About One Acre Fund
Founded in 2006, One Acre Fund supplies smallholder farmers with the agricultural services they need to make their farms vastly more productive. We provide quality farm supplies on credit, delivered within walking distance of farmers homes, and agricultural trainings to improve harvests. We measure our success by our ability to make farmers more prosperous: On average, farmers harvest 50 percent more food after working with One Acre Fund.
We are growing quickly. We currently serve more than 800,000 farm families in Eastern and Southern Africa, with more than 7,500 full-time staff, and we aim to serve 1 million farm families by 2020.
Job Description
One Acre Fund works closely with local and national governments. Our principal focus is the Ministry of Agriculture in countries where we operate, but we also pay close attention to other actors in the agricultural and agro-forestry sectors. Our aim is to share information on what we do and build support amongst influential stakeholders. We also seek detailed insights into the strategic, regulatory, legal and political issues affecting these sectors.
Our Government Relations Team supports field operations to provide vital services to farmers. The team also informs our wider policy, communications, and outreach work. We believe that powerful opportunities exist to partner with the government to shape and implement effective policy, coordinated with our significant field presence.
One Acre Fund launched operations in Zomba, Malawi in 2014 with less than 75 farm families, and has since expanded to serve over 15,000 households across Zomba, Mulanje, Blantyre, Chiradzulu, Phalombe and Balaka districts in Malawis Southern Region. Our program is on a rapid growth trajectory, aiming to serve over 95,000 Malawian households across 7 districts in 2 regions (Southern and Central) within the next 5 years.
In Malawis complex regulatory and political landscape, the Government Relations Analyst will work closely with our local government relations team to grow and enhance our outreach to local and national government. The Analyst will own and execute the national-level strategy, which is comprised of a set of discrete projects aimed at building up our network of political supporters and intelligence to improve our collaboration with government and ensure the alignment and compliance of all aspects of our operations. They will also deepen existing relationships with high-profile officials at the Ministry of Agriculture, Ministry of Natural Resources, Ministry of Home Affairs, the NGO Board, regulators, Members of Parliament and Cabinet Ministers in Lilongwe, with the overall goal to raise One Acre Funds visibility with national government and ensure continued alignment and flexible operations.
The successful applicant will be directly supervised by the Government Relations Analyst for Growth Countries based in Nairobi, Kenya, and will also report regularly to the Malawi Country Director based in Zomba. This position will be based in Lilongwe, with periodic travel to our headquarters in Zomba and to other locations within Malawi, as needed.
Specific responsibilities include, but are not limited to:
- Drive national-level strategy
- Establish a network of senior government and political champions at parliamentary and cabinet levels to actively support One Acre Funds program and future expansion. Organize meetings and field visits for strategic outreach to national government and politicians to increase fluency in our program.
- People management
- Manage and coordinate the activities of four local government relations staff across multiple districts. Deliver trainings on work planning, strategic thinking, IT skills and mentoring for the local government team.
- Compliance
- Engage Lilongwe-based regulators, support fulfillment of compliance requirements and complete other discrete government and external stakeholder engagement tasks.
- Policy intelligence work
- Build expertise on agricultural, NGO and micro-finance policy issues (i.e. subsidy programs, extension, market access, regional economic trade, etc.) that are relevant to OAF operations, and design strategies to respond to both opportunities and future risk.
- Strategic communication:
- Be the main external communicator on behalf of One Acre Fund. Internally, communicate regularly and collaborate with the Malawi field and innovations teams and global government relations and policy tea
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 seeking an exceptional professional with 3-4 year(s) of work experience, a deep understanding of the Malawian Government and political landscape, and a demonstrated passion for our mission. Candidates who fit the following criteria are strongly encouraged to apply:
- Strong work experience in stakeholder or government relations with fluency in the Malawian Government and political structures.
- Strong educational background – minimum of Bachelors degree required. Degrees in public policy, public administration, law, international development or business preferred.
- Excellent communication (written and oral) and interpersonal skills.
- Ability to solve problems creatively, deal positively with challenges, and work well under pressure.
- Demonstrated leadership experience at work, or outside of work, enthusiasm for learning, and openness to feedback.
- Experience managing and successfully driving results through teams. Experience with remote management highly desired.
- Experience working with the public sector, and interest in international development work: This might include government institutions, research bodies or other public bodies with a focus on agriculture and rural development in Africa.
- Ability to operate autonomously and be a self-starter: A highly organized and disciplined, solution-oriented and creative individual is required as this role involves remote working. We are looking for someone with a high level of professional maturity.
- Ability to build teams and collaborate with colleagues from diverse backgrounds.
- Language: Fluency in English and Chichewa required.
Preferred Start Date
As soon as possible
Job Location
Lilongwe, Malawi
Compensation
Commensurate with experience
Duration
Full-time job
Benefits
Health insurance, paid time off
Sponsor International Candidates
No; Must have existing rights to work in Malawi. Malawi country nationals are strongly encouraged to apply.
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.
More Information
- Job City Lilongwe
