Uganda Business Development & Commercial Innovations Lead (Fixed-Term)

About One Acre Fund

Founded in 2006, One Acre Fund equips more than 4 million smallholder farmers to make their farms more productive. Across nine countries that together are home to two-thirds of Africa's farmers, we provide high-quality farm supplies, tree seedlings, accessible credit, modern agronomic training, and a wide range of other agricultural services. On average, this model enables any farmer to increase her income and assets on supported land by more than 40 percent, while permanently improving her climate resilience. This is all made possible by our team of 8,000+ full-time staff, drawn from diverse backgrounds and professions.

Our Uganda program, founded in 2016, serves approximately 27,000 farmers. We offer bespoke training to coffee farmers to help them improve their yields, and distribute a range of different tree species through local nurseries situated close to farmers. Our team in Uganda is headquartered in Jinja, close to the districts we serve, and supported by a small presence in Kampala. To learn more about our work, look at our Uganda program blog

About the Role

You will identify and partner with private sector / commercial entities to develop value chain offerings for our smallholder farmers. You will also design and implement trials of new commercial strategies, contributing to the economic growth and sustainability of Ugandan farmers. Your success will lead to increased commercial opportunities and, therefore, income for our farmers.

Reporting to the Head of Commercial Strategy and Execution, you will work with external organizations and require a high level of autonomy.

Responsibilities

Business Development (40%)

• Establish partnerships with commercial entities, including buyers, processors, and distributors, to develop value chain offerings for smallholder farmers in Uganda.
• Assess market opportunities for crops, such as chia, coffee, and other high-value crops.
• Negotiate terms and legal agreements / contracts with commercial partners to ensure mutual benefit and sustainability for One Acre Fund, our farmers and our partners.

Commercial Innovations:(20%)

• Design and implement trials, in collaboration with Field Facing / Execution teams, of different commercial strategies to enhance the economic viability of smallholder farmers.
• Develop and test approaches to link farmers with markets and improve their market access, e.g. Establish crop certification processes and ensure farmers meet these standards with training and support.

Stakeholder Engagement:(30%)

• Collaborate with our teams, including Field-facing, Impact, and other Commercialisation staff ( particularly the Head of Commercial Strategy & Execution), to align commercial initiatives with organizational goals.
• Engage with community leaders, farmer cooperatives, and other partners to support commercial innovations.
• Represent us in meetings, conferences, trade fairs, and forums related to value chains in which One Acre Fund Uganda is involved (or planning to be be involved) agriculture.

Monitoring and Evaluation (10%)

• In collaboration with the MEL team, develop and implement monitoring and evaluation plans to assess the impact of commercial strategies.
• Collect and analyze data to measure success and identify areas for improvement.
• Present reports on business development and commercial innovation activities to partners and funders.

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:

• Bachelor’s degree in Business Administration, Agricultural Economics, Marketing, or a related field.
• 5+ years of experience in business development, market access, commercial strategy, or related roles, preferably in the agricultural sector.
• Understanding of agricultural value chains (preferably in Coffee, Macadamia, Chia, Avocado, Maize, Beans, Groundnuts, and/or Agroforestry products) and market dynamics.
• Experience establishing and managing commercial partnerships

Preferred Start Date

As soon as possible

Job Location

Kampala, or Jinja, Uganda (this is a hybrid role, with time spent in our offices as well as time traveling to meet partners and spending time in the field to understand field team needs)

Benefits

Health insurance, housing, and comprehensive benefits

Contract Duration

4 years (until the end of 2028)

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

12 December 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 ([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, 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.