Job Opportunity: Head of Regenerative Agriculture (RA) at Degas Ltd.

Join Degas Ltd. as the Head of Regenerative Agriculture and lead the largest regenerative agriculture project in Africa. You will work with a world-class team of engineers, scientists, and business developers to improve the lives of smallholder farmers and generate high-quality carbon credits. Apply now and change the world.

work: Head of Regenerative Agriculture (RA)

business:Degas Ltd.

location_on:Accra, Greater Accra Region, Ghana (Hybrid)

schedule:Full-Time

About the job

Company overview

Degas Ltd. is a tech start-up that aims to improve the incomes of 600 million smallholder farmers in Sub-Saharan Africa with the vision of "Changing people's lives, dramatically". It focuses all its resources solely on businesses that literally change the world and maximize impact and revenue, rather than on services that make an already convenient society even more convenient.

As a result, we have been running a smallholder farmer financing business in Africa since 2019. The startup's strength lies in its data-driven operations, which collect data on agricultural inputs, farmland valuation, farming guidance, harvests, etc. via in-house apps and optical satellites, and use AI to formulate smallholder credit scores and achieve high recovery (repayment) rates. Up until today, Degas has provided finance to 46,000 smallholder farmers and managed 30,000 acres of scattered farmland in 2023, with over 70 full-time field agents, with a talented team of over 140 people in Japan and Ghana.

Are you ready to change the world? If so, please proceed to the following. 

What to do

• Leading Degas' comprehensive on-the-ground regenerative agriculture initiatives in Africa, including cover crops, biochar application and no-till farming. Project planning, implementing and management of regenerative agriculture on the largest scale in Africa, currently being implemented with smallholders on 1,000 acres of scattered farmland in northern Ghana. You will lead the development of a mid to long term management plan for the scale of regenerative agriculture, including the formation of a team.
• You will be responsible for the preparation of project plans (PDDs) in accordance with global third party certification and methodologies for the generation of high-quality carbon credits through regenerative agriculture, as well as for handling audits.
• Establish collaborations and partnerships (including with existing partners) with organizations (companies, universities, NPOs, research institutes etc.) that are implementing and challenging regenerative agriculture.
• Together with the sales team, you will also be responsible for sales support for obtaining subsidies and business partnerships (participation in and funding of PoCs etc) related to regenerative agriculture.
• In addition, you will work with Degas' world-class team of engineers to support (e.g. inputting information) the development of large language models (LLMs) using Artificial General Intelligence (AGI) to accelerate regenerative agriculture transition.

Job description

• Implementation of the Degas Africa Regenerative Agriculture.
• Project planning, management, monitoring and team formation for the implementation.
• Education and mentoring of smallholder farmers financed by Degas on regenerative agriculture and about the project.
• Developing the business strategy and set priorities with directors of Degas.
• Communication with the tech team and other departments.
• Developing project plans and handling audits in accordance with the methodology of global certification bodies for the generation of high-quality carbon credits through regenerative agriculture.
• Liaison, project planning and implementation with international organizations, research institutes, and associations related to regenerative agriculture.
• Daily reporting on the project and reporting to external agencies and companies.
• Documentation for obtaining relevant foundation and government grants.
• Seeking business partnerships (structuring SPVs and participating in and funding PoCs etc) for the implementation of large scale regenerative agriculture projects, together with the sales team.

Why this job

• You can play a key part in changing the world.
• You'll be working at a truly global company on the world stage.
• You'll be at the forefront of an industry that's not just about farmer finance, but also about decarbonization and high-quality carbon credits - an industry that's in the midst of rule-making right now, and can help solve the world's climate change problems.
• With the company already driving the largest regenerative agriculture in Africa, you have the opportunity to make a significant contribution to global decarbonisation.
• You will be able to change the world by establishing regenerative agriculture best practice with technology on a continent that has the potential to become the world's largest carbon sequestration site - Africa, which holds 60% of the world's unexploited arable land.
• You will experience business development in a multinational, multicultural team environment, including Japan, Russia, France, the Philippines and the Netherlands, with Africa at the forefront.

