DRC People & Gender Senior Specialist (Fixed-Term)

One Acre Fund is a nonprofit organization that supplies smallholder farmers in Sub-Saharan Africa with the farm inputs, financing, training, and market access they need to grow more food and earn more income. Operating across nine countries including Kenya, Rwanda, Nigeria, Tanzania, Malawi, Zambia, Uganda, Burundi, Ethiopia, and the Democratic Republic of Congo, the organization works with millions of farming families who rely on small, rain-fed plots of land as their primary source of livelihood. By delivering quality seeds, fertilizer, and agricultural services directly to rural farmers, One Acre Fund reports helping clients achieve approximately 45% more farm income on the same land area. One Acre Fund's sustainability and climate mission is embedded throughout its programs. The organization focuses on climate adaptation and mitigation strategies, including agroforestry and tree-planting initiatives, financing and insurance products to help farmers weather climate-related shocks, and innovation in climate-resilient agricultural practices. These efforts are designed to strengthen the long-term resilience of smallholder farmers who are among the most vulnerable to the effects of climate change, while also contributing to carbon sequestration and reduced agricultural emissions across the continent. What distinguishes One Acre Fund is its last-mile delivery model, which brings bundled services directly to farmers in remote rural areas, combined with a rigorous impact measurement methodology including social return on investment analysis. The organization also prioritizes gender-smart agriculture, with women comprising more than 50% of its client base, and maintains a strong commitment to evidence-based programming and transparent reporting on outcomes.

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

The People & Gender Senior Specialist role is to make One Acre Fund DRC the best place to work in the country for professionals looking to build a career in social impact.

Responsibilities

Gender and diversity promotion

• Design, implement, and champion a comprehensive country-specific Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) strategy, with a strong emphasis on advancing gender equity across all operational levels.
• Continuously review HR policies, recruitment practices, and performance review cycles to identify and eliminate systemic biases.
• Facilitate regular training and workshops for staff and managers on unconscious bias, inclusive leadership, and maintaining a respectful workplace.
• Monitor and track key performance indicators (KPIs) for diversity and gender representation.

Talent acquisition and Human Capital management

• Create an innovative candidate sourcing and outreach strategy to attract top talent quickly
• Coordinate with the global recruitment team, the hiring managers and ONEM to ensure the timely filling of critical roles.
• Ensure smooth, legally and OAF procedures compliant onboarding and offboarding processes, including contracts renewals and contracts updates.
• Ensure permanent alignment and internal equity between job titles, Job Descriptions, Job Levels, and benefits across the organization.
• Serve as the primary administrator for our Human Resources Information System (HRIS) and ensure accurate, up-to-date records for all staff.
• Ensure all new hires are properly registered with ONEM by officially validating all employment contracts within statutory deadlines

Performance and Talent Management

• Act as the country’s Performance Management champion, overseeing the Performance Development Review cycle to ensure timely, objective, and fair assessments of all staff.
• Support managers to effectively address underperformance cases through structured Performance Improvement

Employee Experience and People Innovation

• Manage internal communication tools and channels for the team, allowing the division to better understand staff needs, clarify expectations around People services, and collect staff feedback.
• Continually raise the bar by treating staff as internal clients, creating an exceptional "customer experience" for all team members
• Identify levers to improve staff satisfaction and build a highly motivated and happy team.
• Execute leadership approved People change management initiatives.

HR Policies, Team Culture and Grievance Management

• Champion organizational culture and values, driving a culture of excellence
• Identify gaps in current policies, suggest improvements and ensure staff fully understand policies and program updates.
• Implement and update a self-service People policy hub for the team to access all policies.
• Serve as the primary point of contact for grievance management by handling complaints and Code of Conduct breach reports, and driving thorough, objective investigations and resolutions according to OAF policies

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:

• DRC labour law expertise & compliance management
• Employee engagement & positive workplace culture promotion (empathic, build trust, improve team morale, emottional intelligence)
• Performance management and development management for a sizeable team across different job levels
• Project management skills as the program is a pilot and team are moving fast and always changing
• Understanding of gender-related challenges in employment and  translation into practical improvements

Preferred Start Date

As soon as possible

Job Location

Kinshasa, Democratic Republic of Congo

Benefits

Health insurance, paid time off 

Contract Duration

1 year

Eligibility

This role is only open to citizens or permanent residents of Democratic Republic of Congo.

Application Deadline

10 January 2027. 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.