Global Human Centered Design Lead at One Acre Fund

Job Description

One Acre Fund is a nonprofit organization that supplies smallholder farmers in East Africa with asset-based financing and agriculture training services to reduce hunger and poverty.

About the Role

We seek a Global Human Centered Design (HCD) Lead to use HCD methodologies to improve One Acre Fund’s program design, product offerings, marketing and extension. You will report to the Senior Director of R&D and collaborate across multiple teams to integrate HCD into One Acre Fund’s strategy and program design. You will create research methodologies to explore how we can better meet farmer needs, and support in-country teams to implement the research. You will also lead the analysis and synthesis of this data to develop actionable recommendations for improved product catalogs, marketing, SBCC and extension.

Responsibilities

Design research tools and train field teams to use them

You will design research projects drawing from HCD, Participatory Design, Design and Systems Thinking approaches, and a range of methodologies including surveys, interviews, focus groups and design workshops to be implemented by in-country field research teams. You will train in-country staff on using these methodologies to – Elicit insights on farmer priorities, barriers, needs and aspirations Prototype, co-design and validate new products and communications e.g. digital or paper-based decision-support tools, marketing messages, training content You will provide guidance and quality assurance support as the teams implement.

Elicit and apply insights to inform strategy and programming:

You will define and lead implementation of processes to analyze, synthesize and interpret insights emerging from the research. You will translate these insights into actionable recommendations for program design, product / service design, marketing, training and SBCC. You will collaborate with country programs to co-design and implement strategy to extend reach and deepen impact for smallholders based on HCD insights. Based on the existing internal and external evidence and data, you will make recommendations on additional learning and studies needed across the organization

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.

Requirements

Qualifications

Across all roles, these are the general qualifications we look for. For this role specifically, you will have:

Bachelors degree in a relevant field Minimum of 3 years of experience using qualitative research approaches, including focus group facilitation, interview-based approaches, and design workshop approaches in the context of smallholder agriculture.

Preference will be given to candidates with:

Experience using data to support decision-making with senior leadership and implementing teams. Experience managing multiple research projects at once across multiple countries, guiding and working through teams on the ground in rural, agricultural communities.

Please note that we define human-centered design experience broadly; successful candidates may come from a wide range of backgrounds, including research, social sciences, engineering, UX design, and tech / development.