Background

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.

Role Context

Responsible for the end-to-end oversight of fruit reception, processing, and export. This role ensures that fresh avocados meet international quality standards and customer orders are fulfilled through efficient coordination with the aggregation team and 3rd-party packhouse facilities.

Responsibilities

• Production Planning and Stakeholder Coordination
• Align weekly and daily harvest projections from the E&A (Extension & Aggregation) team with confirmed customer export orders.
• Act as the primary liaison with the 3rd-party packhouse management to schedule packing slots and ensure priority status for Tupande fruit.
• Monitor daily delivery trends against projections and escalate potential volume shortfalls to facilitate timely aggregation and export decisions.
• Intake Oversight and Quality Control Management
• Supervise the formal reception of fruit at the packhouse, including the verification of delivery notes, truck seals, and weighbridge accuracy.
• Manage the Quality Assurance team, assign tasks for sampling and ensure quality parameters are accurately recorded.
• Oversee the physical transfer of crates between aggregation trucks and factory storage to ensure 100% count reconciliation.
• Packhouse Processing and Technical Supervision
• Directly oversee the washing, disinfecting, brushing, and waxing processes, ensuring protocols are adjusted for specific client needs.
• Monitor the automated grading line to ensure correct sorting and weight compliance.
• Supervise the weighing, recording, and reconciliation of rejected fruit per truck batch and ensure appropriate documentation is received from the packhouse.
• Export Logistics and Compliance
• Cold Chain Management: Ensure immediate transfer of full pallets to the cold room and track storage duration to minimize 3rd-party refrigeration costs.
• Coordinate with KEPHIS and HCD inspectors for mandatory Dry Matter (DM) testing and pest inspections; ensure all certificates are secured before container stuffing.
• Oversee the container loading process, ensuring the container meets the required standards, is loaded (stuffed) correctly, has the right temperatures, and all documents are available to support the export process.

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:

• Minimum academic qualification: Diploma in Agriculture, Horticulture, Food Science, or a related field is preferred.
• Work experience: 2+ years in fresh produce value chains (Avocados preferred).
• Technical knowledge: Familiarity with GLOBALG.A.P., SMETA, HACCP, or BRCGS standards is an added advantage.
• Regulatory knowledge: Understanding of KEPHIS and HCD export protocols is an added advantage.
• Communication: Strong interpersonal skills to manage 3rd-party packhouse relationships without direct authority.
• Attention to detail: Ability to ensure all tasks are completed in time and to requirement to meet processing needs.
• Technological proficiency: Familiarity with the Google Workspace tools such as Docs, Sheets, Slides, Drive etc.

• Production Planning and Stakeholder Coordination
• Align weekly and daily harvest projections from the E&A (Extension & Aggregation) team with confirmed customer export orders.
• Act as the primary liaison with the 3rd-party packhouse management to schedule packing slots and ensure priority status for Tupande fruit.
• Monitor daily delivery trends against projections and escalate potential volume shortfalls to facilitate timely aggregation and export decisions.
• Intake Oversight and Quality Control Management
• Supervise the formal reception of fruit at the packhouse, including the verification of delivery notes, truck seals, and weighbridge accuracy.
• Manage the Quality Assurance team, assign tasks for sampling and ensure quality parameters are accurately recorded.
• Oversee the physical transfer of crates between aggregation trucks and factory storage to ensure 100% count reconciliation.
• Packhouse Processing and Technical Supervision
• Directly oversee the washing, disinfecting, brushing, and waxing processes, ensuring protocols are adjusted for specific client needs.
• Monitor the automated grading line to ensure correct sorting and weight compliance.
• Supervise the weighing, recording, and reconciliation of rejected fruit per truck batch and ensure appropriate documentation is received from the packhouse.
• Export Logistics and Compliance
• Cold Chain Management: Ensure immediate transfer of full pallets to the cold room and track storage duration to minimize 3rd-party refrigeration costs.
• Coordinate with KEPHIS and HCD inspectors for mandatory Dry Matter (DM) testing and pest inspections; ensure all certificates are secured before container stuffing.
• Oversee the container loading process, ensuring the container meets the required standards, is loaded (stuffed) correctly, has the right temperatures, and all documents are available to support the export process.

• Strong interpersonal skills to manage 3rd-party packhouse relationships without direct authority.
• Ability to ensure all tasks are completed in time and to requirement to meet processing needs.
• Familiarity with the Google Workspace tools such as Docs, Sheets, Slides, Drive etc.

• Diploma in Agriculture, Horticulture, Food Science, or a related field is preferred.
• 2+ years in fresh produce value chains (Avocados preferred).
• Familiarity with GLOBALG.A.P., SMETA, HACCP, or BRCGS standards is an added advantage.
• Understanding of KEPHIS and HCD export protocols is an added advantage.