JOBS: Government Relations Specialist (TSA) at One Acre Fund

About The Role

The Government Relations Specialist supports the implementation of One Acre Fund's technical services agreement with Kenya's Ministry of Agriculture's National Value Chain Support Programme (NVSP). As the Technical Support Agency (TSA), One Acre Fund will help NVSP to:
Improve agricultural production and marketing through input-subsidized agriculture (fertilizer, lime, certified seed) using the e-voucher input management system, market linkages, and crop insurance.
Build capacity of relevant staff, farmers, agro-dealers, and institutions both at the county and national levels.
Strengthen linkages between the National Government, County governments, and beneficiary farmers.
The GR Specialist will oversee several essential projects and deliverables within this program such as: piloting a community-level 'Village-based Advisor' (VBA) volunteer pilot in 12 counties; managing relationships with important agricultural partners across the maize, rice, coffee, and Irish potato value chains; lead workshops, training, and field visits; support with institutional capacity building for the local and national government.

You will report to the East Africa Government Relations Senior Manager overseeing the technical services program, within the wider global government relations and policy team.

Responsibilities

Project Management

• Lead fieldwork in 12 counties to ensure farm input packages are trialed, including developing impactful training using participatory on-farm methods, and tracking progress using project management tools
• Scope out projects using short-term goals and performance measurement metrics that support project delivery through a critical path approach.
• Lead project development and process improvements within strict timelines, delivering according to specific performance metrics.
• Identify potential program risks and areas of misalignment between teams, and develop mitigation actions

Communication

• Coordinate with other teams and program workstreams to implement the VBA model at the county level, identifying important dependencies between workstreams, and collaborating with the Kenya local government relations teams
• Manage discussions with high-level county partners and other actors in the four value chains to develop a reporting process that keeps all partners updated
• Maintain high-quality cross-team collaboration including both government relations and operations teams through online collaboration tools and materials
• Produce high-quality written materials in the form of policy recommendations, externally facing reports, internal memos, and status updates

Partner Management

• Develop relationships with national and local government officials to improve the program's overall cooperation with the government in a way that builds long-term allies and champions for One Acre Fund
• Collaborate with the government relations team to arrange external-facing events like field visits and workshops
• Track priority relationships and implement projects to improve engagement with partners
• Represent One Acre Fund at national and local government meetings

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:

• Experience working in political or government environments in Kenya at local and national levels, including field experience in rural communities
• Demonstrated organizational abilities, particularly in unstructured environments
• Advanced relationship management abilities
• High attention to detail
• Strong writing and advocacy skills
• Collaborative professional, able to work with different teams
• Good humor, patience, and an approach to service
• English and Kiswahili fluency