Position: Field Associate Manager (Short-Term Consultancy)
Locations:
Kampala with 80% Field Travel
Preferred start date: As soon as possible
About Pula:
Pula Advisors is a global agricultural data and insurtech firm specializing in large-scale farmer registration systems, geospatial mapping, agricultural traceability platforms, climate risk analytics, and risk mitigation solutions. Since 2015, PULA has supported over 22 million smallholder farmers across 19 countries in Africa and Asia, delivering digital agricultural infrastructure, large-scale field operations, and data-driven agricultural solutions. Pula is a for-profit company and has raised over $45 million from leading venture and institutional investors, as well as developed philanthropic relationships with private foundations and bilateral donors such as the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation and the German Insure Resilience Solutions Fund that have accelerated investments in our target markets. Pula is proudly fast-paced, constantly learning from the challenges we face and overcome. We are proudly culturally diverse but united in our ambition of continuous high performance. By challenging ourselves, we believe that we can overcome the tough problems we love solving.
At Pula, our culture is defined by our:
- Obsession with results: We are responsible for our future, and therefore we get things done!
- Ability to connect the dots: We continuously identify different customer needs & business problems and build solutions that deliver value.
- Our can-do Attitude: We dare to do things differently to make things work.
- Ability to have each other's back: We look out for each other & we share high-quality, timely feedback that makes us better.
Why the role matters:
Every year, Pula runs a series of operational activities, including farmer sensitization campaigns, farmer registration, farmer profiling/data service projects, training of clients, and Crop Cut Experiments (a survey designed to measure the yield of different crops).
Working under the vision, guidance, and direction of the Director of Field Operations, Pula is seeking the services of an experienced Field Associate Manager in Uganda who will be responsible for overseeing and executing a time-bound project/ Study within the country. The ideal candidate will be results-driven, adept at people and operations, project management, and shifting comfortably between strategy and execution. The ideal candidate learns quickly, is resourceful, and has experience managing teams and running a field project.
Reporting to the Director of Field Operations, you will directly manage Field Coordinators (FCs), call centre team and indirectly lead a team of Field Agents (FAs) who will be doing the day-to-day data collection. You will focus on building team capacity, managing performance, and fostering a high-performance culture centered on accountability, operational excellence, and quality outcomes. You will also serve as a senior client-facing leader, providing regular updates addressing delivery or data quality concerns and ensuring clear alignment on scope, methodology, and deliverables. This role requires close cross-functional collaboration with teams across Insurance Operations, the Data team, Technology, and Commercial Management to ensure seamless execution and continuous improvement throughout the full project lifecycle.
What you will be doing:
Project Delivery & Accountability: Lead project budget development, recordkeeping for expenses and reconciliation against the budget, field audits with insurers, and support in planning for insurance payout events. Assist in product experiments and launches when required.
People and Performance Management:
Lead Field Coordinators, call centre and Field Agents recruitment, selection, and training; assign, schedule, coach, counsel, and discipline direct reports; identify good performers; and transparently and honestly report on non-performing staff. Assist in product launches when required. Clear and consistent communication up and down the reporting lines.
Quality Assurance and Process Improvement: Manage and provide oversight on data collection and management through rigorous testing of data collection tools, monitoring data collection exercises through available dashboards, and resolving any data quality concerns raised within 48 hours.
Client & Stakeholder Management:
Serve as the field associate manager contact for assigned projects, owning client communication on delivery performance, risks, data quality, and scope decisions. Lead client training and workshops on field operations, and manage escalations to resolution to maintain strong, trust-based client relationships and sustained satisfaction.
The Right Candidate Will Have:
- A BSc degree in Project Management, Agricultural Economics, Agribusiness or a degree in Business/ management related field.
- Preferred Master’s degree in a related field.
- Experience (5 years) and proven skills in working with clients, project teams, farmers, field teams, and agro dealers.
- Experience in data collection and data management.
- Skills to interact with clients, farmers, field teams, and agro dealers.
- Ability to work independently in a multi-disciplinary, multi-institutional, and multicultural environment
- Excellent communication and organizational skills
- Intermediate Excel skills are an added advantage
- Fluent in English and 1 other local language
Some more expectations:
- Our team is deeply field-based. We hire from the areas where we work, rather than focusing only on capital cities or major metropolitan areas.
- The individuals best suited for these positions are those who are comfortable speaking in relevant local languages and moving around rural areas.
- Everyone needs to be able to work “on the go”: staff are expected to join conference calls multiple times a week and submit communications via email and other channels throughout the week. While it is difficult to keep a phone and other devices charged while working in rural areas, the best employees plan their movements well enough to ensure being in contact at the right times.