Government Services Manager/Director

Private-sector style career development in a growing social enterprise
An excellent career development opportunity

Industry: Nonprofit/International Development
Function: Government Services
Employer: One Acre Fund
Job Title: Government Services Manager/Director
Job Location: Nairobi preferred; other East African city possible

Duration: Minimum 2 years commitment, full-time job

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, 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, seed and fertilizer, 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 eight years, we have grown to serve 180,000 farm families with more than 2000 full-time field staff. Our approach has won widespread validation, winning grants from The MasterCard Foundation and Gates Foundation. Website: www.oneacrefund.org. [Second paragraph not included in website job descriptions]

Job Description One Acre Fund is increasingly exploring opportunities to work together with the Ministries of Agriculture in the countries where we work. We believe that there are very powerful opportunities to partner with Ministries to both shape policy, but more importantly to implement effective policy, coordinated together with our significant field presence. We currently have early-stage operational partnerships with two African governments, and are exploring additional partnership opportunities in several other countries.

Our government services work is divided into 1) field implementation units, and 2) African capital-city based roles that coordinate all activity. This role is responsible for managing our government services staff that are based in capital cities, and also providing overall coordination for all government services activities. This person will:

• Manage the work of the Africa government officers based in capital cities who are implementing partnerships at the country level
• Provide overall coordination of all field activities together with capital-based relations
• Build and develop a team of 5 to 10+ professional staff in the coming two years
• Develop a framework for measuring the impact of our current partnerships and evaluating future partnership opportunities
• Originate and pursue opportunities for partnership in new countries
• Collaborate closely with One Acre Fund’s country directors to make sure all government partnership work aligns with One Acre Fund field operations
• Develop a medium-term strategy for the government services department that is closely aligned with One Acre Fund’s field operations growth strategy

Career Growth and Development

One Acre Fund invests in building management and leadership skills. Your manager will invest 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. This results in fast career growth for our staff.

Qualifications

We are seeking an exceptional professional with 5-10+ years of work experience. We are looking for truly extraordinary candidates that have a passion for collaborating with government. This is a competitive posting for a career-track role with minimum initial commitment of two years. Candidates who fit the following criteria are strongly encouraged to apply:

• Strong work experiences. We are looking for a professional who fits one or more of the following backgrounds:
• Managing consulting background with heavy implementation experience
• Experience forming operational partnerships with governments
• Field operations experience in a development organization, with a passion for government work
• Astute relationship manager
• Leadership experience at work, or outside of work
• Top-performing undergraduate background (include GPA and test scores on your resume)
• Humility and personal stability. We have a fantastic and likeable team. We are looking for passionate professionals that combine strong leadership skills with good humor, patience, and a humble approach to service
• A willingness to commit to living in 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 may be relaxed in the case of an exceptional candidate
• Professional/technical skills. Very high levels of proficiency with PowerPoint, Excel, and other software programs
• Language: English required, French highly desirable

Preferred Start Date

Flexible

Compensation

Commensurate with experience

Benefits

Health insurance, immunizations, flight, room and board.

Sponsor International Candidates

Yes

How to apply:

Complete this form (http://myjotform.com/form/40471746260553). You will be prompted to submit your CV and cover letter. You may also be asked to submit work samples for some positions. Returned Peace Corps Volunteers (RPCVs), please submit a copy of your Description of Service (DOS) in the appropriate section.