Europe Director of Business Development

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

One Acre Fund will raise over $85 million USD in 2021, and in doing so, fuel our field program to end chronic hunger for over 1.4 million farm families. Our unique model matches $1 of raised revenue with $3-4 of farmer revenue in our core program; fundraising also supports innovation and corporate expenses. Historically, One Acre Fund has primarily received funding from the US. However, in the last several years, our European portfolio has grown in size and importance, and we see a significant amount of untouched potential in this market.

The Europe Business Development Director role will take over an existing portfolio of mostly institutional donors (foundations and corporations) and some individuals. This portfolio is primarily made up of Holland-based donors. Over time, the Director will also independently develop a pipeline of new funding opportunities – both in Holland and in other western European countries.

We are looking for someone with excellent external communication skills, and who speaks the language of business. You are a team player, ready to work with our writing, finance, and compliance teams on excellent stewardship and origination. You have 10+ years of relevant work experience, including in fundraising or business development in a global development context. You will report directly to the Global Head of Business Development in Nairobi.

Responsibilities

• Partnerships building and management with existing donors. Our funding arrangements are strategic partnerships crafted around goals that align with One Acre Fund’s long-term strategy.
• New lead development and relationship-building. You will identify and build relationships with new donors in Holland and nearby markets such as Germany and France. We ideally work with funders that can commit to large support from the beginning, but in a new market we often have to prioritize donors that start small and can grow with us. While this approach takes more patience, it is highly rewarding over time.
• Team development. You will manage at least two Business Development staffers to start, and you will help grow the Europe team over time.
• Dutch Governing Board. You will provide senior support to bi-annual Dutch Board meetings.
• A spokesperson for our farmers. One Acre Fund contributes to global discussions around agricultural development, and you will be a spokesperson for our organization, participating in events like the Sankalp Forum and SoCap.

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:

• 10+ years of relevant work experience
• Speak the language of business and have previous fundraising experience. Our donors are looking for someone with business fluency (communicates in financial sustainability, return on investment, impact per donor dollar).
• Existing networks in the philanthropic community. You can use past relationships to develop a pipeline of new partnerships.
• Experience in the international development or social sector.
• Ability to travel regionally for in-person donor meetings or networking opportunities, roughly 20% of the time.
• Language: English and preferably Dutch.

Preferred Start Date

As soon as possible

Job Location

Utrecht or Amsterdam, the Netherlands

Benefits

 Health insurance, housing, and comprehensive benefits

Eligibility

You have independent authorization to work in the Netherlands

Application Deadline

2 March 2022

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.