Malawi Extension Lead

About the role

The Agronomy & Extension Lead will own the implementation of One Acre Fund’s extension strategy in Malawi, translating agronomic recommendations into simple, practical support for smallholder farmers. The role blends technical agronomy leadership with the design and management of a farmer‑centered extension system.

Key responsibilities

• Own and co‑design Malawi’s multi‑year agronomy and extension strategy aligned with impact priorities.
• Translate the strategy into annual OKRs, budgets, seasonal plans and clear ownership across teams.
• Embed extension priorities into Field Operations calendars, training cascades, tools and performance routines.
• Strengthen technical capability of Field Managers and Officers through training‑of‑trainers, coaching and practical support.
• Create feedback channels for timely technical answers and sharing of implementation challenges.
• Develop, test and refine qualitative agronomic recommendations using Human‑Centred Design, farmer feedback and impact data.
• Collaborate with Innovations, MEL and global technical teams to validate recommendations against local evidence and government guidance.
• Conduct formative research to understand farmer needs, behaviours and adoption barriers.
• Design farmer‑centered extension and behavior‑change interventions and translate technical guidance into memorable, actionable messages for field teams.

Required profile

• Proven experience leading agronomy and extension programmes for smallholder farmers.
• Strong ability to apply Human‑Centred Design and behavior‑change methodologies.
• Experience working closely with field operations, innovations and monitoring & evaluation teams.
• Excellent analytical skills to use farmer feedback and impact data for continuous improvement.

Required skills

• Human‑Centred Design
• Formative research
• Agronomic recommendation development