Regenerative Agriculture & Agronomy manager

Role Overview

This position leads a field-based agronomy team focused on improving farm productivity, soil health, and sustainability outcomes for cooperative farmer groups. Day to day, you will coordinate training, demonstration plots, certification compliance, and data collection across multiple locations while supporting the professional growth of your direct reports. Your leadership directly shapes the quality of technical support delivered to farmers and the long-term resilience of the agricultural communities served.

Key Responsibilities

• Lead, mentor, and develop a team of agronomists and field staff, setting clear performance expectations, holding regular one-on-ones, and conducting structured reviews to ensure accountability and continuous improvement.
• Build annual, quarterly, and monthly workplans for agronomy activities, aligning field schedules, farmer training calendars, and extension efforts with program targets and deadlines.
• Design and implement regenerative agriculture and climate-smart interventions, including demonstration plots, water efficiency practices, Good Agricultural Practices, and soil health management initiatives across cooperatives and farmer groups.
• Conduct soil analysis and provide practical nutrient management recommendations that help farmers improve productivity while building long-term soil resilience.
• Coordinate the distribution of agricultural inputs under revolving fund programs, track farmer adoption, and prepare recovery reports to support financial sustainability.
• Support certification and compliance requirements by aligning agronomic interventions with audit standards, preparing corrective action plans, and driving continuous improvement across farmer groups.
• Promote gender equity and youth inclusion through targeted farmer group development, entrepreneurship training, and income diversification activities.
• Collaborate with the Monitoring & Evaluation team to collect, validate, and report field data on productivity, soil health, water efficiency, and adoption of sustainable practices, contributing to monthly, quarterly, and annual technical reports.
• Maintain strong working relationships with cooperatives, service providers, and project partners, and coordinate agronomy activities with cooperative leadership and field representatives.
• Support agronomy budget planning, track expenditure against approved budgets, and manage resources efficiently.

Requirements & Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in Agronomy, Agricultural Science, Environmental Science, Soil Science, Sustainable Agriculture, or a closely related field.
• Minimum 7 years of professional experience in agronomy, agricultural development, sustainability, or farmer support programs.
• At least 5–7 years of experience leading and managing field-based technical teams, including supervising staff across geographically dispersed locations.
• Proven track record in work planning, resource allocation, performance management, and team development.
• Hands-on experience implementing regenerative agriculture, soil health, or climate-smart agriculture initiatives is strongly preferred.
• Solid understanding of crop production systems, soil science, and practical nutrient management.
• Working knowledge of regenerative agriculture principles and climate-smart practices, with the ability to translate them into farmer-facing guidance.
• Proficiency in Microsoft Office applications is required, along with familiarity with digital data collection and monitoring tools.
• Demonstrated experience in project planning, implementation, monitoring, and narrative reporting.
• Budget planning and resource management skills, with attention to cost control and transparent reporting.
• Strong people leadership, coaching, and team-building skills, with the ability to motivate field staff and hold them accountable for results.
• Excellent communication, training facilitation, and stakeholder engagement abilities, especially in cross-cultural and rural contexts.
• Exceptional organizational, analytical, and problem-solving skills, with the capacity to manage multiple priorities in field-based environments.
• High integrity and a genuine commitment to farmer impact, sustainability, and ethical practice.
• Experience in the coffee sector, wet mill operations, applied research, or M&E systems is an added advantage but not required.