Afripolli Farm-Tech Solutions Ltd is a registered woman-led enterprise addressing the pollination crisis through the development of artificial pollination technologies while promoting nature-based practices that conserve natural pollinators. The company works to improve pollination success and crop productivity for sunflower, cocoa, and coffee farmers through innovative, scalable, and climate-smart solutions.

We are seeking a driven, hands-on, and innovative individual to join our team as an Agricultural and Rural Innovation Associate to support the refinement, validation, and piloting of our flagship pollination technology, the Polli-Pack. The role is ideal for an early-career professional passionate about agricultural innovation, research, technology validation, and farmer-centred product design.

Position: Agricultural and Rural Innovation Associate

Reports to: Head of Product

Location: Lira, Uganda

Duration: Three-month probationary contract with possibility of renewal based on performance and availability of funding.

Position Purpose: The Agricultural and Rural Innovation Associate will play a central role in the refinement and validation of Afripollis Polli-Pack technology. The successful candidate will support the assembly and testing of the device with farmers, conduct market and demand-baseline research, coordinate field trials across sunflower, cocoa, and coffee value chains and support the piloting of Afripolli’s pollination-as-a-service model.

Key Responsibilities

• Oversee product testing on farm with farmers
• Support the assembly and bench-testing of six Polli-Pack prototype versions.
• Assist in prototype refinement based on technical performance and user feedback.
• Document prototype performance, troubleshooting findings, and recommendations for improvement.
• Ensure accurate record-keeping and reporting throughout the validation process.
• Conduct demand-baseline research among target farmers and stakeholders.
• Collect quantitative and qualitative data to assess market readiness and adoption potential.
• Analyse field data and contribute to technical reports and learning briefs.
• Support the design and implementation of Afripolli’s pollination-as-a-service model.
• Train and mentor at least five Polli-Gang agents to facilitate pollination service delivery.
• Monitor service performance, customer satisfaction, and operational challenges.
• Generate recommendations for scale-up and commercialization.
• Document success stories, lessons learned, and impact evidence.

Minimum Qualifications

1. Bachelor’s degree in Agricultural and rural Innovation, Agricultural Engineering, Agribusiness, Crop Science, Agricultural Extension.
2. Demonstrated interest in agricultural innovation, entrepreneurship, technology commercialization, or rural transformation.
3. Experience conducting field research, surveys, or agricultural trials.
4. Strong data collection, analysis, and report-writing skills.
5. Ability to work independently in rural field settings.
6. Willingness to travel extensively within Uganda.
7. Experience working with farmer groups or cooperatives.
8. Familiarity with participatory technology development or human-centered design approaches.
9. Knowledge of pollination ecology, crop production systems, or sustainable agriculture.
10. Experience using digital data collection tools such as Kobo Toolbox or ODK.

NB: We are Interested in a candidate who is either a native or can speak and express themselves fully in the local language (Leb Luo)

Key Competencies: Innovation and creativity. Problem-solving ability. Attention to detail.

Excellent communication skills. Community mobilization and facilitation skills. Strong teamwork and adaptability. Results-oriented mindset. Computer skills on MS Office programs, especially in MS Excel and use of online systems. High integrity and willingness to conduct her/himself transparently. A clear understanding of business and marketing ethics. Basic knowledge of business and contracts legalities. Experience in working independently and result oriented with ability to multi-task and process information into action as to not delay activities. Very good communication skills both oral and written. Good command of English language. Excellent interpersonal skills.

How to Apply: Qualified and interested applicants should submit an application letter, a detailed curriculum vitae (max. 3 pages) containing contact details and telephone numbers of 2 work related reference persons to afripolli@gmail.com not later than October 16th, 2026, at 5:00 pm. Files should be submitted in a single email in pdf format and should not exceed 2MB. Please indicate the position for which you are applying in the subject line of your E-mail.