Business Development Manager

Most of the world’s poor are farmers, representing the largest and most uniform group of poor people in the world. One Acre Fund is a start-up NGO in Kenya, Rwanda, and Burundi that is innovating a new way of helping farm families to achieve their full potential. Instead of giving handouts, One Acre invests in farmers to generate a permanent gain in farm income. We provide farmers with a "market bundle" that includes education, finance, seed and fertilizer, and market access. Our program is proven impactful – every year, we weigh thousands of harvests and measure more than 100% average gain in farm income per acre. We have laser-like focus on generating better lives for the people that we serve.

We are growing quickly. In five years, we have grown to serve 65,000 farm families with more than 500 full-time field staff. In three more years, we will at least quadruple in size, while adding several new countries. Our approach has won widespread validation, winning grants from the highly competitive Echoing Green and Skoll Foundations, and the global Financial Times/ IFC award for “basic needs financing” in 2010 and 2011. Website: www.oneacrefund.org

Job Description

We are seeking exceptional professionals with 3 – 10+ years work experience, a demonstrated long-term career interest in international development, and a track record of securing grants, cooperative agreements and contracts with large, institutional funders. As a young organization, we are ready to hand over large responsibility for specific, well-defined work modules, with similar structure to an operations consulting role.

One Acre Fund is looking for an exceptional individual to serve as Business Development Manager. This position will help design and carry out a strategy to engage bilateral and multilateral organizations in country mission offices to support our work. The Business Development Manager will serve as a spokesperson for the organization in African capitals while simultaneously shepherding complex, large-scale funding proposals from identification to development to fruition. Through strategic communications and expert relationship management, the Business Development Manager will secure major, multi-year commitments from multilaterals, bilaterals, and governments. This is an excellent position for a highly skilled and experienced professional looking for a meaningful development opportunity.

Primary Duties and Responsibilities

The Development Manager will perform the following and other duties as assigned:

* Help design and implement the organization’s public sector fundraising strategy.
* Pursue partnerships with multilateral and bilateral agencies.
* Develop successful multi-million dollar funding proposals to support the organization, shepherding proposals through all required stages and decision-making processes.
* Manage the required reporting and continued development of successful proposals.
* Provide expertise and guidance to One Acre Fund staff on the technical requirements and processes of these proposals.
* Serve as an articulate and enthusiastic spokesperson for the organization, demonstrating an understanding of the organization’s approach and the context in which it operates.
* Establish and maintain relationships with key stakeholders and partners.
* Collaborate with One Acre Fund’s senior management team.

Professional Qualifications

The successful candidate will have the following minimum qualifications:

* Demonstrated success in identifying, managing, and closing complex, multi-year, technical proposals for bilateral and multilateral agencies
* Past experience as part of a large-scale fundraising effort, preferably in the international development arena
* Past experience managing relationships with high-level government and agency representatives
* Past experience conveying a complex mission and program to diverse groups including Board members, bilateral and multilateral agencies, potential funders, and partner agencies
* Excellent communications and presentation skills, and experience developing funding proposals
* Exceptional interpersonal skills, including a willingness to listen to internal and external constituents and learn from their best ideas
* Experience with long-term funding cycles, strategic planning, goal setting, and performance management
* Ability to travel extensively, up to 30%, within Africa and other international destinations

**Personal Attributes**

The following personal attributes are desired:

* A deep commitment to serving the poor
* A passion for One Acre Fund’s program
* Comfort and experience working with individuals from diverse backgrounds and locations
* High energy level, and a personable, flexible, tenacious, diplomatic, and respectful demeanor
* Proven ability to serve as a team player and leader able to motivate and inspire staff and colleagues
* Entrepreneurial spirit
* A sense of humor

Job Location: Negotiable. Nairobi or Kigali preferred. Major European city possible.

Preferred Start Date: Flexible

Compensation: Commensurate with experience.

Benefits: Health cover, immunizations; annual flights to your home country, room and board for hires stationed outside their home country

Career development: Quarterly management consulting-style career reviews, and significant investment in career development. Your manager will invest significant time in your career development.

Email cover letter and resume (both as attachments with your name as part of the filename) to jobs@oneacrefund.org (Subject line: “Business Development Manager – Idealist”).