Research & Development Director at One Acre Fund at One Acre Fund

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)

• 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.

CLICK HERE TO APPLY