Required soft skills

• Leadership tasks related to Degas regenerative agriculture.
• Coordination with the engineering team.
• Project stage management duties (partial control of project budget).
• Contract negotiation and contract checks related to the project (in cooperation with the Degas directors).
• Dealing with irregularities that occur in the project and reporting through the reporting line.
• Communication, collaboration, and liaison with external organizations.
• Development of project plans based on the global methodology for voluntary carbon credits and handling of screening, development of monitoring reports, and handling of verification by third-party organizations.
• Communication with local members from small-scale farmers, business development members in Japan, engineers, investors, etc.

Essential requirements (experience and skills etc)

• Knowledge of regenerative agriculture (e.g. farming methods and methods of measuring soil organic carbon).
• Knowledge of regenerative agriculture and biodiversity.
• Knowledge (e.g. processes, PDD preparation, requirements) and experience with carbon credit certification standards (Verra, Gold Standard, etc.).
• Experience in international contract and transaction negotiations.
• Fluent in English and Japanese/French (if available) *English language skills baseline: can read The Economist, understand CNN news, and be able to read & summarize research papers without difficulty.
• Healthy and self-disciplined. Ability to travel and move to emerging and developing countries for extended periods of time.
• Critical thinking skills. *Guideline: able to ask questions independently and break them down logically into action items. E.g. "How can we change the world?" 'What is the size of the maize market in Ghana?' What are the common strengths of GAFAM companies? The ability to present logical considerations with figures, and concrete actions that can be taken from today.
• The start-up mindset. *To be able to backcast from the vision & strategy and then plan and execute the most optimal solution and out-of-the-box business, rather than developing a budget-based strategy.

Welcome requirements

• Interest in Africa, solving social problems, developing countries, decarbonization, etc.
• Experience in business development in an emerging or developing country on an expatriate or long-term basis.
• Experience in managing regenerative agriculture and large-scale reforestation projects in Africa and its research experience.
• Experience of setting up new businesses internally and externally and taking on challenges during the growth phase of services.
• Experience working on cross-border business, research, and development, policy making, etc. on a scale worth two to three digits million USD.

Kind of talents, we are looking for

• Strong leadership
• Not afraid to engage with colleagues and users from different backgrounds.
• Perseverance to cope with the challenges that come every day, experiences that break one's common sense, and challenges that go beyond the expectation.
• Can propose and act with the mindset of "Don't think, Just Do" (ⒸTop Gun: Maverick).
• Able to enjoy the chaos of a start-up.
• Able to commit to results together with colleagues.
• Have a sense of speed, logicality, and the spirit of "Think big".
• Able to educate smallholder farmers on the importance and methods of regenerative agriculture.
• Able to work in/with rural Ghana.

Estimated remuneration (To be negotiated)

• Salary: To be determined based on skills and experience.
• Stock option: To be determined based on contribution.

Employment status

• Permanent employee (Degas Ltd. or Degas Ghana Ltd.)
• Probation period: 6 months after joining the company

Work location

• Ghana or worldwide.
• In the first few months, the main focus will be on project management and carbon credit generation for regenerative agriculture in the Ghana region; hence will be based in Ghana or around project sites.
• Participation in and travel to events, conferences, and roundtables related to regenerative agriculture, as well as investor relations, can also happen.

Benefits

• Various insurances, paid leaves, allowances, flight tickets, flexible work hours, yellow fever shots, etc - all industry standards are provided.

Other

• We are committed to results, so you can take time off, drink IPAs, and camp with your family whenever you want.
• We will do our best to support you if you move to another country or stay for a longer period of time. Our representatives understand the difficulties best of all. We will also provide you with all the other support you need when it comes to driving the business.

Degas-related documentary

Learn More About Degas:

Watch our documentary on TV5MONDE(8 mins): Link to Documentary

Let’s change the world together!!

APPLY NOW!!!