About One Acre Fund: Founded in 2006, One Acre Fund equips 5.5 million smallholder farmers to make their farms more productive. Across nine countries that together are home to two-thirds of Africa's farmers, we provide high-quality farm supplies, tree seedlings, accessible credit, modern agronomic training, and a wide range of other agricultural services. On average, this model enables any farmer to increase their income and assets on supported land by more than 35 percent, while permanently improving their resilience. This is made possible by our team of 9,000+ full-time staff. In Zambia, from our hub in Kabwe, we run a specialised climate-smart input and agroforestry program to address challenges such as irregular rainfall and soil degradation. By partnering with local Tree Nursery Operators, we raise and distribute agroforestry trees that enrich soils and build long-term financial resilience.
About the Role: We are seeking an exceptional MEL professional with 4+ years of experience to run our day-to-day field data collection operations and statistical analysis, strengthen data quality, and manage our 13-person field implementation teams. You will coordinate the entire survey lifecycle from questionnaire scripting and data cleaning to field deployment across our operational districts. Based in Kabwe, you will report to the Research and Data Lead and serve as the team's direct link to the Global MEL team.
Responsibilities:
- Design statistically sound data collection instruments and survey methodologies tailored to rural agricultural interventions.
- Establish rigorous data management workflows, cleaning protocols, and automated quality assurance checks; continuously audit and improve data collection processes.
- Analyse survey data using statistical software (R, Python, etc.) to produce summary statistics and rigorous impact analysis (e.g. regression, multi-level modeling, difference-in-difference methods), applying parametric and non-parametric methods as appropriate.
- Translate findings into clear, actionable recommendations, including contributing to the yearly impact report.
- Coordinate and execute large-scale field survey implementations across Central and Southern Provinces; manage, mentor, and build capacity of the field implementation team and supervisor networks.
- Plan complex field logistics, timelines, and deployment strategies for remote, rural data collection; guarantee field data integrity through strict validation and back-checking procedures.
- Work closely with operational managers and global technical advisors; resolve operational and logistical bottlenecks; own final dataset accuracy and team deliverables.
Qualifications:
- Knowledge of R, Python, or suitable languages, combined with survey tools (e.g., CommCare, ODK, KoboToolbox), and Google Sheets.
- Proficiency in quantitative/qualitative survey design, handling complex datasets, with a solid grounding in statistics.
- Prior experience directly supervising field teams, enumerator networks, or data collectors in rural environments.
- Demonstrated capability in training, coaching, and elevating the technical execution and data capacity of junior field staff.
- Ability to look ahead, manage team timelines, and resolve personnel or logistical field issues before they impact data quality.
- Bachelor's degree in Economics, Statistics, Agricultural Economics, Development Studies, or a related field. Masters degree (or higher) preferred.
Preferred Start Date: As soon as possible. Contract Duration: 1 year. Benefits: Health insurance, paid time off.
Closing date: 28 November 2026
HOW TO APPLY:
Apply online via the One Acre Fund vacancy page: https://oneacrefund.org/vacancies/zambia-mel-lead-fixed-term. Applications are reviewed on a rolling basis until a hire is made. Application deadline: 28 November 2026. One Acre Fund never asks candidates to pay any money or pay for tests at any stage of the interview process; official emails always arrive from an @oneacrefund.org address. This role is only open to citizens or permanent residents of Zambia.