Agricultural Trials Lead

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

This role leads early stage agricultural research (phase 1) portfolio in Kenya. The role also manages a network of research station hubs across five agroecological zones (AEZs) in Kenya and ensures that trials are scientifically rigorous, operationally efficient and capable of generating credible evidence for decisions on whether technologies should progress to further testing, scaling or commercialization.

Responsibilities

Ag R&D strategy execution 

• Execute the phase 1 Ag R&D strategy by translating R&D priorities into well planned and executed trials across diverse agro-ecological zones (AEZs)
• Balance Ag R&D portfolio across fertilizer alternatives, soil-health innovations, biological inputs, IPM technologies and other emerging agricultural innovations to ensure a healthy and balanced phase 1 

Trial design and management

•  Provide technical leadership over trial design and execution, ensuring research pipelines reliably produce the evidence needed to guide R&D strategy and accelerate technology adoption
• Provide practical, hands-on trial management support for the field teams as well as timely solutions to any problems that may arise during trial execution.
• Establish minimum quality standards for trial planning, implementation, monitoring, data collection, analysis and reporting
• Ensure protocols are implemented consistently across research hubs while allowing justified adaptation to local agroecological conditions
• Strengthen data quality through field checks, protocol-compliance assessments, data audits and timely corrective actions

Data analysis,  interpretation and innovations pipelining

• perform data  analysis, interpretation of results and write technical reports which provide actionable recommendations to the Ag R&D team and relevant stakeholders
• Participate in stage-gate processes to evaluate innovations based on clear impact and adoption potential metrics and keep the Ag R&D pipeline up to date

Financial and operational management 

• Develop and manage annual budgets for the trials portfolio and the five research hubs
• Ensure efficient use of land, inputs, equipment, labor and research infrastructure as well as developing cost benchmarks for different trial types and monitor cost per trial, site and usable dataset
• Ensure procurement and distribution of research inputs is completed on schedule and maintain appropriate controls for trial inputs, equipment, samples and research assets
• Identify operational risks and implement mitigation and contingency plans
• Monitor research delivery against approved timelines, budgets and quality standards
• Improve research efficiency without compromising scientific rigor or staff safety

People management and team development

• Recruit, manage and develop a high-performing, multidisciplinary trials team operating across multiple research hubs
• Build a strong and trusting team culture characterized by openness, accountability, inclusion, mutual respect and shared commitment to scientific excellence
• Support in conducting training needs assessment, the design of  training materials and participation in upskilling of Ag trials officers

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:

• Strong technical knowledge in fertilizer alternatives, soil health products and integrated pest management technologies
• MSc with 2-3 years experience in applied agricultural sciences
• Demonstrated experience designing and managing multi-location trials
• Ability to translate research findings into clear innovation recommendations for scaling or commercialization
• High experience in managing research stations, field sites or geographically distributed research operations
• Experience managing research budgets, work plans and operational risks
• Experience working with technology companies, donors, universities, national research organizations or regulatory agencies.
• Experience developing or delivering fee-for-service agricultural research
• Demonstrated experience in establishing project management frameworks, station-level KPI tracking, R&D efficiency metrics and status reporting
• Demonstrated experience managing and developing technical teams, including direct reports.

Preferred Start Date

As soon as possible

Job Location

Nairobi, Kenya

Benefits

Health insurance, housing, and comprehensive benefits

Contract Duration

3 years

Eligibility

This role is only open to citizens or permanent residents of Kenya.

Application Deadline

08 January 2027. 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 ([email protected]), 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.