Program Delivery Associate Trainee at Food For Education

Role Overview

• The Program Delivery Associate Trainee is an entry-level development role designed to prepare individuals for full operational responsibility in implementing Tap2Eat program delivery across a cluster of schools.
• During the six-month traineeship, the trainee will work closely with experienced Program Delivery Associates and Regional Program Delivery Officers to gain hands-on exposure to school operations, data management, customer engagement, and program monitoring.
• The program is designed to build the trainee’s operational capability, professionalism, and leadership readiness, preparing them to transition into the Program Delivery Associate (PDA) role responsible for managing approximately 30 schools within a cluster.

Key Responsibilities
School Operations Support

• Assist with daily school operations including queue management, food receipt verification, tapping, and tag replacement.
• Accompany Program Delivery Associates during school visits to observe and learn operational workflows.
• Support monitoring of school-level hygiene practices, portion control, and service standards.
• Help ensure adherence to Tap2Eat Standard Operating Procedures during daily operations.

Program Utilization & Data Processes

• Learn to track key operational metrics such as registrations, activations, utilization, and tapping performance.
• Assist in collecting, entering, and verifying school-level operational data.
• Support the identification and documentation of performance gaps in assigned schools.
• Participate in data reconciliation activities and follow-ups with underperforming schools.

People & Stakeholder Support

• Support School Leads, Coordinators, Tappers, and Kitchen Officers in executing daily operational duties.
• Assist in communicating program updates and operational changes to school teams.
• Learn how to build professional relationships with school administrators, parents, and community stakeholders.
• Support the resolution of simple operational issues under supervision.

Customer Experience & Engagement

• Observe and practice handling parent or school concerns in a professional and empathetic manner.
• Coordinate with Customer Engagement teams to ensure consistent messaging and issue resolution.
• Assist in gathering feedback from parents, students, and school administrators to improve service delivery.

Inventory & Logistics Support

• Assist in monitoring availability of tags, devices, and personal protective equipment (PPE) across assigned schools.
• Support basic inventory tracking and reporting under the supervision of the Program Delivery Associate.
• Help document asset usage and report shortages or replacement needs.

Reporting & Documentation

• Support daily school reporting and operational documentation.
• Participate in compiling summaries and preparing reports for internal use.
• Maintain structured notes and logs during school visits to support learning and operational review.

Training Expectations – Learning While Executing

• The traineeship is designed as a hands-on operational training program, where learning takes place through real program execution.
• During the training period, trainees may be assigned a small group of schools within a cluster to support and gradually manage under the guidance of the Regional Program Delivery Officer and experienced Program Delivery Associates.
• This approach ensures trainees gain practical experience while contributing to daily program delivery.

Key expectations during the traineeship include:

• Supporting and eventually managing operations in a designated group of schools during training
• Conducting regular school visits to observe and improve operational performance
• Working directly with School Leads, Coordinators, and Tappers to ensure smooth daily operations
• Monitoring tapping, utilization, registrations, and activation trends in assigned schools
• Identifying operational gaps and proposing improvements with guidance from supervisors
• Participating actively in coaching, feedback sessions, and operational reviews

The goal is for trainees to build operational confidence while delivering real program outcomes.

Expected Outcomes (Post-Traineeship Capability)
By the end of the training period, the trainee should be capable of independently performing the responsibilities of a Program Delivery Associate, including:

• Managing Tap2Eat operations across 30+ schools within a cluster
• Supervising School Leads, Coordinators, Tappers, and Kitchen Officers
• Monitoring and improving key program performance indicators such as utilization, activation, penetration, and tapping accuracy
• Ensuring adherence to hygiene, food safety, and operational compliance standards
• Resolving escalations from parents, school administrators, and school-level teams
• Maintaining accurate operational data including tag assignments, tapping records, attendance, and feeding reports
• Managing inventory of program assets including tags, devices, and operational supplies
• Coordinating with internal teams such as Customer Engagement, Tech, and Utilization to support program performance
• Conducting structured school visits and coaching frontline teams to improve service delivery
• Generating timely operational reports and flagging system or data issues to relevant teams