Ethiopia Chief of Staff

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.

In Ethiopia, we engage farmers in agroforestry and community-based seed multiplication to increase farmers’ incomes and make farming systems more resilient. Engaging with local actors at every step but bringing innovative ideas from outside, we are making rural farming more market-friendly and environmentally sustainable.

The farmers we work with in Ethiopia have planted more than 30 million trees, produced over 1,500 metric tonnes of improved teff seed, and improved the futures of nearly 200,000 community members. Our country headquarters are in Addis Ababa, and we have a large program office in Bahir Dar, plus several smaller field offices.

About the Role

The Chief of Staff acts as a strategic and execution partner to the Country Director, ensuring strong people operations, internal systems, and cross-functional initiatives that enable the country program to deliver on its strategy.

The role combines line management of enabling functions (People Operations, HSS, Communications) with leadership of high-priority, cross-functional initiatives at the country level.

The Chief of Staff ensures clarity of priorities, clarity of execution, and effective coordination across teams, allowing the Country Director to focus on strategy, external relationships, and organizational leadership.

As Chief of Staff, you will work at the intersection of people systems, internal operations, and inter-departmental coordination:

• You will lead the People Division by managing the People Operations, Finance admin, and Corporate Operations team, as well as the Communication and Health, Safety, and Security (HSS) teams.
• You will lead implementation on important initiatives related to risk, compliance, team culture, and communication, as well as other cross-functional initiatives.
• You will support the Country Director with briefs and internal reviews.

This role does not replace specialized HR technical functions; it focuses on leadership, integration, prioritization, and culture, with technical execution led by the People Operations team and global support functions.

Responsibilities

People Operations, HSS, and Communications Leadership

• Manage the People Operations Lead (managing HR admin, Finance admin, compliance, and Corporate Operations), HSS team, and Communication team, ensuring:
  • Clear goals, accountability, and performance management
  • Strong delivery on core administrative, compliance, and support functions
  • High-quality HR administration, policies, and compliance
  • Continuous improvement of systems, processes, and staff experience
  • Support the People Operations Lead in driving improvement projects within the people function (e.g., onboarding, performance management, staff engagement)
• Provide senior oversight of HR risk and employee relations
• Act as country-level owner for organizational culture and people experience, including:
  • Strengthening a healthy, inclusive, and high-performance culture
  • Advancing Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) priorities at the country level
  • Monitor staff satisfaction and strengthen the use of data to drive HR performance
• Act as country-level coordinator for talent and development priorities, including:
  • Overseeing country-level learning and development (L&D) priorities and annual plans
  • Partnering with department heads to support long-term staff development and career pathways
• Ensure HSS systems effectively support staff safety, risk management, and duty of care
• Ensure Communications supports country priorities, internal alignment, and external messaging, including planning staff retreats and internal events; managing company-wide communication

Cross-Functional Initiative Leadership (Country Priorities)

• Lead high-priority cross-functional initiatives on behalf of the Country Director, such as regulatory or policy studies, Innovation or pilot projects, organizational change and improvement efforts.
• For each initiative: Define scope, objectives, timelines, and success metrics, coordinate across teams and manage external partners or consultants, drive execution, unblock constraints, and ensure delivery of high-quality outputs

Country Execution, Governance & Leadership Support

• Support the Country Director in driving country-level execution:
  • Co-lead OKR cycles, business reviews, monthly staff meetings, and cross-team planning
  • Draft clear options memos and internal briefs for decision-making
  • Keep leadership focused on the right conversations at the right time
• Act as a trusted advisor and representative of the Country Director in internal forums when appropriate

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:

• 7+ years in strategy, People Management, Human Resource business partner - including 3+ years managing teams
• Fluency in English, Amharic preferred
• Experience leading cross-team workstreams or systems (e.g., performance, compliance, OKR setting)
• Familiarity with Ethiopia labor laws and donor-facing compliance expectations
• Financial fluency: budgets, salary modeling, interpreting performance dashboards
• Cross-functional project management experience
• Preferred: 2+ year experience managing Health, Safety, and Security

Preferred Start Date

As soon as possible

Job Location

Addis Ababa or Bahir Dar, Ethiopia. 

Travel requirement: 25%

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

1 August 2026. 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.