Innovations and Growth Lead

The Innovations & Growth Lead will be an essential part of our leadership team in one of One Acre Fund's fastest-growing country programs and report directly to the Country Director. Sitting at the intersection of high-level strategy and "last-mile" delivery, you will shape the strategy to plant 100 million trees and generate over $100M additional impact for 440,000 Ethiopian farmers by 2030. You will also pioneer the revenue models that will make our impact self-sustaining. You will lead a high-performing team of innovators and M&E specialists to turn a 5-year vision into a rigorous 'Learning Agenda’: designing field trials, mastering data, and proving what works before scaling to 440,000 households. **Responsibilities** - Translate strategy into action: Lead multi-year impact strategies and translate them into specific field interventions across the organization - Drive the "Learning Agenda": Define annual critical questions, decide which new services or products enter the pipeline based on scale and ROI, and set SMART objectives - End-to-End Trial Management: Design multi-year impact models, oversee the full lifecycle of field trials, empower and coach the impact team to research and implement impactful activities, from hypothesis and budgeting to operational workflows and staff training to actionable recommendations - Evidence-Based Decision Making: Partner with Monitoring & Evaluation teams to analyze trial data and drive "Go/No-Go" recommendations for the Country Director - Champion professional evolution of direct reports, providing coaching and clarity to turn high-level organizational vision into rigorous, field-level results - Support a network of 1,000+ nursery managers by improving production and finding new ways to generate income - Engineer innovative, scalable solutions to maximize income for farmers, unlocking opportunities for youth and women - Secure seed supply through large-scale adoption of best varieties and partnerships such as the Jimma Research Centre - Lead feasibility studies to transition OAF Ethiopia from a traditional NGO model to a revenue-generating organization, investigating regulatory landscapes and operational requirements - Research and test impactful agricultural practices, products, and services for farmers **Career Growth and Development** - Weekly check-ins with your manager, access to mentorship and training programs, and regular feedback on your performance - Career reviews every six months, with time set aside to discuss aspirations and career goals - Opportunity to shape a growing organization and build a rewarding long-term career

Proven track record with a minimum of 7 years of experience in managing complex projects or operations, or social enterprise programs in emerging markets (including 3+ years in one of our countries of operation) Experience identifying strategic gaps and designing "Learning Agendas" to answer critical questions before national-scale rollout Field-First Mindset: Significant experience living and working in rural or "last-mile" settings, with a deep understanding of operational challenges Experimental Design & Piloting: Proven ability to design and execute field trials or pilot programs, set KPIs, and adjust approaches as needed Evaluation Frameworks: Ability to analyze qualitative/quantitative field data and turn results into "Go/No-Go" recommendations for leadership; experience working with M&E teams Leadership & Management: Demonstrated success in leading high-performing teams, coaching staff, and driving organizational change Strategic Thinking: Strong analytical skills with the ability to translate high-level strategies into actionable field interventions Partnerships & Collaboration: Experience building and managing partnerships with research institutions, NGOs, and government agencies Innovation & Problem-Solving: Creative mindset to develop scalable solutions for smallholder farmers Language: Fluency in English required; Amharic preferred