Senior Field Officer-Agriculture

Title: Senior Field Officer-Agriculture

Reports To: Rwanda Project Officer

Department: Rwanda Programme

SUMMARY:

The International Crane Foundation (ICF) works worldwide to conserve cranes and the ecosystems they depend on. In East Africa, ICF works to address key threats to Grey Crowned Cranes and their wetland habitats, secure and improve the ecological integrity of key sites for cranes, and benefit communities who share these same landscapes, all in collaboration with local communities and key stakeholders. The Rwanda Programme is part of ICF’s Africa Programme, which aims to maintain stable wild populations of four threatened crane species resident in Sub-Saharan Africa: Wattled, Blue, Black Crowned, and Grey Crowned. The ICF currently has three regional hubs across Africa, located in South Africa, Zambia, and Uganda, and will be expanding into West / Central Africa. The Rwanda Programme works within our East African Regional Hub with the Head Quarters in Kampala, Uganda. ICF was registered in Rwanda in 2024 and set up a Programme Office in Kigali.

We are looking for a dynamic, committed, and competent person to fill the position of Senior Field Officer to guide and support our agriculture-related conservation interventions in Rwanda. The position will be based at Rugezi Marsh in northern Rwanda. The person will be responsible for training and mentoring farmers in sustainable agricultural practices, working with stakeholders and farmers to reduce agriculture encroachment in wetlands, enhance catchment protection, restoration and management while strengthening community resilient livelihoods, and ensuring successful implementation of crane conservation-focused agricultural projects. The Senior Field Officer-Agriculture will report to the Rwanda Project Officer.

ESSENTIAL DUTIES AND KEY RESPONSIBILITIES:

The position will have the following scope of work and responsibilities:

• Mentor the Rwanda programme team to support farmers in implementing crane, wetland, and climate smart – regenerative agricultural and other alternative livelihood practices.
• Assess and identify knowledge gaps and farmers’ training needs at key crane sites in Rwanda and conduct trainings to address the gaps.
• Coordinate and ensure the effective identification and training of Model Farmers to provide hands-on peer extension support to other farmers on climate smart agricultural practices, including Paludiculture.
• Identify training needs in the agricultural sector that link agriculture to improved environmental management practices and develop and implement a capacity-building programme.
• In liaison with other agriculture experts across East Africa, develop and implement interventions to mitigate human-crane conflict resulting from crop depredation.
• Develop partnerships with key agricultural institutions and stakeholders to promote Climate Smart Agricultural practices across key crane areas in Rwanda.
• Facilitate the process for forming Farmer Field Schools (FFS) at key crane sites in Rwanda
• Support ICF team in Rwanda and other stakeholders in designing and implementing activities related to catchment restoration, management, and ecosystem services enhancement that integrate agricultural best practices with broader ecological restoration goals to ensure sustainable land and water resource management.
• Establish and maintain constructive and collaborative working relationships with the Ministry of Agriculture in Rwanda, the Rwanda Agriculture Board, and other actors within the agriculture sector.

Additional Responsibilities

• Lead on the development, implementation, and monitoring of a communications and behaviour change strategy that promotes sustainable agriculture and diversified, environmentally friendly livelihoods for farming communities in Rwanda.
• Assist in designing and implementing community-based income-generating projects that reduce dependency on environmentally harmful practices.
• Contribute to creating market linkages for agricultural products to improve incomes and support sustainable practices.
• Establish monitoring and evaluation systems, collecting data, and preparing reports on agriculture project progress and impact.
• Contribute to ICF Rwanda annual and quarterly planning
• Prepare timely and accurate field reports, success stories, and technical documents to inform program management and donors.
• Contribute to resource mobilization efforts by providing technical inputs and providing field-level information.
• Ensuring that the Rwanda programme’s agricultural activities are aligned with ICF's conservation goals and contribute to crane and wetland conservation. 

REQUIRED QUALIFICATIONS, SKILLS AND COMPETENCIES:

• A Bachelor’s degree in Agricultural Sciences with particular emphasis on extension, agronomy, or soil science
• A minimum of five years of working experience with participatory extension approaches, especially in Farmer Field School (FFS) and participatory approaches in technology transfer in the agriculture sector
• Knowledge of the interface and interactions between agricultural farming systems and the environment, and the impacts that agriculture can have on natural systems
• Strong technical skills in areas such as conservation agriculture, agroforestry, climate-smart agriculture and Participatory Rural Appraisal (PRA). 
• A track record of building the capacity of farmers in sustainable agronomic practices, soil, and water management
• Knowledge of agriculture context in Rwanda and challenges related to agriculture and conservation in the country
• A strong technical background and understanding of behaviour change in farming systems
• Experience in monitoring and evaluation of agricultural projects. 
• Excellent facilitation, communication, interpersonal, and leadership skills. 
• Proven ability to work effectively in multidisciplinary teams and with diverse stakeholders. 
• Demonstrated capacity to write project reports and correspondences in a clear, concise, logical, and grammatically correct manner, and competency to use IT tools and platforms.
• Good verbal/oral communication skills and fluent in English language, and competency in communication skills using a variety of media.
• Possess a valid driver’s license, Category B, and acceptable driving records.
• Flexibility to work the number and schedule of hours needed to accomplish regular and ad hoc job responsibilities.

ADDITIONAL REQUIREMENTS

• Strong enthusiasm for activities related to building farmer capacity.
• Proven ability to collaborate effectively with partner organizations, including governments, NGOs, community groups, and businesses
• Excellent training skills with the ability to bring about long-term behavioural change
• Confidence in and ability to travel extensively, in Rwanda, and occasionally to our other projects in Africa.

We are an equal opportunities employer, and this position is open to Rwandan nationals. Qualified candidates should submit CVs, daytime telephone contact, email address, names and addresses of three referees, and a cover letter explaining how their experience will contribute to the requirements of the position, as one pdf file.

Applicants should apply to charlesk@savingcranes.org Please put “Senior Field Officer-Agriculture” in the subject line.

Applications close on 10^th August 2025, and any applicants who will not have heard from the International Crane Foundation by 31^st August 2025 should consider their application unsuccessful. Research Assistant