Communications Officer

Industry: Nonprofit/International Development/Agriculture/Microfinance
Position: Communications Officer 
Employer: One Acre Fund
Job Location: Iringa, Tanzania
Commitment: Long Term Career Position

Organization Description
One Acre Fund is an agricultural NGO in Kenya, Rwanda, Burundi, and Tanzania that is innovating a new way of helping farm families to achieve their full potential. One Acre invests in farmers to generate a permanent gain in farm income. We provide farmers with a complete market bundle that includes seed and fertilizer, financing for farm inputs and insurance, modern farming trainings, and market facilitation and harvest storage techniques. Our program is proven impactful – every year, we weigh thousands of harvests and measure more than 50-100% percent average gain in farm income per acre.  We are growing quickly. In six years, we have grown to serve more than 180,000 farm families in East Africa with 1,000 full-time field staff in Kenya alone.

Job Description 
One Acre Fund is a rapidly growing organization; increasing the number of sub-locations, districts, and members we serve in each year.  We are seeking a communications officer to help document our impact, progress and growth through photos, videos, interviews, and reports in our new Tanzania office.

We are seeking an experienced individual to assist our communications team in sharing the stories of our farmers and hosting guests out in the field.  This role will report to the One Acre Fund communications associate in Kenya and work closely with her to produce written and visual content. This position requires strong written and oral communication skills, as well as strong inter-personal skills and a willingness to learn a variety of story-telling techniques. Photography experience is desired, but is not required (although if a candidate lacks photography experience, a genuine interest in mastering photography is required).
The successful candidate will be a clear and confident communicator, comfortable in interviewing farmers, staff, and large groups on a wide array of topics, and comfortable photographing clients and staff on a regular basis. The role also requires excellent time-keeping and organizational skills and the ability to coordinate schedules and logistics for guests of the organization, as well as logistics for trips to visit all of the districts in Tanzania where One Acre Fund operates.
This position will be working under remote management the majority of the time, so a successful candidate will be someone who excels in working independently, is self-motivated to complete tasks, communicates proactively with their supervisor, and who thrives in a structured work planning environment.
Primary Duties of the Communications Officer

Support Communications Team- Produce regular reports on farmers and field activities, act as the translator and primary coordinator for visiting external relations team members, maintain a database of farmers who have compelling stories and/or would be good for visitors to meet.
Build and Maintain Farmer and Field Staff Network- Create a network of farmers and field staff to help keep you aware of all activities and possible story leads.
Content Brainstorming- Brainstorm possible story ideas and pitch them with proposed angles.
Photograph Field Activities- Take photos of all seasonal field and operational activities and archive them appropriately.

Hosting Visitors- Upon request, assist in hosting visitors and coordinating field visits to support other teams, become an expert on all-things One Acre Fund as to answer questions of visitors, translate field meetings and interviews for visitors, be comfortable thinking on feet when visits go differently than planned.
If you have skills or experiences in these areas, please highlight them on your cover letter and resume.

Career Growth and Development: One Acre Fund invests in building management and leadership capacity. We provide constant, actionable feedback delivered through weekly mentorship and regular career reviews. We also have regular one-on-one meetings where we listen to and discuss career goals, and work collaboratively to craft roles that each person can be passionate about.

Qualifications
We are seeking exceptional professionals with a strong background in communications work, and a demonstrated long-term passion for sustainable agricultural development in sub-Saharan Africa. We are looking for extraordinary candidates that are proactive; please only apply if you fit these criteria:

Required:
· Passionate about serving smallholder farmers
· Language: fluent in English and Kiswahili, ability to speak local languages.
· Demonstrated basic computer skills, including typing and email
· Clear communicator in-person and on the phone
· Proactive problem solver
· Integrity and a positive attitude
· Demonstrates high-quality work with a strong attention to detail
· Willingness to commit to living in rural Tanzania for a long-term position
· Independent worker with strong ability to manage own schedule and tasks
· Confident communicator who is comfortable talking with many people on a variety of topics
· Ability to work as part of a larger team


Desired:
· Top-performing undergraduate degree in communications, journalism or other relevant fields from a recognized University
· Language: conversational in Kibena or Kihehe
· Leadership experience at work, or outside of work
· Proven ability to set and meet targets on the job
· Photography experience
· Writing experience

Career development: Twice annual career reviews and constant feedback. Your manager will invest significant time in your career development.
Timeline: Resumes should be submitted by Friday, May 30th. We will begin interviews in June and are planning on a start date of July 7, 2014.

Compensation: 250,000-300,000 base salary dependent on qualifications

Benefits: NSSF, airtime and small transportation allowances, work computer, benevolent fund

Career development: Twice annual career reviews and regular feedback. Your manager will invest significant time in your career development.

One Acre Fund is an equal opportunity employer.

To Apply
Email cover letter and resume to tanzaniajobs@oneacrefund.org with the Subject line: Communications Officer + the place you heard of the position.

Please include grades and test scores on your resume.