Impact Ventures Specialists and Associates start as generalists, with responsibility for discrete projects related to the design and execution of our programs. These projects increase in scope and complexity as they develop skills and leadership competencies. Over time, they can continue to rise as a general leader, possibly growing to manage an entire field program.
On a day-to-day basis, the Impact Ventures Specialist and Associate roles involve a mix of activities:
- Understanding and solving problems:observing field operations, meeting with leaders of our field staff, running surveys, conducting desk and qualitative research, analyzing KPIs, etc. Then creating simple and lasting solutions to complex problems.
- Planning and executing projects:identifying clear goals, creating project calendars, designing workflows, creating field tools and talking points, designing incentive systems and understanding stakeholders, following up and monitoring project execution in the field, etc.
- Building teams:hiring staff using One Acre Fund’s unique “experiential hiring” system, mentoring key deputies, and steadily handing off responsibility to your team as you build it.
- Communicating with other teams: working in coordination with One Acre Fund’s other teams on the ground to execute a smooth customer experience in the simplest way possible.
We are currently seeking to hire an Impact Ventures Specialist or Associate to lead 1-3 of the following projects, depending on experience level, skill set, and fit:
- Agroforestry program operations.Our agroforestry team currently oversees a network of 63 kebele-level nurseries to produce 2.5+ million tree seedlings for 25,000+ farmers, and we wish to expand this program significantly in the future. We are thus facing a classic leadership and management challenge: how to keep a country operation growing at 40-75% per year while increasing quality of service and making significant improvements to our operating model. At the heart of this is unleashing the potential in our field team leaders and ensuring execution stays on track.
- Field leadership development.As part of the challenge to grow while maintaining impact and financial sustainability, adapt leadership and core skills trainings to Ethiopia’s programs and lead the rollout of these trainings out across dozens, and later hundreds, of staff, tracking staff progress and growth while iterating to continually improve the program.
- Agroforestry program design: first learn from our organization’s deep knowledge on scaling rural field programs; then, work find and systematically evaluate new ways for our teams to grow faster, deepen the impact and become leaner. This role would involve development of trainings and other program materials as well as analytical structuring to evaluate various potential program changes.
- Agronomy and behavior change.Become an expert in both the agronomy of our promoted trees and seeds and also in behavior change methodology, designing training materials and program improvements to push for higher adoption of our products and recommended practices and to maximize the impact of every client touchpoint.
- Seed multiplication program leadership.We are conducting a two-year trial to test the efficacy of multiplying, processing and selling qualityteffseedthrough cooperative farmers, while also validating the yields of other crops/varieties. Lead the trial, adapting agronomic protocols and ensuring that farmers and cooperatives adhere to them through a coordinator and small field staff.
- Tree nursery operations.In an aim to deepen our impact through trees, we have established a trial nursery for experimentation with various seedling production practicesand new species, including fruit trees. Identify practices, design trials, ensure the trialsare rigorously implemented and evaluated and provide recommendations to the main program team..
This position could be hired at two different levels depending on experience, plus interview and assignment performance during the selection process:
The Impact Ventures Specialist will likely start by leading 1-2 projects only from the above list of project areas, and they may or may not have direct management responsibilities for 1-3 other staff members. They will be expected to initiate process improvements and set medium–term goals for their work, but will do so with moderate support from their manager. They will be expected to create quality deliverables with a high level of independence, on moderate revisions needed from their manager. The ideal candidate should have 3+ years of strong work experience, a proven ability to learn and grow quickly, and computer skills (intermediate Excel, typing speed, internet research skills) that require little additional development to do the job well.
Job Requirements
Qualifications
We are seeking one exceptional Ethiopian professional(s) with 3+ years (Specialist role) or 5+ years (Associate role) of work experience and ideally a demonstrated passion for our mission. Candidates who fit the following criteria are strongly encouraged to apply:
- Strong work experiences. Examples include a demanding professional work experience or successful entrepreneurial experience, e.g. starting a field program in Ethiopia, leading a large conference, starting a business, etc.
- Leadership experience at work, or outside of work. This could be taking the initiative to start and finish something significant that involves others, not necessarily management experience.
- Quantitative literacy, critical thinking, computer skills and a strong analytical approach to problem-solving. This should include typing speed of 30 WPM or higher and intermediate Excel skills.
- Humility, collaboration skills, initiative and a strong drive to excel on assigned projects
- A willingness to commit to living in Bahir Dar and travel weekly to rural kebeles 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 rural areas, although this is not a strict requirement.
- Bachelors or Master’s Degree in Agriculture, Plant Science, Forestry, Horticulture, Natural Resource Management or other related subject is an asset but not required.
- Language: Fluent English is required; proficient Amharic is an asset.
Preferred Start Date
Flexible; June 1 preferred
Benefits
Health insurance, housing and other quality of life benefits
More Information
- Job City Bahir Dar, Amhara