’s degree in forestry or other relevant scientific field required, Master’s Degree or above in a relevant field preferred.
Experience working with small-holder farmers, experience with farmers in East Africa preferred.
Experience with human/user-centered design, iteration, and product development.
Experience conducting primary (not a literature review) forestry research preferred.
Experience with the full forestry value chain (nursery to planting to growth to harvest to processing) a plus.
Minimum of 2-5 years post-undergraduate, masters degree or full-time work in a forestry or agricultural context preferred.
You’re also
Equally comfortable in the office conducting literature reviews and in the field seeking feedback directly from farmer focus groups.
Flexible and self-motivated with the drive to do whatever necessary to get the job done.
Comfortable working in a company that acts and feels a lot like a startup (dynamic, unstructured, and frequently changing).
Self-directed and intellectually curious – you know how and when to seek feedback in the pursuit of continuous improvement.
Growth-obsessed with a strong desire for personal development.
A collaborative problem solver who seeks the opinions of other teammates and departments in the development of creative and sustainable systems.
What we expect
You are a good fit for Komaza if you want to make a meaningful commitment to this role for a minimum of 2+ years. This role is based at our headquarters in Kilifi, Kenya for the foreseeable future. The role offers competitive salary and benefits with potential for further career growth.
Job Field: Sector in Agriculture / Agro-Allied
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Forestry Innovations Manager
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Head of Markets and Post-Harvest Management
Position Summary
Reporting to the Vice President – Business Development & Strategic Partnerships, the Head of Markets and Post-Harvest Management will be responsible for designing and implementing a strategy to achieve large scale use of output market access techniques and technologies for agricultural commodities and higher value products for smallholder farmers. The goal is to link smallholder farmers to profitable local, regional and international markets which is ultimately expected to improve the lives of 30 million smallholder farmer households. The position will be based in Nairobi, Kenya.
Key Responsibilities
Work closely with the program officers of the Markets & Post Harvest Management to develop initiatives that translate smallholder farm activity gains into increased incomes;
Work with Program officers in the countries and GST’s to design and implement grant-making activities that address constraints to farmer knowledge and behaviour change, which apply new ideas to the extension of improved market access;
Demonstrate a strong understanding of private sector engagement in markets and ability to promote and develop targeted risk mitigation strategies that are both inclusive and market appropriate;
Perform concise value chain analytical work in support of market development and post-harvest management and be able to convey these in a clear and articulate manner using a range of computer enabled tools;
Establish and maintain networks with policy-makers and leaders of private, governmental and non-governmental organizations providing extension services and experts to be updated with trends and developments in market access for smallholder farmers;
Engage the Markets & Harvest Management team in direct dialogue with farmers and their organizations to understand their goals and needs served by the program, with particular attention to benefits to women;
Work with the AGRA policy team to develop appropriate policies to promote regional agricultural trade and facilitate linkage of smallholder farmer productivity with demand mechanisms e.g. school feeding programs;
Develop an approach to reform national and regional policies and institutions to facilitate agricultural market development and trade;
Develop and support innovative value chain approaches that increase the participation of smallholder farmers in local, regional and global trade flows;
Identify and steer efforts that enable smallholder farmers to sell their products and capture value from downstream activities. This includes market information systems;
Lead efforts to facilitate economic transactions between value chain players and smallholder farmers in Africa including out-grower schemes;
Support SMEs engaged in agro-processing linking them to smallholder farmers as reliable suppliers;
Develop de-risking instruments for value chain actors including crop insurance;
Work with the resilience team to design products that cushion smallholder farmers from shocks;
Develop and support multi-disciplinary networks of individuals and organizations that promote linking smallholder farmers to markets;
Develop and support programs for training the next generation of agri-business leaders in Africa.
Key Qualifications and Experience required
Advanced degree in Business (Marketing option), Agricultural Economics or related disciplines;
At least 12 years of experience, leading agri-businesses and development efforts, at least partially in Africa;
Deep knowledge of agricultural development in Africa;
A proven entrepreneur able to develop and implement innovative solutions to markets and develop agribusiness linkages which serve poor farmers;
Experience managing multinational initiatives in the private and/or public sector;
Solid understanding of agricultural markets, commodities and higher value products;
Solid understanding of farmer incentives that influence the adoption of technologies and market linkages and ability to work with national and regional agricultural institutions to accelerate technology uptake;
Proven ability to lead effective and high impact teams and partnerships;
Sound knowledge of, and experience in agricultural trade development at national, regional and/or international levels;
Experience in working with key stakeholders to reform national and regional policies and institutions;
Sound understanding of underlying demand and supply challenges in Africa, and ability to lead program officers to implement high-impact programs to solve these challenges;
Technical knowledge of drivers that influence smallholder market linkage;
A sound knowledge of risk management tools that respond to smallholder farmers (includes crop insurance products, market information/ICT platforms);
Knowledge/experience with warehouse receipt system/commodity exchanges and commodity trading;
Proven leadership ability to influence, develop, and empower all stakeholders to achieve their best with a team approach;
Results and detail orientated with a very hands-on approach;
Intelligent, motivated self-starter with strong interpersonal skills and work ethic.
