Research & Development Director at One Acre Fund

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.

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.