Founded in 2006, One Acre Fund supplies 1 million smallholder farmers with the agricultural services they need to make their farms vastly more productive. Our 8,000+ team is drawn from diverse backgrounds and professions. With operations across six core countries in Africa, we make farmers more prosperous by providing quality farm supplies on credit, delivered within walking distance of farmers’ homes, and agricultural training to improve harvests. On average, the farmers we serve harvest 50 percent more food after working with One Acre Fund.
About the Role
- This role will lead the execution of the Country Director's strategic agenda and drive organizational effectiveness across the entire country program.
- The Chief of Staff will act as a primary strategic architect and operational lead, ensuring that key priorities are implemented at scale, requiring advanced cross-functional influence and ownership of critical, high-risk initiatives.
Responsibilities
Strategic Support & Leadership Enablement:
- Serve as the Country Director's principal strategic advisor, providing incisive analysis, high-level insights, and data-driven recommendations on mission-critical organizational issues.
- Drive the translation of organizational strategy into prioritized, actionable execution plans, maintaining rigorous accountability for the Country Director’s agenda and key organizational outcomes.
- Lead and coordinate strategic, high-stakes initiatives across all departments to ensure maximum alignment, resource allocation, and timely execution.
- Conduct research and market/industry analysis to inform and accelerate executive decision-making.
Executive Coordination and Strategic Stakeholder Management:
- Facilitate and manage the flow of strategic communication and decision-making between the Country Director and the senior leadership team, ensuring clarity, alignment, and full follow-through on all executive commitments.
- Strategically manage and cultivate relationships with high-level external stakeholders, including major donors, government partners, and strategic allies, acting as a direct representative of the Country Director.
High-Impact Project Leadership:
- Assume end-to-end ownership and executive sponsorship for special, cross-functional projects on behalf of the Country Director, driving them from strategic conception through to successful delivery and integration.
- Lead multi-team, high-complexity initiatives, establishing accountability frameworks and ensuring all milestones are delivered against strategic objectives and scope.
- Establish and maintain the system for monitoring organization-wide progress against strategic priorities, providing high-level performance metrics and risk identification to the executive team.
Organizational Governance and Executive Operations:
- Direct the operational efficiency and prioritization of the Country Director's executive function to maximize leadership time and strategic focus.
- Own the development and quality control of high-stakes executive reports, presentations, and briefing materials for internal governance and external engagements.
- Drive the preparation and follow-up for Board and senior leadership meetings, managing the agenda, critical documentation, and ensuring timely execution of high-level decisions.
Executive Assistance and Administration:
- Screen and prioritize incoming requests, communications, and invitations.
- Ensure confidential information is handled with discretion and professionalism.
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:
- Bachelor's Degree in Business Administration, Economics, Management, Development Studies, or a related field (Master's preferred).
- Minimum 5+ years in roles combining strategic support, project management, and executive operations, ideally gained in management consulting, corporate strategy, high-growth business operations, social enterprise, or international development.
- Proven ability to work closely with senior leadership to drive strategy execution and results.
- Ability to translate, drive, and analyze organizational strategy, providing critical insights and ensuring effective implementation at the executive level.
- Elite ability to conceptualize the big picture while directing high-level operational execution.
- Advanced analytical and critical thinking skills with the ability to diagnose complex organizational challenges, propose strategic solutions, and implement practical, large-scale improvements.
Eligibility:
- This role is only open to citizens or permanent residents of Nigeria.