• Company: One Acre Fund
• Location: Kabwe, Central Province, Zambia
• State: Kabwe
• Job type: Full-Time
• Job category: Agricultural Jobs in Zambia

Organization Description

One Acre Fund is an agricultural social enterprise supplying smallholder farmers in Eastern and Southern Africa with the financing and training to reduce hunger and poverty. Founded in 2006, One Acre Fund has designed a new solution for Africa’s smallholder farmers. Through a complete set of services offered on credit – agricultural inputs, delivery, training, and market facilitation – we enable farmers to significantly increase their productivity and begin a permanent pathway out of hunger and poverty. We currently operate in Kenya, Rwanda, Burundi, Tanzania, Uganda and Malawi, where we serve over 600,000 smallholder farm families. One Acre Fund launched pilot operations in Zambia in 2015, and aims to bring this program to scale over the next few years.

Job Description

One Acre Fund is a rapidly growing organization – increasing the number of clients we serve in each year and the number of countries in which we operate. One Acre Fund is seeking a Local Government Officer (LGO) to be based in Kabwe, who will serve as a major point of contact for the district-level Ministry of Agriculture and other government officials and external stakeholders, helping to establish and expand our program in Zambia.

This role will report to the One Acre Fund’s Government Relations Manager based in Lusaka, as well as to the Zambia Country Director. The successful applicant will demonstrate a strong understanding of local government structures, have an interest in agriculture, be prepared to travel regularly in Central Province, and be an effective communicator.

Primary Duties of the Local Government Officer (LGO)

• Engage stakeholders and local government officials at the district level and below with a view to deepening and broadening One Acre Fund’s local government network in Zambia.
• Produce and improve our communications materials to engage key contacts and keep them informed of our work, including quarterly reports, briefing notes and official written correspondence.
• Provide trainings to One Acre Fund staff on best practices for working with government officials, and other capacity building support, as needed.
• Track and manage risks and issues from local government affecting field operations.
• Track and manage One Acre Fund’s database of key contacts and interactions in Zambia.
• Host key stakeholder events (e.g. field visits) and oversee participation in agricultural shows and other external events. Ensure proper government protocols are observed at all hosted events.
• Assist program expansion through relationship management with relevant authorities in new or targeted areas of operation.
• Help to support client enrolment and repayment through creating and executing strategies that leverage our relationships with community leaders to achieve results.
• Continually engage field leadership to remain informed of the latest developments with our program and trials, through:
  • Regular attendance at Field Officer and Field Leader Meetings
  • Regular meetings with Field Team Team lead(s)
• Additional roles, as assigned.

If you have skills and experience in these areas, please highlight them in your application.

One Acre Fund invests in building management and leadership capacity. We provide constant, actionable feedback delivered through weekly meetings and regular 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

Other Important Details/Considerations:

Qualifications

We are seeking professionals with a minimum two years work experience, some of which will have been in or with government institutions in Zambia. They will demonstrate a long-term passion for agricultural development in Zambia and be familiar with the challenges faced by smallholder farmers in Central Province.

We are looking for extraordinary candidates that are organized and proactive; please only apply if you fit these criteria:

• Undergraduate degree from a recognized academic institution. Candidates with graduate studies and degrees will be given additional consideration.
• Work experience in a demanding professional environment such as government, business or NGO
• Demonstrated strong computer skills in email, internet usage, and Microsoft Office
• Strong written and oral communication skills with good attention to detail
• A willingness to commit to living in Kabwe for a long-term position
• Leadership and management experience at work or outside of work
• Proven ability to set and meet targets and work independently
• Fluent in English, Nyanja and Bemba
• Passionate about serving smallholder farmers

Please highlight the following skills if you have them:

• Experience working in agriculture and/or rural development
• Background in dealing with government officials at local and national levels
• Capacity to produce neat and timely written work for internal and external audiences
• Ability to communicate across teams, coordinate meetings, and make recommendations
• Experience managing people

Timeline: Interested candidates should submit their CV and cover letter by Friday, March 2, 2018; Interviews through March; start in April

Compensation: Starting salary will range between K4,500-5,000/mo, plus benefits (health insurance, laptop computer, etc.), with rapid increases in pay and benefits possible based on performance.

Career Development: Bi-annual career reviews and regular professional feedback.

 

How to Apply

mail your CV and cover letter to [email protected] (subject: Zambia Local Government Officer). Applicants that pass initial screening will be contacted to schedule an interview