Interim Director, Partnerships Climate & Regenerative Agriculture

Root Capital

Root Capital

People & HR, Sales & Business Development
San Francisco, CA, USA
Posted on Feb 26, 2026

About Us

Agriculture is the key to unlocking a better future for billions of people. But while rural families sustain the world, they struggle to sustain themselves. At the same time, they face increasingly urgent challenges, from volatile crop prices to extreme weather.

Root Capital is an impact investor that provides financing and business training to agricultural enterprises in Africa, Asia, and Latin America. Since 1999, we have loaned over $2B to more than 800 businesses that are too big for microloans but too small for commercial lenders, and have trained more than twice as many businesses. As these businesses succeed and scale, they become engines of impact for local communities, raising incomes, creating jobs, expanding opportunities for women and young people, preserving nature, and building rural prosperity.

Headquartered in Cambridge, Massachusetts, Root Capital has more than 180 employees operating in more than a dozen countries in Latin America, Africa, and Southeast Asia, and has associated offices in Costa Rica, Mexico, Nicaragua, Colombia, Peru, Ghana, and Kenya.

Position Overview

The Interim Director of Partnerships, Climate & Regenerative Agriculture develops and co-creates high-impact partnerships and initiatives that contribute to Root Capital’s strategy to grow smallholder prosperity, inclusion, and climate resilience in the “Regenerative Decade”. The position collaborates closely with internal teams globally, including Strategy & Insights, Impact MEL, Programs, and Partnerships, and engages external actors such as donors, corporates, investors, research institutions, and certification bodies to shape and advance partnership opportunities.

Duties & Responsibilities

Purpose (50%)

  • Design, structure, and support the operational launch of multi-stakeholder initiatives that advance regenerative agriculture and climate resilience across target geographies and value chains by addressing local communities’ financial, knowledge, and market access barriers.
  • Identify financial, knowledge, and market access barriers limiting uptake of regenerative agriculture in Root Capital’s target landscapes and value chains; identify complementary actors who could help address these barriers to advance Root Capital’s strategy of driving a locally-led regenerative transition.
  • Create partnership frameworks for multi-stakeholder initiatives, including objectives, theories of change, outputs, budgets, and partner roles, in alignment with Root Capital’s strategy, impact MEL practice, and donor interests.

Engagement (30%)

  • Supports the cultivation and stewardship of relationships with corporates, donors, research organizations, certification bodies, and ecosystem partners to explore collaboration and co-create partnerships.
  • Coordinate the internal review of multi-stakeholder initiative frameworks, working closely with stakeholders across our Programs department, to prepare them for donor engagement.
  • Represent Root Capital in convenings, partner conversations, and technical discussions, sharing insights on climate resilience, regenerative agriculture, and agri-SME needs.

Delivery (20%)

  • Maintain accurate documentation, timelines, and progress tracking for initiative development and partnership conversations.
  • Integrate learnings from pilots, research, and partner feedback to continually strengthen initiative design quality.

Required Skills and Experience

  • 7–10 years of experience in climate resilience, regenerative agriculture, sustainable supply chains, market systems development, or related fields.
  • Demonstrated experience designing or co-creating multi-stakeholder initiatives, partnerships, or programs in emerging markets.
  • Strong understanding of agricultural value chains and ecosystem actors, including cooperatives, exporters, certifiers, agritech providers, and corporate buyers.
  • Experience engaging with donors, corporates, technical partners, or research institutions within the climate, sustainability, or agricultural sectors.
  • Strong communication and relationship-building skills across diverse geographies and cultures.
  • Bilingual (English/Spanish) preferred; additional languages are an asset.
  • Deep belief in and dedication to Root Capital’s mission, with a passion for inclusive, regenerative, and climate-smart rural development.
  • Experience in multicultural, geographically distributed teams; strong commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion.
  • Strong organizational and analytical skills, with the ability to manage multiple initiatives simultaneously.
  • Authorized to work in Mexico and/or Costa Rica
  • Flexibility to travel regionally as needed, including visits to rural areas.

Applications

More information about Root Capital is available at https://rootcapital.org/ Applications are accepted on a rolling basis. Candidates are encouraged to apply using the form below as soon as possible, making sure to include a resume and cover letter that describes your interest, qualifications, language abilities, salary requirements, and how you learned of the position. Finalist candidates will be required to provide at least three work-related references.

Root Capital provides equal employment opportunities (EEO) to all employees and applicants for employment without regard to race, color, creed, religion, sex, national origin, ancestry, active military or veteran status, age, physical or mental disability, medical condition, pregnancy (which includes pregnancy, childbirth, medical conditions related to pregnancy and childbirth, and breastfeeding and expressing breast milk), sexual orientation, gender, gender identity, gender expression, genetic information, or any other characteristic protected by law. Root Capital is committed to creating a dynamic work environment that upholds our leadership principles of: empowerment, equity, integrity, service, and transparency.