Title: Development Associate
Reporting to: Development Lead
Location: Nairobi (with minimal domestic travel)
About Food4Education
Food4Education (F4E) is a Kenyan nonprofit that is African and women-led, revolutionizing school feeding programs across Africa by designing a blueprint, operating it, then supporting replication. Our vision is a world where no child has to learn on an empty stomach.
By creating an innovative, scalable, and sustainable model, we’re ensuring that children and youth have not only access to nutritious meals but also the opportunity to thrive in quality education. Over the past decade, F4E has expanded its reach exponentially, serving more than 120 million meals and growing from just 25 children fed daily in 2012 to nearly 600,000 children receiving meals every single day in 2025. With our presence now spanning 12 counties: Embu, Kajiado, Kakamega, Kiambu, Kisumu, Machakos, Mombasa, Murang’a, Nairobi, Nakuru, Nyeri, and Uasin Gishu we’re delivering daily meals to children in over 1,500 public primary schools and ECD centers.
About the Role
Food4Education (F4E) is experiencing rapid growth, and we are on the lookout for a highly motivated and creative (Senior) Fundraising Associate to help fuel our expansion. This critical role will focus on managing grants, proposal writing, and ensuring compliance, all while being a key player in our Development and Impact team. We have some flexibility on hiring an Associate or Senior Associate dependent on years of experience.
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!
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.
Key Duties & 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.
Fundraising Communications Support & Impact Story Collection
- Working closely with the Director of Development & Impact, Senior Development Manager, Impact team, and Communications team to map out our key communications needs, including key stories and messages we want to share in our fundraising communications.
- Work with TSMs, area leads, and kitchen managers to go to our operations and gather impactful stories and videos of children, staff, and suppliers. from the field.
- Oversee the editing and organization of these materials, ensuring they are uploaded to Dropbox / Google drive and properly categorized for easy access and future use.
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.
Desired Candidate Profile
- 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
- Basic videography and photography skills are desirable, but not required
- Experience with Salesforce or other CRM systems is desirable, but not required
We are an equal opportunity employer
All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to age, ancestry, colour, 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.