Research & Development Director
Kigali, Rwanda or Nairobi, Kenya
About One Acre Fund
Founded in 2006, One Acre Fund equips 5.5 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 their income and assets on supported land by more than 35 percent, while permanently improving their resilience. This is all made possible by our team of 9,000+ full-time staff, drawn from diverse backgrounds and professions.
To learn more, please see our Why Work Here blog post.
About the Role
We are looking for a technical leader with a talent for operational execution to oversee our agriculture-focused research and development (R&D) function. This is a senior leadership role responsible for shaping and delivering our global R&D strategy, managing a growing team, planning and executing high-quality field research across multiple countries, and generating practical, scalable innovations for smallholder farmers. You will be a part of the Global Impact team and report directly to the Senior Director for R&D and Extension. This role is based in Kigali, Rwanda (being based in Nairobi, Kenya may also be an option for Kenyan nationals or exceptional candidates).
Responsibilities
- Lead the development and execution of our global R&D strategy across early-stage discovery, field validation, and operational integration.
- Manage a team of global R&D managers and provide technical oversight to R&D staff across multiple country programs.
- Oversee the design and implementation of rigorous on-farm and on-station trials across thousands of farmers and diverse agroecological zones.
- Build and oversee detailed trial workplans, ensuring tight coordination of logistics such as farmer recruitment, input delivery, field team and farmer training, trial establishment.
- Establish and enforce data quality assurance systems—including spot-check protocols, audit trails, and real-time dashboards for monitoring trial health.
- Establish clear R&D pipeline governance, including prioritization, stage-gating, and quality assurance systems.
- Foster collaboration across agronomy, data science, human-centered design, and country operations to ensure farmer-centered research and fast iteration.
- Build external partnerships with universities, CGIAR centers, NARES, and others to amplify learning and sector impact.
- Ensure R&D data and insights are high-quality, FAIR (Findable, Accessible, Interoperable, Reusable), and shared openly where appropriate.
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:
- 10+ years of experience in agricultural research and development, including at least 5 years managing complex, multi-country R&D portfolios or large trial operations.
- Deep technical expertise in agronomy, soil science, crop physiology, or a closely related field.
- Demonstrated experience designing, executing, and analyzing on-farm and on-station trials, with proven ability to set up monitoring systems that catch protocol deviations, flag missing or inconsistent data, and hold teams accountable for corrective action.
- Ability to build systems that drive cost-efficiency, quality assurance, and knowledge sharing across geographies.
- A strong bias for implementation—you’re not just interested in what should happen, but in ensuring it does happen, on time and to spec.
- The ability to translate complex science into actionable guidance for internal teams, partners, and policymakers.
- Fluency in English required; French, Swahili, or other regional languages a plus.
Preferred Start Date
As soon as possible
Job Location
Kigali, Rwanda or Nairobi, Kenya
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
03 November 2025.Please note that we hire on a rolling basis which means that applications are reviewed and processed on a continuous basis until a hire is made.
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.
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