An attractive remuneration package commensurate with the responsibilities of the position will be negotiated with the successful candidate. -
Agriculture Workshop Manager HR Development Manager Financial Accountant Electrical Engineer Medical Officer Company Archivist Security Manager Harvesting & Transport Manager Outgrowers Extension Services Manager Outgrowers Cane Development Manager Quality Assurance Manager
Reporting to Head of Agriculture
Agriculture Workshop Manager Job Responsibilities
Providing technical guidance to staff on repairs and maintenance of mobile units.
Ensuring maintenance, service and repairs of mobile and non-mobile machines are accomplished within the agreed set targets and schedules.
Ensuring vehicle and plant daily availability above 80%.
Setting priorities on the daily work schedule for superintendents.
Ensuring accurate fault diagnosis and repair.
Ensuring adequate resource availability.
Advising machine shop on modifications/fabrication of components.
Maintaining spares utilization records.
Advise management on replacement of non performing machinery and equipment.
Ensuring that specifications developed for machinery and equipment meet the Company’s standards and needs.
Providing budgetary data and information.
Handling requests for third party workshop services.
Qualifications for the Agriculture Workshop Manager Job
Bachelor of Science Degree in Automotive/Plant/Mechanical/Agriculture Engineering Or Higher National
Diploma in Automotive/Mechanical Engineering with ten (10) years’ relevant work experience.
Five (5) years’ relevant work experience in automotive engineering workshop.
Post-graduate qualification in relevant field (added advantage).
Ability to attain high work output.
Good interpersonal and communication skills.
Computer proficiency.
Ability to use ERP/SAP (Agriculture Management System)
Valid driving license.
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Agronomist Monitoring & Evaluation Associate Software Developer
Duration
Minimum 2-year commitment, full-time job
Job Description
One Acre Fund is growing quickly, and we plan to at least quadruple our farmer impact in the next five years. Our staff play a major role in driving that growth while adding major innovations and improvements to our program quality. This offers staff members a strong career opportunity: the ability to learn from a successful field operation, contribute to aggressive growth, and also make improvements to our program.
We are currently seeking an Agronomist to join the Product Innovations team in Kenya. This team works to discover new ideas for our programs and conducts dozens of trials to test them. We have a broad research portfolio, but the majority of our trials focus on new ways to boost yields and agricultural productivity for smallholder farmers. We conduct a large number of experimental trials each season, including over one hundred trials at five research stations spread across Kenya. We are continually looking for new ways to bring cutting-edge agricultural technologies and improved methods to the more than 200,000 smallholder farmers we serve.
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.
Preferred Start Date
Flexible
Compensation
We offer a modest starting salary that affords a high quality of life in our areas of operation. This is a career-track role with performance-based raises and the ability to expand responsibilities over time.
Benefits
Health insurance, immunizations, flights, housing.
Sponsor International Candidates
Yes
East Africans are strongly encouraged to apply.
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Farmer Contract Lead Farmer Insights Manager
The Farmer Relations department is all about Komaza’s farmers – what matters to them, how they engage with their communities and Komaza, and how they understand and value their partnership with Komaza. Farmer Relations seeks deep insights directly from farmers, develops communication materials to effectively explain our partnership, and runs programs to keep them engaged throughout the long tree growth cycle.
Roles for the Farmer Contract Lead Job
Revise our outline of key challenges into a clear logic framework of questions and an actionable workplan to develop final policies and contract clauses.
Develop and manage progress against a detailed project plan to ensure we finalize the contract before October 2017.
Research precedents and solutions developed by similar organizations and advisory firms through extensive internet research and phone calls.
Design, organize, and manage internal working groups to answer key questions.
Coordinate communications and activities with diverse stakeholders deliver a top-quality work product on time.
Manage the relationship and feedback loop with a supporting legal team, which will require phone, email, Skype, and some travel for in person meetings as needed.
Ensure the accuracy of the contract’s content in its final form, and coordinate translation from English to Swahili.
Create reports and PPTs to communicate progress and recommendations to Komaza’s senior leadership.
Farmer Contract Lead Job Requirements
4-7+ years of work experience at fast-growth startups or top-tier legal/consulting firms.
Experience with contract law and/or commercial investors is a big plus.
Experience with smallholder farmers or other low income/literacy clients is a big plus.
Very strong writing skills, with excellent ability to organize complex information into well-structured, concise, easy-to-understand documents.
Experience leading policy/legal/strategy projects that require coordinating and collating input from diverse stakeholders. This project will require soliciting and integrating input from Komaza’s senior leadership and investors, smallholder farmer focus groups, and third-party lawyers and advisors.
Ability to identify and manage competing interests between stakeholders, find common ground or develop innovative solutions, or know when to give precedence to one stakeholder over others.
