Job Description
The Global Commercialization Director will be at the forefront of leading one of our organization's biggest opportunities to generate impact in the next decade: shaping a new suite of services to connect our clients to markets. To date, One Acre Fund has focused on improving yields of food crops through supplying quality inputs, training, and delivery. The organization and the farmers we serve are now ready to take the next step to connecting to markets. This will require launching new business units to serve hundreds of thousands to farmers across 7+ countries through identifying value chains, creating connections to buyers, and building out the teams and logistics to support a brand new arm of services.
Key responsibilities of this role include:
Developing & driving crop commercialization strategy:This role will be responsible for setting the organization-wide strategy on crop commercialization to increase the incomes of a significant proportion of the farmers we serve through commercialization by 2025. To do this, the Global Commercialization Director will identify the most promising commercialization opportunities locally and internationally, work with country programs to set their annual commercialization priorities, and ensure that teams are working towards a consistent, long-term vision for commercialization at OAF.
Overseeing the launch of 7+ new business units:This entrepreneurial leader will help get commercialization business units off the ground in at least seven of our countries over the next few years to serve at least 500,000 farmers. Although in-country teams will be responsible for launching the new businesses, the Global Commercialization Director will be a key player in supporting the teams to bring new business to life through on-the-ground involvement at key junctures, moving teams beyond research & scoping to doing, and supporting on the business plans and connections necessary for the new business units to succeed.
Providing targeted technical expertise:Through direct input, or facilitating connections to external connections, provide expertise on technical aspects of market access and value-addition. This would include providing guidance on value chain mapping, buyer identification, contract negotiations between OAF and/or farmers and buyers, aggregation logistics, processing, export regulations and logistics, and more.
Coordinating strategy implementation across teams:This role will be the central coordinator of crop commercialization strategy across 7+ countries. This will require establishing systems to facilitate knowledge sharing and coordination across a diverse set of teams through working groups, dotted line management of in-country market access leads, and centralized knowledge and resource repositories.
Career Growth and Development
We have a strong culture of constant learning and we invest in developing our people. Youll 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. Youll have the opportunity to shape a growing organization and build a rewarding long-term career.
Qualifications
We are looking for candidates with 6 or more years of work experience in private sector agribusiness roles that involved sourcing from smallholder farmers in East or Southern Africa. You should have progressively increasing responsibilities in strategy setting and project leadership. Candidates who fit the following criteria are encouraged to apply:
Entrepreneurial experience scaling businesses that source from smallholder farmers in East Africa.
Experience in the following values chains is preferred: fruit & nut trees (macadamia, avocado, mango), soybean, groundnuts, small seeds (chia and sesame), and/or coffee
Experience with multiple technical aspects is preferred: value chain identification, aggregation logistics, contract agreements with buyers, quality standards, processing, export regulations, and/or certification requirements.
Demonstrated ability to design and implement strategic plans to grow businesses
Leadership experience in multicultural environments
Proven experience developing & maintaining relationships with senior leadership of private sector actors in the agribusiness and retail space
Related Masters Degree is preferred in agriculture, business, economics, supply chains, etc.
Excellent research and analytical skills
Proactive, result-oriented attitude
Humble and service-oriented approach to collaborative work
A willingness to commit to living in East Africa for at least two years and travel to rural locations up to 30% of the time
Language: Fluent English required, Swahili preferred
Preferred Start Date
As soon as possible
Job Location
Nairobi,Kenya or Kigali,Rwanda
Compensation
Commensurate with experience
