Policy Analyst – Advocacy and Systems Strengthening at Food For Education

Role Overview

The Policy Analyst – Advocacy and Systems Strengthening will play a critical role in advancing Food for Education’s policy and advocacy agenda by promoting school feeding as a national and continental development priority. This role involves strengthening multi-sectoral coalitions, coordinating advocacy campaigns, deepening engagement with national and county governments, and contributing to systems-level transformation in school feeding programs.

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 Responsibilities

Advocacy and Coalition Engagement

• Coordinate and actively contribute to the National School Meals Coalition and relevant technical working groups.
• Represent F4E in multi-sectoral platforms and strategic stakeholder forums at national, county, and regional levels.
• Build and maintain partnerships with key actors in education, health, agriculture, social protection and other crosscutting sectors.

Systems Strengthening

• Support national and county governments in strengthening the implementation, governance, and resourcing of school meal programs.
• Facilitate internal and external sensitization, training, and capacity building on policy advocacy and systems transformation.
• Work with the GRCA and Operations teams to institutionalize systems that ensure sustainable, nutritious, and locally sourced school meals.

Campaigns and Communications

• In collaboration with the Communications team, design and implement advocacy campaigns that elevate the visibility of school feeding.
• Track and communicate impact stories, strategic outputs, and advocacy wins for internal and external audiences, in collaboration with other teams.

Strategic Positioning

• Contribute to positioning F4E as a thought leader in school feeding policy, governance, and advocacy.
• Identify policy opportunities and contribute to shaping national and regional discourse on school feeding.
• Provide strategic inputs into the planning and execution of events.

Qualifications and Experience

• Bachelor’s or Master’s degree in Agricultural Economics, Nutrition, Public Policy, or related fields.
• Minimum 5 years’ experience in advocacy, public policy, or systems strengthening within the education, health, nutrition, or agricultural sectors.
• Proven experience engaging with government, civil society, and policy platforms at both county and national levels.
• Strong understanding of Kenya’s devolution context and public sector governance.
• Demonstrated ability to design and execute advocacy strategies, campaigns, and coalition work.
• Excellent communication, facilitation, and writing skills, especially in policy messaging and impact reporting.
• Ability to synthesize complex issues and communicate them effectively to diverse stakeholders.

Desirable Skills and Attributes

• Deep passion for school feeding, food systems, child nutrition, and/or social equity.
• Strong analytical and systems-thinking skills.
• Proactive, collaborative, and self-driven with a solution-oriented mindset.
• Fluency in English and Swahili; additional languages (e.g., French) are a plus.
• Experience in organizing high-level dialogues, roundtables, and stakeholder events.

What We Offer

• A dynamic, mission-driven work environment.
• Opportunities to shape national and continental policy in school feeding.
• Competitive salary and benefits package.
• Learning and development opportunities within a Pan-African advocacy ecosystem.