Title: Nutritionist
Reporting to: Senior Manager, Food Safety
Location: Nairobi
About Food for Education
Food for Education (F4E) is an African-led, women-led social enterprise that uses technology, smart operations, and logistics to provide low-cost, high-quality meals that improve nutrition and education outcomes for primary school children in Kenya.
We are growing quickly. Our mission is to scale models that prioritise efficient supply chain management and sustainable sourcing, so we can continue lowering the cost of school lunches. We have delivered over 100 million meals since 2012 and are expanding to reach our goal of serving at least 1 million public primary school students in Kenya every day by 2027. Further, we will serve another 2 million children in other African countries through technical advice to African governments and share global best practices with other African school feeding partners.
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, question respectfully, and commit fully. When we understand the why, we are able to work with a purpose.
About the role
The Nutritionist will lead efforts to improve the nutritional value and diversity of meals provided by Food for Education. This role includes coordinating menu planning, nutrient enrichment, and nutrition surveys to ensure meals meet the dietary needs of school-aged children. The Nutritionist will also oversee the coordination of nutritional testing, ensure evidence-based, cost-effective improvements to the menu, and support long-term nutritional planning and reporting.
Key Responsibilities:
Menu Development & Nutritional Enhancement
- Design and periodically review menus to ensure they are balanced, diverse, and aligned with national and international nutrition guidelines for school-aged children.
- Develop recipes incorporating affordable, locally available ingredients.
- Introduce innovative meal components (e.g., fortified foods, pre-cooking preparation of plant-based proteins) to improve nutrient content, micronutrient absorption, and meal appeal.
- Collaborate with kitchen and procurement teams to align menu plans with preparation feasibility and ingredient availability.
Nutrition Analysis & Monitoring
- Conduct nutritional profiling of meals, including macronutrient and micronutrient content per serving, utilizing laboratory services and NutriSurvey data
- Track and evaluate the nutritional adequacy of meals over time using standard tools.
- Lead efforts to fortify meals with key nutrients (e.g., iron, vitamin A, zinc) in collaboration with suppliers and fortification partners.
Research, Pilot Testing & Menu Diversification
- Together with the Operations team, lead trials and pilot tests of new meal components or ingredients before program-wide adoption.
- Research best practices and innovations in school feeding nutrition (e.g., biofortification, food-to-food fortification, dietary diversification).
- Build a database of alternative protein sources and nutrient-rich local foods suitable for school meals.
Nutrition Education & Behaviour Change
- Develop child-friendly nutrition education materials and activities to accompany the school meals program.
- Lead pilots on the implementation of nutrition education, working closely with the Impact and Operations team to assess pilot effectiveness and develop reports to inform roll-out.
- Train kitchen staff, teachers, and school health committees on basic nutrition.
- Support community engagement efforts to encourage healthy eating at home.
Policy, Compliance & Reporting
- Ensure nutritional standards comply with national school feeding policies and food-based dietary guidelines.
- Participate in policy reviews, donor reporting, and documentation of nutrition outcomes.
- Generate periodic reports on menu performance, nutrient intake gaps, and improvement recommendations.
Qualifications and Experience:
- Bachelor’s degree in Human Nutrition, Dietetics, Food Science, or a related field (Master’s preferred).
- Minimum 4 years’ experience in nutrition programming, preferably in school feeding, community nutrition, or institutional meal planning.
- Experience in cost-effective meal planning, food analysis, and recipe development for large-scale feeding.
- Familiarity with fortification, local food systems, and behavior change communication.
Key Competencies:
- Strong analytical skills in nutritional assessment and menu design.
- Practical knowledge of nutrient requirements for learners aged 5–18.
- A financially-focused mindset with a keen eye for balancing cost with new menu additions.
- Ability to think outside the box on innovative, low-cost, high-quality nutrition, including partnerships with new nutrition players in the region.
- Ability to work collaboratively with teams.
- Excellent communication and training skills for diverse audiences.
- Strong data literacy and ability to use software such as NutriSurvey, Food Processor, or Excel-based nutrition models.
We are an equal-opportunity employer
All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to age, ancestry, color, family or medical care leave, gender identity or expression, genetic information, marital status, medical condition, national origin, physical or mental disability, political affiliation, race, religion, sex (including pregnancy), sexual orientation, or any other characteristic protected by applicable laws, regulations and ordinances.
Career Growth and Development
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 organisation and build a rewarding, long-term career.
We aim to contact all our applicants, but due to the high volume of applications, only shortlisted candidates are contacted. If you do not hear from us within two weeks, your application might not be successful on this occasion. This does not mean you will not be considered for future roles, so please keep an eye on our job board and apply for positions that match your skills and experience.