Nigeria Deputy Country Director

About One Acre Fund

Founded in 2006, One Acre Fund supplies 1 million smallholder farmers with the agricultural services they need to make their farms vastly more productive. Our 8,000+ team is drawn from diverse backgrounds and professions. With operations across six core countries in Africa, we make farmers more prosperous by providing quality farm supplies on credit, delivered within walking distance of farmers’ homes, and agricultural training to improve harvests. On average, the farmers we serve harvest 50 percent more food after working with One Acre Fund. 

To learn more about our work, take a look at our Why Work Here blog for more information.

About the Role

After three years of operation, the Nigeria program serves 8,500+ farmers and by 2024, we hope to support more than 60,000 farmers through our core agricultural package, tree program and farmer-focused solutions.

You are someone who is excited to combine a “zoomed out” leadership and system-building skillet with a “zoomed in” focus on quality and efficiency. You enjoy seeing work in action, and are ready to get your boots muddy.

• This is a senior leadership role, combined with operational oversight
• You will identify and prioritize opportunities for program improvement and provide constructive feedback on the full organization. In this way you will push the entire team, including the CD, to dream bigger, perform better and maximize our Social Return on Investment (“SROI”).
• You will report to the Country Director and work closely with them on the program priority projects
• You will manage a team of over 25 staff, including 3-5 direct reports
• You will set up the crop commercialization model and scale it up

Responsibilities

Co-lead the country program with the Country Director:

• Co-lead the Steering Committee, which sets the 1-year and 5-year strategy
• Support our teams to set and achieve targets within our strategy
• Lead our field-facing teams to create impact for thousands of farmers
• Field Program Design: Use a client-centered program approach informed by rigorous analysis.
• Execution: Deploy practical strategy and structure to grow our client base, achieve high adoption of training, and recover loan repayment
• Leadership Development: Strengthen our field-facing teams as we expand both horizontally and vertically
• Learn and lead other program areas. In addition to Field Operations, we would expect you to directly manage at least one other department or team

Career Growth and Development

We have a strong culture of constant learning and we invest in developing our people. You’ll have weekly check-ins with your manager, access to mentorship and training programs, and regular feedback on your performance. We hold career reviews every six months, and set aside time to discuss your aspirations and career goals. You’ll have the opportunity to shape a growing organization and build a rewarding long-term career.

Qualifications

Across all roles, these are the general qualifications we look for. For this role specifically, you will have:

• You are a mission-driven individual that can align 100% with OAF’s values in putting farmers first
• You have 7+ years of highly successful professional experience. Relevant experience may include:
  • Entrepreneurship including founding or running a small business ;
  • Private sector business, NGO, or international development
  • Consulting-based experience, including learning and recommending new business models quickly;
  • Agricultural, agroforestry, or rural development work experience.
• You have 2+ years senior management experience with examples of people development and performance management.
• You have general management skills and ability to manage multiple topics across different, cross-cultural teams. You enjoy watching other team members succeed and can create growth opportunities for your team
• You are comfortable with setting and communicating strategy while ensuring the details of quality work.
• You have a Bachelors’ degree or higher
• Involvement in impactful activities beyond coursework
• Candidates from a variety of areas of study are encouraged to apply
• Language: Fluent written and spoken English required

Preferred Start Date

Due to the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic, start dates can vary significantly by role. We are adapting rapidly to Covid-19 and most of our team is now working remotely. Given the changing environment, we will appreciate your flexibility in confirming a start date.

Job Location

Minna, Nigeria

Benefits

Health insurance, housing, and comprehensive benefits

Eligibility

One Acre Fund can support a work permit for this role. However, nationals of (or those with an extensive professional background and work history in) our countries of operation are preferred.

Application Deadline

21 October 2021

One Acre Fund never asks candidates to pay any money or pay for tests at any stage of the interview process. Official One Acre Fund emails will always arrive from an @oneacrefund.org address. Please report any suspicious communication here ([email protected]), but do not send applications or application materials to this email address.

Diversity, Equity, Inclusion (DEI), and anti-racism are deeply connected to our organization’s mission and purpose. One Acre Fund aspires to build a culture where all staff feel consistently valued, represented, and connected – so that our team can thrive as professionals, and achieve exceptional impact for the farmers we serve.

We are committed to equal employment opportunity regardless of race, color, ancestry, religion, sex, national origin, sexual orientation, age, marital status, disability, gender, gender identity or expression. We are proud to be an equal opportunity workplace.