Careers FAQ
Your quick guide to common questions about One Acre Fund.
We hear a lot of questions about our frequent job listings and unique application process. Here’s some additional context on some of your most common questions.
Important notice: One Acre Fund never asks applicants to pay any sort of fee to apply for a job. If you have received such a request, that means you have received a fraudulent email from someone posing as a One Acre Fund staff member. Please do not deal with any such people and apply directly through our website or via a job posting on a legitimate job board. Official One Acre Fund emails will always arrive from an @oneacrefund.org address.
Are all roles on your website accepting applications?
Yes, all roles listed on our website are accepting applications.
What is One Acre Fund’s response to Covid-19?
In this uncertain time, food security is more essential than ever. We’re rapidly reinventing our services to keep farmers safe and well-supported in the era of social distancing. Read more here.
Why do you advertise so many roles? Do you have a lot of turnover?
No, we don’t have unusual turnover, we simply need more leaders to build our next generation of services for farmers.
Why do you decline so many candidates? Why didn’t my application go through?
Given our growth, we constantly publish job listings and attract a high volume of applications. In 2021, for example, more than 65,000 talented people applied for 445 office-based roles. So most of our roles are highly competitive, and we invariably decline people with stellar skills and credentials. For more on what we look for, see Qualifications.
Why do your roles stay open instead of closing on a set date?
In response to your valued feedback and to align with common best practice, we now have set deadlines for all our roles. This means that although we still interview on a rolling basis, i.e. we process every application as we receive it, all open roles will remain live on our website for up to 90 days. If we make a hire before the 90-day deadline, the role will be taken offline.
If we have not made a hire by the deadline, any active applicants will continue to be taken through our hiring process even after the role has been taken offline.
Why are so many of your roles in rural locations?
We are proudly headquartered in rural areas to ensure we stay connected to our customers. We believe strongly that this helps us respond to customer needs, innovate quickly, and see the impact of our work firsthand. We also believe in flexibility, and offer options for splitting time between field locations and capital cities, particularly for more senior roles.
Why do you use the Plum test?
We receive applications from around the world, with many different styles of resumes and cover letters. The short psychometric assessment provides another data point that is consistent across candidates. It also helps us assess skills and potential beyond what appears in a resume. We review the results together with your CV and cover letter.
Do you re-use my exercise answers?
We absolutely do not re-use or share your interview exercises. They’re designed to be realistic to give you a concrete sense of the daily work. However, they typically cover problems we’ve already worked through as an organization. We only use them to make hiring decisions, and they’re never shared beyond the hiring team.
What kind of feedback can I expect?
We carefully assess every single application and get back to every single person. We aim to share a decision within 7 working days after an interview. Given the high volume of applications, we can only offer detailed feedback when candidates reach the later rounds. Candidates are also welcome to ask their Recruiter for more information at any point.
I interviewed/applied last year and wasn’t selected. May I reapply?
Yes, you are welcome to re-apply for any role that matches your background and skill set. We encourage you to carefully review the job description and tailor your application to the qualifications of the role.
Do I need work authorization to apply for a role?
Hiring national staff is a top priority, so many of our roles are only open to nationals of the country of operation. In each job listing on our website, we indicate if work authorization is required for the role. Please check the individual listings under the 'Eligibility' heading for details on each role.
Does One Acre Fund accept volunteers?
We appreciate the interest but are unable to accept volunteers. Instead, we run a Young Professionals Program, which is a paid internship for nationals of African countries who have recently graduated from university.