Tupande Contract Management Specialists & Senior Specialist

Job description

Position Overview

Seeking an exceptional commercial and governance professional with 5–8+ years of experience to lead and build out our Contract Management function within Procurement. To oversee portfolio risk, drive contracting standards and align commercial execution.

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 all made possible by our team of 9,000+ full-time staff, drawn from diverse backgrounds and professions. To learn more, please see our Why Work Here blog post.

Our Kenya program, founded in 2006, operates under the local brand Tupande. Close to 500 staff in our Kakamega headquarters support 1,747 field staff and serve more than 1 million farmers. In Nairobi, around 50 staff support global functions like procurement, recruitment, government relations, and communications.

About the Role

The main purpose of this role is to provide senior procurement and commercial leadership across the full procurement lifecycle, with primary accountability for the Contract Management function. The role will structure and lead medium-complexity procurement projects, oversee contract portfolio performance and risk, and promote consistent commercial standards across Business Units. Working with minimal manager support, the Specialist will engage early with stakeholders to shape requirements and determine the appropriate sourcing approach. The role will lead supplier selection and commercial negotiations, then oversee contract performance and procure-to-pay delivery through close-out. The role will manage senior commercial escalations and lead the contract management team. While contract management remains the primary focus, the Specialist will operate as a procurement generalist and may lead other procurement categories or improvement work as organisational priorities change.

Responsibilities

Contract Management Leadership

Own the Contract Management function, ensuring consistent standards, effective portfolio governance and sound commercial risk management.

Lead and develop the contract management team, setting priorities and improving capacity through standardisation and appropriate digital tools.

Procurement and Commercial Delivery

Structure and lead medium-complexity procurement work across categories from early planning through delivery and procure-to-pay completion.

Lead supplier selection and commercial negotiations, recommending the best option within approved policies and budgets.

Capital and Complex Portfolio Oversight

Provide early commercial leadership for capital investment and other complex procurement portfolios, improving commercial readiness and reducing delivery risk.

Establish consistent controls for contract changes and claims, including warranties or performance security.

Contract and Supplier Performance

Ensure contractual commitments remain aligned with supplier delivery and procure-to-pay execution.

Hold suppliers accountable for agreed performance and lead the resolution of material commercial issues.

Stakeholder and Performance Leadership

Represent Procurement independently, align senior stakeholders and manage complex commercial escalations.

Use procurement and contract data to improve portfolio performance and lead organisation-wide process improvements.

People Management & Resourcing

Directly manage three colleagues with accountability for team performance and portfolio delivery.

Set priorities and allocate workload based on business demand and commercial risk.

Own performance management and support the professional development of each team member.

Support workforce planning and recruitment, while providing senior guidance on complex negotiations or contract disputes.

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:

Knowledge: Expert knowledge of contract law, commercial terms, FIDIC/construction/equipment contracts, CAPEX procurement, and procurement governance frameworks.

Technical: Advanced commercial negotiation, contract drafting/redlining, contract portfolio risk analysis, project management, and AI contract tool utilization.

Skills

Technical: Data analysis skills (i.e. Google Sheets, Statistical software like R), project and contract management

Soft skills: Soft Skills: Executive communication, matrix team leadership, strategic decision-making, conflict resolution, and cross-functional stakeholder management.

Procurement and Supply chain skills.

Preferred Start Date

As soon as possible

Job Location

Kakamega, Kenya (Flexible)

Benefits

Health insurance, paid time off

Eligibility

This role is only open to citizens or permanent residents of Kenya.

Application Deadline

17 December 2026. Please note that we hire on a rolling basis which means that applications are reviewed and processed on a continuous basis until a hire is made.

One Acre Fund never asks candidates to pay any money or pay for tests at any stage of the interview process. Official One Acre Fund emails will always arrive from an @oneacrefund.org address. Please report any suspicious communication here (globalhotline@oneacrefund.org), but do not send applications or application materials to this email address.

Diversity, Equity, Inclusion (DEI), and anti-racism are deeply connected to our organization’s mission and purpose. One Acre Fund aspires to build a culture where all staff feel consistently valued, represented, and connected – so that our team can thrive as professionals, and achieve exceptional impact for the farmers we serve.

We are committed to equal employment opportunity regardless of race, color, ancestry, religion, sex, national origin, sexual orientation, age, marital status, disability, gender, gender identity or expression. We are proud to be an equal opportunity workplace.