Vacancy title:
Research & Development Director

[Type: FULL_TIME, Industry: Nonprofit, and NGO, Category: Admin & Office]

Jobs at:
One Acre Fund

Deadline of this Job:
Saturday, November 1 2025

Duty Station:
Kigali | Kigali | Rwanda

Summary
Date Posted: Wednesday, August 13 2025, Base Salary: Not Disclosed

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JOB DETAILS:

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).

Responsibilities

• 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.

Qualifications

Across all roles, these are the general qualifications we look for. For this role specifically, you will have:

• 10+ years of experience in agricultural research and development, including at least 5 years managing complex, multi-country R&D portfolios or large trial operations.
• Deep technical expertise in agronomy, soil science, crop physiology, or a closely related field.
• Demonstrated experience designing, executing, and analyzing on-farm and on-station trials, with proven ability to set up monitoring systems that catch protocol deviations, flag missing or inconsistent data, and hold teams accountable for corrective action.
• Ability to build systems that drive cost-efficiency, quality assurance, and knowledge sharing across geographies.
• A strong bias for implementation—you're not just interested in what should happen, but in ensuring it does happen, on time and to spec.
• The ability to translate complex science into actionable guidance for internal teams, partners, and policymakers.
• Fluency in English required; French, Swahili, or other regional languages a plus.

Work Hours: 8

Experience in Months: 120

Level of Education: bachelor degree

Job application procedure

Interested and qualified? Click here to apply

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