Flexible and scrappy, with the drive to do whatever necessary to get the job done.Self-directed and intellectually curious – you know how and when to seek feedback in the pursuit of continuous improvement.
A collaborative problem solver who thinks outside traditional constraints and seeks opinions of other teammates and departments in the pursuit of ever-better solutions.
Fluent in English – Swahili would be a bonus, but is not necessary.
This role is open to international candidates. East African nationals are also strongly encouraged to apply.
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Director of Expansion
What you will do
Develop Komaza’s short- and long-term expansion strategy, working closely with Komaza’s Founder/CEO and Field Operations Director to define the key factors and processes for selecting and launching a new site.
For 2017/18 expansion into Kwale, you will be primarily based in Kwale County in order to establish that site office, where you will be responsible for directly managing the entire team, with a primary focus on Field Operations, but also managing all local support staff (i.e. a few administrative staff to support finance, HR, etc.).
Design, recruit and manage an effective, efficient, and innovative Expansion Department that can deliver on these ambitious growth targets, with a particular focus on hiring and grooming the next-generation of Expansion Leads to relocate to new sites.
Lead the design and optimization of our program model, strategies and operational tools to align our core business model with the specific context of new communities and environments.
Coordinate with other company Directors to plan how their departments (Field Ops, Finance, HR, Admin, IT, etc.) can support first-year expansion operations and subsequently expand their geographic scope to successfully take over long-term management of newly established sites.
Develop and deliver strategies to ensure that Komaza’s core values are effectively embraced at new sites, and that everyone feels part of “one Komaza”, while at the same time ensuring each site thrives with their unique and complementary identity as appropriate.
Work with other members of Komaza’s senior management team to further define and model our innovative, results-oriented, values-driven company culture, and
What you have
Bachelor’s + relevant graduate degree from top global universities (or equivalent work experience).
5+ years of work experience at reputable companies in a relevant field of work (e.g. operations management in East Africa or similar), with 2+ years in a senior management role.
Excellent critical/analytical/systems-thinking skills to design and optimize complex operations.
Excellent verbal & written communication skills to translate chaos and complexity into clarity.
Strong innovation skills to troubleshoot bottlenecks and design continuous improvements.
Experience with core business support functions, including basic HR, Finance, Procurement, IT, etc.
Experience designing & building robust management systems to effectively hand specific workstreams to mid-level managers.
Ability to retain big-picture strategic awareness while diving deep into details, and providing coaching to help others focus on key factors, rather than getting lost in the weeds.
You’re also
Comfortable with significant travel time, e.g. bouncing between Kilifi and Kwale Counties on Kenya’s Coast in 2017/18 (3-4 hour drive), followed by monthly trips to new regions thereafter.
Self-directed, intellectually curious, and comfortable working through ambiguity by creating logical frameworks and taking educated guesses to fill in the gaps.
Laser-focused on delivering successful outcomes, and sufficiently flexible, scrappy, and driven to do whatever necessary to get the job done.
Highly collaborative & skilled at soliciting efficient input from teammates and stakeholders.
Passionate about Komaza’s mission and vision — to lift rural farmers out of poverty by rapid scaling of our disruptive micro-forestry business model. -
Horticulture Supervisor Horticulture Farm Assistant
Job Description
Reporting to the Farm Manager, the Supervisor will be responsible for:
Maintaining high standard of vegetable crop management, crop hygiene and crop husbandry to ensure high quality standards and optimum production both in the green houses and open field.
Ensuring proper scouting of pests and diseases is done and promptly reporting any incidents and taking preventive action.
Timely submission of vegetable production reports as per set deadlines.
Ensuring proper Safety, Health and Environmental issues are put into consideration in accordance with the Industry standards and company policy.
Ensuring that budgeted yearly vegetable production per square meter is achieved.
Managing Training, developing and motivating staff.
Qualifications & Competence:
Degree or Higher Diploma in either Horticulture, Agronomy or Agriculture from a recognized institution.
Minimum two years’ experience working in a similar or senior supervisory position.
Good communication skills in both English and Kiswahili.
Good understanding of vegetables’ production and crop husbandry practices within greenhouse setup and open field irrigation.
Experience with Green House vegetable production technologies including pressure compensated and / or non-pressure compensated drip irrigation systems.
Knowledge in Integrated vegetable Pest Management and fertilizer application practices.
Team player with proven supervisory and people management skills and one who is able to work with minimal supervision.
Procession of a clean valid driving license will be an added advantage.
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Forestry Technical Director Programme Director
The ideal candidate will have:
Strong commercial forestry experience gained through roles with a combination of technical and operational responsibilities in organisations across the forestry value chain.
10 years of management responsibility, preferably including experience of managing multiple forestry functions.
Proven leadership of collaborative, multi-partner initiatives, and demonstrated experience of influencing senior public and private sector decision-makers.
A first degree in Forestry (Master’s degree desirable).
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