At One Acre Fund, we believe in building an Africa that feeds itself. Since our founding in 2006, we have been at the forefront of smallholder agricultural transformation, equipping more than 5.5 million farmers across nine African countries with the tools and support to sustainably improve their yields and incomes. Through high-quality inputs, agronomic training, accessible credit, and innovative support systems, we have helped farmers increase income and assets by over 35 percent on the land they farm with our support.
With over 9,000 full-time staff hailing from diverse professional backgrounds, we operate with a people-first mindset—constantly innovating and evolving to better serve African farmers. If you’re passionate about social impact, agricultural transformation, and leading high-performance teams, we invite you to explore an impactful leadership opportunity within our Kenya program.
The Kenya program, branded as Tupande, is the second largest within One Acre Fund’s regional operations. Since its inception in 2006, Tupande has grown to serve over 1 million farmers and employs over 2,200 staff. Our mission is to create lasting food security and sustainable prosperity for Kenya’s rural communities.
We are currently hiring for the position of Chief of Staff – Tupande Market Access, a key leadership role based in Nairobi, Kenya, with remote flexibility and periodic field travel. This role offers a unique opportunity to drive strategic impact, enhance organizational operations, and contribute meaningfully to one of Africa’s leading social enterprises.
About the Role
The Chief of Staff (CoS) for Tupande Market Access plays a mission-critical role in strengthening the operational framework and strategic delivery of One Acre Fund’s Kenya-based market access activities. As a trusted advisor to the Market Access Director, the CoS will be deeply embedded in the team’s daily operations, execution of special projects, and internal communication functions.
This is not an administrative or ceremonial position—it is a strategic and hands-on leadership role for a generalist who thrives on execution, process optimization, and creating results that matter. You will help build systems, drive performance across teams, and facilitate communication and decision-making at all levels of the department. This role is ideal for a self-starter with an entrepreneurial spirit, excellent communication skills, and experience in high-impact organizational settings.
Key Responsibilities
1. Strategic Project Leadership
You will be entrusted with leading high-impact special projects that cut across departments and functions. Working in close collaboration with the Market Access Director and other senior leaders, you will design, implement, and scale strategic initiatives that align with Tupande’s business objectives.
Examples of strategic projects include:
- Launching a new distribution or aggregation model for farmers.
- Improving operational workflow between cross-functional teams.
- Building dashboards and systems for KPI tracking and evaluation.
- Identifying new opportunities for value addition or supply chain optimization.
Your role in these initiatives includes everything from stakeholder engagement, timeline and resource planning, to on-the-ground execution and post-project evaluation.
2. Team Management and Staff Development
As a people-focused leader, you will mentor and support direct reports within the Market Access team. This includes:
- Regular check-ins and performance evaluations.
- Facilitating learning opportunities and career development.
- Managing workflows, work planning, and accountability structures.
- Supporting a culture of excellence, inclusivity, and innovation.
You will be expected to help team members overcome bottlenecks, encourage collaboration, and uphold a high-performance work culture.
3. Internal Communications and Coordination
A significant part of your role involves designing and maintaining internal communication systems for the Market Access team. This responsibility includes:
- Leading the design and tracking of OKRs (Objectives and Key Results).
- Developing regular progress updates for the senior leadership team.
- Coordinating monthly and quarterly team meetings, reviews, and retrospectives.
- Managing weekly team-level and inter-departmental reporting processes.
- Facilitating knowledge sharing across different units and staff levels.
Through effective communication, you will help ensure alignment across projects and empower team members to remain focused on shared goals.
4. Strategic Hiring and Talent Acquisition
The Chief of Staff will also play a hands-on role in identifying, vetting, and onboarding new talent within the Market Access department. This includes:
- Working with HR and hiring managers to define talent gaps.
- Leading or supporting recruitment cycles for key roles.
- Managing onboarding processes to ensure new hires are fully integrated and effective.
Your ability to attract top-tier talent and help them thrive within Tupande will have a direct impact on the success and sustainability of our operations.
5. Operational Process Improvement
Your strategic lens and operational expertise will be instrumental in improving efficiency across various workstreams. This includes:
- Identifying operational bottlenecks and proposing viable solutions.
- Designing SOPs (Standard Operating Procedures) for core departmental processes.
- Supporting the adoption of tools and technologies that streamline performance tracking.
- Overseeing systems for departmental controls and compliance reporting.
Through these improvements, your goal will be to reduce friction, increase responsiveness, and drive sustainable growth within the team.
Career Growth and Development
One Acre Fund is committed to the personal and professional development of every team member. In this role, you can expect:
- Weekly 1:1 sessions with your manager.
- Ongoing mentorship, coaching, and cross-functional exposure.
- Participation in global leadership workshops, forums, and virtual exchanges.
- Bi-annual performance reviews focused on growth and long-term career planning.
- Opportunities to lead cross-country projects and influence regional strategy.
Joining One Acre Fund is not just a job—it’s a career pathway into meaningful leadership in the African agricultural transformation space.
Ideal Candidate Profile
This position is ideal for someone with a track record of leadership in complex, fast-paced organizations. Candidates who are passionate about agricultural development, team empowerment, and operational excellence are strongly encouraged to apply.
Minimum qualifications include:
- Over 5 years of work experience, including 3+ years in strategy or management consulting.
- Proven ability to manage complex projects and coordinate across departments.
- Experience operating in results-driven and entrepreneurial environments.
- Excellent skills in Microsoft Excel and the ability to manage complex datasets.
- Strong interpersonal and communication skills, with demonstrated ability to engage senior stakeholders.
- A Bachelor’s degree in a relevant field.
- Fluent English speaker comfortable with periodic rural travel.
Location, Work Conditions, and Compensation
Job Location: Nairobi, Kenya
Work Mode: Remote with some in-country field travel
Start Date: As soon as possible
Compensation: Competitive with generous benefits, including:
- Health insurance
- Housing allowance
- Comprehensive staff welfare and support
Eligibility Criteria
Applicants must be citizens or permanent residents of one of the following countries:
Kenya, Tanzania, Uganda, Rwanda, Burundi, Ethiopia, Nigeria, Zambia, Democratic Republic of Congo, or Malawi.
Applicants who do not meet this regional eligibility will not be considered.
Application Details
Application Deadline: October 6, 2025
Please note that applications are reviewed and processed on a rolling basis, and the position may be filled before the deadline. Early applications are strongly encouraged.
Important Notice:
One Acre Fund does not request any form of payment or testing fees at any stage of the recruitment process. All official communications will come from an @oneacrefund.org email address. If you receive any suspicious communication, please report it to: [email protected]. Do not send job applications or CVs to this email address.
Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion
At One Acre Fund, Diversity, Equity, Inclusion (DEI), and anti-racism are not buzzwords—they are embedded into our DNA and deeply linked to our mission of empowering smallholder farmers. We are intentional in building a workplace that is safe, inclusive, and representative of the communities we serve.
We are an equal opportunity employer and do not discriminate based on race, gender, religion, age, marital status, disability, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, national origin, or any other protected characteristic.
If you believe in the power of agriculture to change lives and want to use your leadership and operational skills to create meaningful impact, we encourage you to apply and join us in building a resilient, food-secure Africa.
