The posting
Job description
Location: Nairobi, Kenya Department: Development Team Reports To: Senior Manager, Development Job Type: Fixed Term Contract Working Model: On-site, 5 days a week Travel Requirements: Occasional domestic travel
About Food4Education Food4Education is an award-winning, African-led nonprofit tackling classroom hunger with a locally rooted, scalable model. Building on more than a decade of learning by doing, we’re powering a new school feeding industry and sharing our blueprint to scale sustainable, nutritious and affordable school feeding programs across Africa. Today, we serve over 640,000+ learners daily in Kenya, but what we deliver goes beyond the meal. Each plate improves nutrition, fuels learning, and creates jobs that uplift entire communities. We are an experienced, trusted non-profit partner that operates with the excellence of a global business, reinvesting the value we create into local economies. Over the past decade, F4E has scaled its reach exponentially, serving 230+ million cumulative meals since its inception, and growing from just 25 children fed daily in 2012 to over 640,000 learners receiving meals every single day in 2026. With our presence now spanning 13 counties, we’re delivering daily meals to children in 2,100+ public schools and ECD centers. Parents pay for these meals through a mobile money system linked to NFC wristbands, which their children wear and ‘Tap2Eat’ in under 5 seconds to access their meal. F4E is growing quickly. Our mission is to scale a model that prioritises efficient supply chain management and sustainable sourcing, so we can continue lowering the cost of school meals. We have served over 230,000,000 meals since 2012 and are expanding to reach 1 million learners in Kenya by 2027 and another 2 million across Africa by 2030. Our Values At Food for Education, our values are guiding principles that provide us with purpose and direction and set the tone for our interactions with all stakeholders:
- Build with excellence and curiosity - We’re not afraid to try new things and iterate as much as we can to find the best and most efficient way to get results;
- Be the change you seek - We acknowledge that continuous improvement is a shared responsibility;
- We do what we say; and say what we do - We embrace an ownership mentality;
- Ask why; and commit - Share openly and question respectfully, and commit fully. When we understand the why, we are able to work with a purpose.
About the Role Food4Education is experiencing rapid growth, and we are on the lookout for a highly motivated and creative Development Associate to help fuel our expansion. This role will focus on managing grants, proposal writing, and ensuring compliance, all while being a key player in our Development team. As the Development Associate, you will be responsible for crafting compelling donor reports and proposals, collaborating with internal teams to gather essential information, and engaging with donors for follow-up requests. Beyond writing, you’ll play an instrumental role in supporting development operations by managing key fundraising tools and systems, ensuring the proper storage of all contracts, and leading fundraising research projects.
This role is ideal for someone who not only thrives in crafting powerful narratives but also excels at uncovering and collecting impactful stories from all stakeholders, bringing creativity and fresh ideas to how we communicate our work. If you’re passionate about making an impact through storytelling, and are driven by efficiency and innovation, this is the perfect opportunity for you!
Key Responsibilities
Grant Reporting & Project Management
- Lead the writing and project management of high-quality grant reports, ensuring collaboration with internal teams (Policy, Operations, Finance, etc.) to collect accurate data.
- Streamline grant reporting systems and processes to improve efficiency and effectiveness, reducing time spent on sourcing information and ensuring timely submissions.
- Oversee the timely submission of reports to donors, ensuring all details are aligned with the agreed terms and funding objectives.
Grant Proposal Development
- Craft and manage tailored grant concept notes and proposals, aligning them with donor priorities and funding areas.
- Lead the coordination of follow-up communications and diligence requests from donors related to pending or submitted proposals.
- Work closely with the team to optimize proposal-writing workflows, incorporating best practices to reduce bottlenecks and enhance overall efficiency.
Development Operations & Team Support
- Manage the grant process, including reviewing grant contracts and ensuring all award materials are properly stored and maintained, proper organization of contract data on Google Drive, maintaining clear and accessible records.
- Provide administrative support for donor visits which includes creating detailed itineraries, liaising with internal and external stakeholders, and ensuring all logistical elements are flawlessly executed. The position requires a proactive approach to building and maintaining relationships with key stakeholders, such as Head Teachers, school staff, and kitchen managers.
- Collaborate with the Development team to conduct research on new donor engagement opportunities, supporting the team’s strategy for expanding partnerships.
- Provide ad-hoc analyses and reports on giving data when required to inform strategic decisions.
Minimum Requirements
- An undergraduate degree in a relevant field
- 2-4 years of professional experience, preferably in a fundraising, communications, or generally writing-focused role
- Strong verbal, written, and interpersonal communication skills
- Solutions-oriented with a positive, 'can-do' attitude, able to prioritize tasks, and navigate shifting demands effectively
- Highly skilled at managing complex projects with multiple moving parts, demonstrating exceptional organization, attention to detail, and the ability to quickly adapt to changing priorities and multitask efficiently
- Proactive, self-motivated, and capable of working independently while ensuring follow-through on all initiatives
- Proficient in Microsoft Office, content management systems, and social media platforms
- Comfortable engaging with internal and external partners, demonstrating confidence and professionalism
Preferred Qualifications
- Experience with Salesforce or other CRM systems is desirable, but not required
- Experience supporting the preparation of donor proposals, concept notes, presentations, and reports.
What Success Looks Like Within the first 6-12 months, the Development Associate will:
- Deliver accurate, well-structured, and timely first drafts of donor proposals, concept notes, reports, presentations, and briefing materials.
- Coordinate inputs from Operations, Finance, Impact, Tech, People & Culture and other teams effectively, following up proactively to keep submissions and donor commitments on schedule.
- Support the smooth day-to-day operations of the Development team by coordinating inputs and follow-ups, monitoring deadlines, organizing shared information, and improving administrative processes and systems
- Support donor meetings and visits through thorough preparation and timely follow-up on agreed actions.
- Demonstrate strong attention to detail, with minimal errors and decreasing levels of supervision required.
- Build trusted working relationships across teams and communicate clearly, professionally, and responsively with internal and external stakeholders.
- Manage competing priorities reliably, raise risks early, and consistently meet agreed deadlines.
- Show increasing ownership of assigned donor accounts and workstreams, while actively seeking feedback and applying it to improve performance.
What is in it for you? We have a strong culture of constant learning and we invest in developing our people. You will have weekly check-ins with your manager, and regular feedback on your performance. We hold career reviews every six months and set aside time to discuss your aspirations and career goals. You will have the opportunity to shape a growing organization and build a rewarding, long-term career.
Join Us To apply, please submit your updated CV and answer the application questions listed. All applicants will receive communication on the outcome of their application, regardless of outcome. We are committed to building an inclusive workplace where diverse perspectives are valued and people are supported to do their best work. We welcome applications from candidates of all backgrounds and lived experiences and make employment decisions based on merit, potential, and alignment with our values.
