Global Safety Nets and Microinsurance Senior Associate (Fixed-Term)

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 Global Safety Nets and Microinsurance Senior Associate is a high-agility role responsible for the end-to-end design, piloting, and initial setup of household microinsurance and safety net products. This role bridges the gap between high-level strategy and ground-level execution, conducting field research, managing external partners, and leading pilots during the critical innovation phase.

Responsibilities

• Lead Market Entry & Opportunity Scoping
• Conduct deep-dive market assessments and farmer needs analyses to evaluate the viability of microinsurance and safety net interventions in new markets.
• Identify high-impact opportunities and define entry strategies for pre-scale programs.
• Drive Product Innovation & Design
• Lead end-to-end design of innovative financial protection products, translating complex risk and insurance concepts into simple, farmer-centric solutions.
• Rapidly prototype, test, and iterate products based on field insights and user feedback.
• Own Pilot Execution & Program Delivery
• Serve as project lead for country-level pilots, managing the full lifecycle from design to implementation and evaluation.
• Collaborate with country leadership to ensure alignment, execution excellence, and readiness for scale.
• Build Strategic Partnerships & Delivery Models
• Identify, negotiate, and manage partnerships with insurers, InsurTechs, NGOs, and other service providers.
• Design operational models and delivery structures that enable scalable, cost-effective program implementation.
• Develop Playbooks, Teams & Pathways to Scale
• Build operational playbooks, tools, and training materials to transition pilots into scalable programs.
• Manage and mentor junior team members while strengthening in-country team capability.
• Capture insights and shape global strategy for microinsurance and safety net programming.

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:

• 3–5 years of professional experience in a similar role, preferably consulting, startup, or international development.       
• Strong problem-solving mindset with experience building or launching new products, programs, or ventures.
• Comfortable working in ambiguity and driving progress in early-stage or unstructured environments.
• Demonstrated ability to lead projects end-to-end and deliver results in cross-functional, global environments.
• Strong analytical skills with proficiency in Excel; ability to translate data into actionable insights.
• Experience managing or mentoring team members is an advantage.
• Bachelor’s or Master’s degree in Economics, Development, Business, or a related field (or equivalent experience).
• Fluency in English required; French or Swahili is a strong advantage.

Preferred Start Date

As soon as possible

Job Location

Nairobi, Kenya or Kigali, Rwanda

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

25 June 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 (globalhotline@oneacrefund.org), 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.