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Tupande Production Supervisor

Sagana, Kenya

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

Seeking a Production Supervisor with 2-3 years experience to manage shift-level operations across Tupande's biochar pyrolysis lines and serve as Safety Marshal. First Aid certification is a bonus and may be required.

Responsibilities

Shift Supervision

  • Lead the pre-shift briefing for all line personnel, covering safety topics, production targets, known issues, and task assignments
  • Monitor overall line performance throughout the shift across both pyrolysis lines and respond promptly to deviations, faults, or safety events
  • Coordinate between Carbonization Operators, Maintenance Officers, Forklift Operators, Lab Analysts, and Control Room Operators on shift
  • Manage staggered breaks in coordination with the Control Room Operator (Floater function) to ensure both lines are never left without adequate coverage
  • Conduct shift handover including PLC parameter review, equipment condition sign-off, outstanding issues, and verbal brief to the incoming Supervisor
  • Complete the shift handover log accurately, documenting production output, faults, maintenance actions, safety observations, and open items
  • Directly supervise all shift personnel including operators, independent contractors, and casual labor
  • Supervise packaging, including; bagging, weighing, sealing, and batch ID labelling, ensuring quality and safety standards are met
  • Coach and develop team members; identify and escalate performance or capability gaps to the Production Coordinator
  • Identify and escalate operational improvement opportunities to the Production Coordinator
  • Escalate unresolved technical or safety issues to the Production Coordinator, designated HSSE staff, and/or Biochar Lead without delay

Safety Marshal

  • Carry the Safety Marshal designation for the shift; conduct safety walkthroughs of the line at shift start and at regular intervals
  • Verify PPE compliance and challenge unsafe behavior immediately
  • Lead emergency response on the line until management or the designated HSSE staff arrive
  • Enforce all SOPs and HACCP protocols on shift at all times
  • Report safety events to the designated HSSE staff and escalate to the Production Coordinator or Biochar Lead as required

Monitoring, Reporting, and Verification (MRV)

  • Complete per-shift production logs covering personnel, activities, feedstock used, biochar produced, equipment performance, and shift duration
  • Capture per-shift packaging usage counts (bags packaged, weight per batch)
  • Capture and submit feedstock pile photos as required under the direction of the Production Coordinator
  • Submit all per-shift data to the Production Coordinator promptly for MRV compilation

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:

  • 2-3 years of experience in a supervisory or team-leader role in a manufacturing or industrial environment
  • Familiarity with PLC-based process equipment; prior experience in pyrolysis, biomass processing, or thermal processing operations strongly preferred
  • Proven experience managing mixed teams of skilled operators and independent contractors / casual labour on shift
  • Strong leadership, decision-making, and communication skills under operational pressure
  • Basic data entry and reporting skills in Google Sheets or Excel for per-shift production and MRV logging
  • Valid First Aid certification (St. John's Ambulance Kenya or equivalent) is required for the Safety Marshal designation. Successful candidates without active certification may be supported to obtain it

Preferred Start Date

As soon as possible

Job Location

Sagana, Kenya

Benefits

Health insurance, housing, and comprehensive benefits

Contract Duration

3-6 months

Eligibility

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

Application Deadline

29 August 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.

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