New Country Expansion Government Relations Manager

One Acre Fund is currently conducting new country expansion trials in Uganda and Malawi, with plans to add 1-2 additional trials in the next six months. A critical success factor in these trials is forging early positive relationships with local and national government officials. The new country expansion government relations manager will oversee early stage interactions with local and national government officials in trial countries while setting up a long-term government relations capability. S/he will remotely manage the initial government relations staffers in each trial country, and support the work of the new country expansion team by ensuring approvals, licenses, and permits are obtained expeditiously.

The manager will be based in Nairobi, but will operate across 3-4 countries, so frequent travel within the region should be expected (at least 50%). When a trial is in its earliest stage, the manager might be required to spend up to 2 months in a trial country. S/he will provide new country scouts in each trial country with support on local government outreach at village and district levels. S/he will also hold introductory meetings with priority national government figures, and produce detailed analysis on the role of government in the agricultural sector. The manager will work closely with One Acre Fund's legal team to ensure our program is legally established to operate in new countries.

As a trial moves closer to being launched, the manager will recruit staff to coordinate government relations at local and national levels. The manager will identify priority deliverables, set team work plans, and manage staff across multiple countries. S/he should expect to be managing 3-4 national staff and 2 expatriate staff in 3-4 countries at any given time.

Primary responsibilities of the role:

• Support new country scouts on initial local government relations through calls, templates, and analysis providing further context on local government structures
• Initiate national government relations through introductory meetings with officials in ministries and regulators.
• Internal research on legal, policy, and regulatory questions, including the work of key donors and non-state actors.
• Recruit and train field-based local government officers and national government relations analysts.
• Manage 3-4 local government officers and 2 national government relations analysts across 3-4 countries.
• Create team management systems within and between new countries.
• Offer ongoing training and professional development to local government officers.

This role could become a senior manager or director position for One Acre Fund's government relations work at regional level. Responsibilities could also expand to regional policy and advocacy on agriculture and rural development.

Career Growth and Development

One Acre Fund invests in building management and leadership skills. Your manager will invest significant time in your career development. We provide constant, actionable feedback delivered through mentorship and through regular management consulting-style career reviews. We also have regular one-on-one meetings, where we listen to and discuss career goals, and work collaboratively to craft roles that each person can be passionate about. Because of our rapid growth, we constantly have new high-level roles opening up and opportunities in many functions. This results in fast career growth for our staff.

Qualifications

We are seeking an exceptional professional with 5+ year(s) of work experience and ideally a demonstrated passion for international development. Candidates who fit the following criteria are strongly encouraged to apply:

• Strong work experiences. Examples include a demanding professional work experience, or successful entrepreneurial experience (e.g. leading a conference, starting a business, solid Peace Corps accomplishments).
• Leadership experience at work, or outside of work
• Strong academic background
• Remote management experience and experience working closely with colleagues in different countries
• Experience working directly with African governments
• Humility. We are looking for passionate professionals who combine strong leadership skills with good humor, patience, and a humble approach to service to join our growing family of leaders.
• Language: English required, French a plus

Preferred Start Date

Flexible

Compensation

Starts modest. However, this is a career-track role with fast raises for performance, paying a meaningful salary for long-term placement in developing nations.

Benefits

Health insurance, immunizations, flight, room and board.

Sponsor International Candidates

Yes

How to apply

To Apply

Complete this form (http://myjotform.com/form/40471746260553). You will be prompted to submit your CV and cover letter. You may also be asked to submit work samples for some positions. Returned Peace Corps Volunteers (RPCVs), please submit a copy of your Description of Service (DOS) in the appropriate section.