Project Developer Africa

This is what we offer you

• Gross monthly salary between EUR 3,869 and EUR 5,526 (scale 08) for a 36-hour work week.
• A thirteenth month, 8% holiday allowance, and a 10% Employee Benefit Budget.
• EUR 1,400 development budget per year for your growth and development.
• A balance between home and office work (possible for most roles).
• Decide for yourself the amount of your personal pension contribution.

Acorn Project Developer Africa

Enabling smallholder farmers in Africa to transition to agroforestry, increasing their income and climate resilience, while supporting the growth and stability of the Acorn team.

As Acorn Project Developer Africa, you will become part of an energetic and collaborative team, headquartered in Utrecht, dedicated to advancing agroforestry initiatives across Africa. In this role, you will play a pivotal part in enabling smallholder farmers to transition to agroforestry systems, helping farmers to increase their incomes, strengthen their resilience to climate change, and promote sustainable land use practices.

Your responsibilities will involve close cooperation with a diverse array of stakeholders, including local partners, government agencies, non-governmental organisations (NGOs), and international validation & verification bodies or certifiers. Together, you will design, implement, and scale impactful projects, ensuring that robust plans are in place for expanding the number of farmers involved, increasing the area of land converted to agroforestry, and maximising the number of trees planted each year. You will work hands-on with communities in countries such as Kenya, Zambia, Mozambique, Ghana, Nigeria, Tanzania, Malawi, and São Tomé and Príncipe, providing guidance and support tailored to local needs and challenges.

Through your efforts, you will help hundreds of thousands of smallholder farmers access the economic and environmental benefits that Acorn offers, while also contributing directly to Rabobank’s mission of growing a better world together. You will benefit from a supportive, international working environment that values innovation, knowledge sharing, and personal development. As you work alongside a team of six colleagues in the Project Development Team Africa, you will have opportunities to develop your professional skills and expand your expertise in sustainable agriculture, project management, and stakeholder engagement, making a tangible difference both locally and globally.

Examples from Practice

• Supporting partners in planting millions of trees each year.
• Enabling thousands of hectares of agricultural land to transition to agroforestry.
• Helping hundreds of thousands of smallholder farmers access the benefits of Acorn.

Facts & Figures

• Join a team of 6 colleagues in the Project Development Team Africa.
• Rabobank serves 9.5 million customers worldwide.

Top 3 Responsibilities

• Collaborating with local partners to develop and implement plans that grow projects in terms of farmers, trees planted, and hectares transitioned to agroforestry.
• Ensuring all projects meet the quality standards of the Acorn Framework and relevant carbon certification standards.
• Overseeing the complete end-to-end process of onboarding, measurement, and monitoring of projects.

Within the organisation, you will be part of a small, ambitious team of junior and senior project developers. Scale 8 positions are more junior, with clear growth opportunities to scale 9 and beyond. You will work closely with the Africa Lead and other colleagues. The role starts with a one-year contract.

“We have in the past period grown tremendously in scale and team. We look forward to welcome other pragmatic, result-oriented team players that contribute to Acorn in the years to come.”
Jelmer van de Mortel, Head of Acorn

The 6 people in the Africa team bundle forces, intelligence, and experience to realise innovation strategies. Working together is our way of working; as one problem-solving team at Rabobank.

Work on Yourself & the World Around You

At Rabobank, your development and that of society go hand in hand. We invest in you and work together for a better world. At Rabobank, you work on yourself and the world around you.

This is reflected in your personal development budget, our hybrid working environment, and a healthy work-life balance. You will work on banking for our private and business customers, as well as on societal issues such as food and energy transitions.

You & Your Talent

• At least 3+ years of professional experience.
• Hard requirement: you have experience with at least one of the following:
  • Carbon Markets
  • Nature-Based projects
  • Agricultural development
  • Agroforestry
• Work experience within Africa (2+ years) is a hard requirement, as is focus on smallholder farmers.
• Experience in project management with a focus on portfolio quality and growth.
• Strong communication skills in English (spoken and written), and either Portuguese or Swahili is essential.
• Ability to adapt to changing circumstances, including supporting projects outside Africa if required (Asia or Latin America).
• Cultural awareness and sensitivity, with the ability to navigate diverse environments and work effectively in multicultural teams.
• Advanced relationship management skills, including the ability to build and maintain partnerships with local and international stakeholders.
• Positive, constructive, and problem-solving attitude, with a focus on achieving results in challenging contexts.

⚠️ You need to be allowed to work in the Netherlands, either with EU nationality or with a valid working visa. We do not cover relocation costs for this vacancy.

For questions about the job content: Cathy Tran, Project Development Lead Africa, via Cathy.Tran@rabobank.com.