DRC Country Director

About One Acre Fund

Founded in 2006, One Acre Fund equips 5.5 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 their income and assets on supported land by more than 35 percent, while permanently improving their resilience. This is all made possible by our team of 9,000+ full-time staff, drawn from diverse backgrounds and professions.To learn more, please see our Why Work Here blog post.

About the Role

We are looking for a collaborative country leader with a track record of building high-impact agribusinesses or NGO operation in complex environments, to serve as Country Director for One Acre Fund DRC

You will steward a 30M programme, with the aim of serving 30,000 farmers within 3 years across Western DRC. This role combines external leadership with internal stewardship, requiring the ability to forge strong government and donor relationships, while also building high-performing internal systems and teams.

You will lead a dedicated team, growing a small pilot program to a regional scale. You will guide the programme's strategic direction, ensure compliance with national and donor frameworks, and represent One Acre Fund at the highest levels with partners, institutions, and funders.

This role is ideal for someone with strong people and stakeholder management skills, a long-term vision for rural development, and a drive to operate with humility, rigour, and execution excellence in a complex context.

Responsibilities

You will report to the regional leadership team and directly manage DRC's senior staff. You will be accountable for the strategy, partnerships, team, and performance of our country programme.

Strategy & Growth (vision, planning, new initiatives)

• Lead One Acre Fund's strategic direction in DRC, aligning long-term goals with country context, organisational values, and funding opportunities.

• Guide the design of new interventions and continuously improve programme quality and cost-effectiveness.

• Foster a culture of execution excellence, farmer service, and innovation.

Partnerships & Advocacy (government, donors, NGOs)

• Serve as One Acre Fund's primary representative with the Government of the DRC, especially the Ministries of Agriculture, Environment, and other decentralised authorities.

• Ensure alignment of programme activities with national strategies and regulations, and cultivate relationships with key technical and political stakeholders.

• Represent One Acre Fund in external forums and strategic events.

• Support in-country relationships with bilateral and multilateral donors, foundations, and other key partners.

Programme Excellence (operations, compliance, M&E)

• Provide overall leadership for a $30M programme, ensuring farmers consistently receive world-class services that drive measurable impact.

• Safeguard excellence in compliance by upholding organisational policies, national regulations, and donor requirements, creating a culture of integrity and accountability.

• Shape and adapt programme strategy using a rigorous, data-driven approach, balancing innovation with operational discipline to deliver sustainable results at scale.

People & Culture (team leadership, talent pipeline)

• Lead the DRC team of 15+ staff (and growing), setting a culture based on accountability, collaboration, and professional growth.

• Mentor senior staff, build a strong “deputy layer,” and ensure the programme attracts and retains diverse top talent.

Finance & Risk (P&L oversight, risk mitigation)

• Guarantee alignment with funder requirements across all programme operations.

• Manage risk across legal, operational, and reputational areas.

• Maintain oversight of programme budgets and ensure strategic allocation of restricted and unrestricted funding.

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:

We are looking for professionals with 10+ years of work experience, including senior leadership in a dynamic and fast-growing organisation. Candidates who fit the following criteria are strongly encouraged to apply:

• Proven experience managing cross-functional teams and external partnerships in the development or environment sector.

• Fluency in French and English (C1 minimum); ability to represent the organisation in high-level meetings in both languages.

• Strong strategic thinking skills and ability to link long-term vision to execution.

• Effective communicator with excellent stakeholder management abilities.

• Familiarity with rural development, agroforestry, climate finance, or similar sectors

• Experience working in the DRC or similar contexts is strongly preferred.

Preferred Start Date

As soon as possible

Job Location

Kinshasa, Democratic Republic of Congo

Benefits

Health insurance, housing, and comprehensive benefits

Contract Duration

2 Years

Eligibility

One Acre Fund can support a work permit for this role. However, nationals of (or those with an extensive professional background and work history in) our countries of operation are preferred.

Application Deadline

15 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.

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 ([email protected]), 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.