Business Development Chief of Staff (Manager)

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 more information.

About the Role

The Chief of Staff (CoS) is an essential part of the Business Development team, providing execution support to the head of BD, the BD leadership team, and coordination of team-wide initiatives. To succeed in this role, you will need to be exceptionally well-organized, an extremely good communicator and intrinsically motivated by results.

Responsibilities

• Deputy support to head of BD: You will report directly to the head of Business Development, supporting in important fundraising activities, including analyzing new donor prospects, advising on donor outreach strategies, overseeing due diligence processes, providing feedback on proposals and reports, and ensuring systems are in place for successful grant management and compliance. You will essentially increase the Director's capacity by 10-20%
• Lead team coordination and internal communications: You will manage routine activities and initiatives of the Business Development team including - OKRs design and progress tracking, DEI strategy, Sustainability initiatives, and annual retreat, in collaboration with the head BD and the BD leadership team. 
• Lead strategic projects: You will work with the team's leadership to originate and implement critical projects, leading to achievement of essential Business Development goals.
• Lead team-wide hiring efforts: Playing an important role in sourcing and recruiting candidates for Business Development team. This will require ownership to move the process along while using expertise and bandwidth in the People/Recruitment team.

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:

• 6+ years of experience total and 3+ years of experience in senior management roles that required strategic leadership experience.
• Experience engaging with senior internal and external stakeholders (e.g. donors, government officials, partners).
• Speak the language of business (e.g. financial sustainability, return on investment, impact per donor dollar) and non-profits/social enterprises.
• Excellent interpersonal skills and proficient at understanding motivations of different groups and teams and supporting them to work together.
• Intrinsically motivated by results, able to manage oneself to deliver top quality outcomes, on time.
• Humility. We are looking for passionate professionals who combine leadership with good humor, patience and a humble approach to service.
• At a minimum, a Bachelor’s degree is required for this position. Post-graduate degree preferred.
• Language: Fluent English.
• Persons of all gender, race, sex, orientation, age, and identity are encouraged to apply.

Preferred Start Date

As soon as possible

Job Location

Nairobi, Kenya

Benefits

Health insurance, housing, and comprehensive benefits

Eligibility

This role is only open to citizens or permanent residents of Kenya

Application Deadline

22 May 2024

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 (globalhotline@oneacrefund.org), 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, color, 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.