Impact Ventures Growth Associate

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, our farmers 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

The Impact Ventures Department aims to build ultra-scalable new channels and business models that can grow to serve more than half a million farmers in just a few years. We have a diverse portfolio of investments, from government partnerships to short-term behavior change campaigns to tree seedling nurseries and rural retail shops. What they share is a commitment to serve millions of farm families while maintaining operations that are financially efficient or cost-neutral.

Responsibilities

We are looking for an extremely strong and dynamic leader to help identify, design and scale-up early-stage ventures in partnership with country and global teams. The Growth Associate will also lead key team-wide functions to support management and growth of the department. We want someone with a strong entrepreneurial spirit who also knows how to apply rigor and structure to produce great results. You will report to a Program Director for Impact Ventures and work closely with leaders across the organization to help us achieve our ambitious goals.

Examples of projects include:

• Improve Access to Tractors for Farmers in Nigeria: Partnered with a third-party ag-tech platform to provide affordable tractor services on credit to farmers in west-central Nigeria.
• Increase Seed Supply Ethiopia: Increased the supply of improved teff seed by creating a network of outgrowers and working with government agencies to implement a quality control system for harvested seed.
• Accelerate Growth of Large-scale Tree Program in Malawi: Collaborated with country leaders in Malawi to identify opportunities to achieve a faster growth rate in the next 2-5 years
• Research and Scout New Geographies: Researched new market opportunities in Nigeria, India and the DRC. Hired staff and helped launch early stage pilot programs.
• Manage professional development for Impact Ventures’ Staff: Conducted a skill-gap analyses and developed a continuous learning program for 25+ leadership staff based in 6 countries

Career Growth and Development

We have a 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 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:

• A Bachelor’s degree is required
• 3 to 5+ years of professional work experience with experience leading teams and managing projects; entrepreneurial (e.g. building a new team, launching new programs, leading a field-based project) or management consulting experience preferred)
• Humility; a willingness to get your shoes muddy and work productively with people from all walks of life; ability to tackle any task, large or small, with enthusiasm
• An entrepreneurial mindset with a willingness to play different roles and the ability to add value quickly.
• Excellent data analysis skills, able to work with data to develop informed, evidence-based strategies
• Willingness to travel 35% of the time to rural areas post-Covid – our operations are predominantly based in rural areas, close to our customers. Desire to work in different geographic locations, in a field setting.
• Fluency in English

Preferred Start Date

As soon as possible

Job Location

Kigali, Rwanda or Nairobi, Kenya

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

8 June 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.