CHARITY JOBS IN AFRICA

Organization: One Acre Fund
Country: Kenya
Closing date: 03 Jan 2015

Private-sector style career development in a growing social enterprise
An excellent career development opportunity

Industry: Nonprofit/International Development
Function: Legal
Employer: One Acre Fund
Job Title: East Africa Legal Analyst
Job Location: Nairobi

Duration: Full time; minimum two year commitment

Organization Description

Most of the world's poor are farmers, representing the largest and most uniform group of poor people in the world. One Acre Fund is a growing NGO in Kenya, Rwanda, Burundi, and Tanzania that is innovating a new way of helping farm families to achieve their full potential. Instead of giving handouts, One Acre Fund invests in farmers to generate a permanent gain in farm income. We provide farmers with a "market bundle" that includes education, finance, seed and fertilizer, and market access. Our program is proven impactful – every year, we weigh thousands of harvests and measure 50-100% average gain in farm income per acre. We have laser-like focus on generating better lives for the people that we serve.

We are growing quickly. In eight years, we have grown to serve 180,000 farm families with more than 2,000 full-time field staff. Our approach has won widespread validation, winning grants from The MasterCard Foundation and Gates Foundation.

Website: www.oneacrefund.org.

Job DescriptionAs our organization grows and expands its services, regulatory and legal considerations are increasingly relevant to our work. The East Africa legal analyst, based in Nairobi, will oversee One Acre Fund compliance with local laws and be the point person for all legal research and advisory functions. The role will require regular travel, initially in East Africa, and in future to One Acre Fund expansion countries across Africa. Working closely with the government relations and policy team, the analyst will advise on laws affecting our operations in East Africa. Further, the analyst will support policy recommendations by interpreting legal matters applicable to our work.

Initially focusing on Kenya, Tanzania, and Uganda, the analyst will undertake various projects for each country. Among other duties, the legal analyst will develop an inventory of applicable laws, maintain a schedule of relevant applications and renewals, and generally be responsible for regulations and licenses relevant to our field activities.

The analyst will also be responsible for registering One Acre Fund in new countries, and updating our legal status in existing countries when necessary. They will anticipate key changes in the legal environment and provide briefings to the government relations and policy managers. Last, they will advise the policy manager with regard to how regulatory and legal considerations might affect our policy recommendations to East African governments.

The legal analyst will be responsible for the following:

Operational Support

• Regulatory compliance: Oversee licenses, regulations, and approvals related to regulators such as KEPHIS, PCPB, KVB, and NEMA. Anticipate operational hurdles based on the regulatory landscape and proactively identify potential operational risks.
• Local country registration and analysis: As we expand across Africa, One Acre Fund needs to evaluate the legal systems of potential new countries, determine the proper legal structure and find and manage local counsel in the process of creating new One Acre Fund entities. The analyst will be responsible for evaluating these opportunities and working to make the proper recommendation.
• Field work support: Undertake field visits to remain familiar with the work of operations and support teams and to ensure compliance within relevant legal and regulatory frameworks.
• Global operation analysis and support: With nearly 2000 staffers in the field, One Acre Fund is constantly reviewing and analyzing host country legal systems to ensure compliance and efficient operations. The analyst will also work collaboratively with One Acre Fund’s global procurement department regarding the purchase and distribution of inputs and products from global supplier and producers.

Research and Analysis

• Legal research: Provide opinions on the applicability of statutes, case law, and regulations in response to specific queries from the field operations, logistics, People Operations, and other One Acre Fund teams.
• Policy analysis: Provide analysis of local legal frameworks to support the development of policy recommendations and communications products. Represent One Acre Fund at national and subject-matter based bar associations to ensure we stay current on relevant legal developments.
• US legal review: Researching and drafting legal memos regarding state specific fundraising statutes; state and federal employment laws and related laws and regulations governing our US and field operations.
• Contract review: Initial review and analysis of contracts regarding field and US operations.
• General: As a young organization, we frequently have time sensitive research projects regarding a variety of unforeseen issues and the analyst will take the lead in evaluating these issues, formulating a plan to address them and taking immediate action.

Career Growth and Development

One Acre Fund invests in building management and leadership skills. Your manager will invest significant time in your career development. We provide constant, actionable feedback delivered through mentorship and through regular management consulting-style 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. Because of our rapid growth, we constantly have new high-level roles opening up and opportunities in many functions. This results in fast career growth for our staff.

Qualifications

We are seeking an exceptional candidate with 3+ years of professional experience. Candidates who fit the criteria below should apply:

• Strong work experience: Examples include a demanding professional work experience or successful entrepreneurial experience (e.g., starting a business, leading teams and/or projects within a top international law firm, etc.). Lawyers who have a strong background in international law, agriculture, development, etc. are strongly encouraged to apply.
• International legal experience: Experience working with East African legal systems strongly preferred. Law degree strongly preferred as well. Please note in your application whether you are admitted to any bars/courts, etc.
• Internal drive: The analyst must be a self-starter who can proactively complete tasks without constant oversight. You must be willing to take ownership of projects and have the confidence and skills to complete tasks without reminders. You must be comfortable working in a dynamic, changing environment.
• Exceptional time management skills: The legal analyst will be asked to complete complicated legal assignments on short time tables and will be providing support to multiple departments in Africa and the US.
• Leadership experience at work, or outside of work.
• Top-performing academic record(s): Please include GPA and test scores on your resume.
• A humble approach to service: We are looking for passionate professionals who combine strong leadership skills with good humor, patience, and humility.
• A willingness to commit to this position and living in Nairobi for at least two years: This is a full time, career-track position and requires a minimum two year commitment.

Preferred Start Date

As soon as possible

Compensation

Starts modest. However, this is a career-track role with fast raises for performance, paying a meaningful salary for long-term placement in developing nations.

Benefits

Health insurance, immunizations, flight, room and board.

Sponsor International Candidates

Yes

How to apply:

Complete this form (http://myjotform.com/form/40471746260553). You will be prompted to submit your CV and cover letter. You may also be asked to submit work samples for some positions. Returned Peace Corps Volunteers (RPCVs), please submit a copy of your Description of Service (DOS) in the appropriate section.