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. To learn more about our work, take a look at our Why Work Here blog for more information.

Website: https://www.oneacrefund.org

About One Acre Fund

Founded in 2006, One Acre Fund equips more than 4 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 her income and assets on supported land by more than 40 percent, while permanently improving her climate resilience. This is all made possible by our team of 8,000+ full-time staff, drawn from diverse backgrounds and professions. To learn more, please see our Why Work Here blog post.

Our Rwanda program, founded in 2007, operates under the local brand Tubura. We have more than 3,200 staff located in all four Rwanda provinces and Kigali. Together, we directly serve more than 790,000 farmers. To learn more about our work, look at our Rwanda program blog for more information.

About the Role

We seek a Human Centered Design (HCD) Specialist to use HCD methodologies to improve One Acre Fund’s program design, product offerings, marketing and extension. You will directly report to the Scale Innovations Lead and collaborate across multiple teams to integrate HCD into program design with a particular emphasis on farmer training/extension, and in the longer-term tech solutions enabling farmers and field agents to access more tailored recommendations and guidance.

You will create research methodologies to explore how we can better meet farmer needs, and support in-country teams to implement the research. You will also lead the analysis and synthesis of this data to develop actionable recommendations for improved product catalogs, marketing, SBCC and extension.

Responsibilities

Manage stakeholder coordination and prioritization of HCD project pipeline

Collaborate with the Global HCD Lead to design research tools

  • These will draw from HCD, participatory design and systems thinking approaches, and using a range of methodologies including interviews, focus groups and design workshops.
  • Ensure tools are adapted to local language and cultural sensitivities
  • Lead research pilots and team training them and train team on their use.
  • Lead execution of HCD projects, including:
  • Directly leading research engagements with farmers yourself (e.g. conducting interviews or FGDs)

Training your team to effectively use research tools to

  • Elicit insights on farmer priorities, barriers, needs and aspirations
  • Prototype, co-design and validate new products and communications e.g. digital or paper-based decision-support tools, marketing messages, training content
  • Providing guidance and data quality assurance support and controls as research projects are implemented.
  • Manage all logistical aspects of HCD projects e.g. participant recruitment (+ incentives), transport, venues, fieldwork calendaring, coordination with colleagues in operational teams
  • Execution of research and quality control checks following agreed-upon data collection protocols
  • Ensure high quality transcription and translation of field data

Elicit and apply insights from HCD research inform program strategy and product and service design

  • You will analyze, synthesize and interpret insights emerging from the research.
  • You will translate these insights into actionable recommendations for program design, product / service design, marketing, training and SBCC

As those recommendations are implemented, you will 

  • Collaborate with colleagues to ensure that emerging product/service designs are genuinely responsive to the insights generated through HCD research
  • Lead further research to ensure farmer and field team needs are met by new designs e.g. through co-design processes and user testing
  • Based on the existing internal and external evidence and data, you will make recommendations on additional learning and studies needed across the organization
  • Manage HCD team and their professional development

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 anthropology, ethnography, psychology, social sciences or any other relevant field.
  • Minimum of 2 years of experience using qualitative research approaches, including focus group facilitation, interview-based approaches, and design workshop approaches.
  • Experience living or working in rural areas
  • Fluent in English and Kinyarwanda

Preferred Start Date

As soon as possible

Job Location

Kigali, Rwanda

Benefits

Health insurance, paid time off

Contract Duration

3 years

Eligibility

This role is only open to citizens or permanent residents of Rwanda

Application Deadline

18 February 2025. 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.

Application Link

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 (globalhotline@oneacrefund.org), 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.

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