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, the farmers we serve 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 information.

About the Role

We’re looking for a passionate, dynamic, seed entrepreneur to lead our entry into the potato seed market in Rwanda. After two years of success in supporting the development of the hybrid maize seed market – now serving over 30% of national demand and over 460,000 farmers – One Acre Fund is now excited to begin diversifying our seed product offering to potato seed. We require a candidate who is willing to make it their life’s mission for the next two years to grow the best quality seed for Rwandan farmers and to navigate any challenge this process throws at them with patience, positivity and passion. This project aims to bring the highest quality potato seed to tens of thousands of Rwandan farmers. This work will create hundreds of thousands of dollars of impact by increased harvest and nutrition for farm households within the next two years.

Responsibilities

Bring over 1000 MT of certified seed to market in our first year – enough for an estimated 10,000 farmers
Develop relationships with local and international providers of germplasm and existing mini-tuber suppliers to guarantee a supply of pre-basic seed
Select varieties to produce suitable for our market – high yield, disease resistance and ware potato characteristics
Develop flagship pre-basic, basic and certified seed production farm(s)
Develop our existing partners and new partners into quality early-generation potato seed producers. Where beneficial/necessary build partnerships with government organizations, regulatory bodies, farm cooperatives, seed companies and other partners to ensure the success of the program
Work with the local authorities to ensure all seed meets the required standards:
Develop a lab suitable for phytosanitary testing (ELISA, PCR and seed quality testing)
Review current seed testing practices and capacity build where necessary to ensure the Rwandan market meets international standards
Work with in-country potato centres which are already working to support quality seed production with seed producers
Provide support in developing the technical elements of funding applications with our Business Development Team and Business Operations Lead
Career Growth and Development

We have a strong 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 have the opportunity to 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:

Minimum Master’s or 5+ years experience in Seed Breeding or related field – strong preference for potato or horticultural crop breeding
Obsession/passion for getting quality seed to farmers (this role will be a lot of work and we need someone intrinsically motivated to make it successful)
The entrepreneurial mindset is a must (this is new territory for OAF)
Operations and project planning experience
Experience or ability to smoothly work with external partners
Model business scenarios (can create/maintain complex spreadsheets)
Experience working with seed potatoes would be very highly regarded
Preferred Start Date

As soon as possible

Job Location

Kigali with significant time in the field – potential relocation to a rural location to build out the potato seed production facilities

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:28 November 2022

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, colour, 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.