Area Operations Officer

Location: Assigned area in any of our operating regions in Kenya 
Department: Operations
Reports To: Area Supervisor
Direct Reports: Kitchen Officers across assigned kitchens, with production direction where KO has a dual role.
Job Type: Fixed-term contract
Working Model: On-site. 
Travel Requirements:  Expected to travel to assigned field sites, kitchens, and operational locations. 

About Food4Education
Hungry kids can’t learn or grow.

Food4Education is an award-winning, locally rooted, and African-led solution to end classroom hunger. 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 700,000 kids DAILY in Kenya. But every day, we deliver more than a meal – improving nutrition and education outcomes for children while also creating jobs and opportunities for whole communities.
We are an experienced and trusted non-profit partner that operates with the excellence of a global business, reinvesting the value we create into local economies. 

To learn more, please visit www.food4education.org  

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
What if you could lead the performance of six F4E kitchens, developing teams, solving operational challenges and ensuring every kitchen is ready to deliver safe, reliable meals to thousands of learners every day?
As an AOO, you will oversee a portfolio of six kitchens within an area, working through Kitchen Officers to drive strong production, stock availability, yield and dispatch readiness.
This is a hands-on operational role where you’ll connect people, processes and performance to keep kitchens running efficiently and consistently.
Scope

• Lead a portfolio of six kitchens within an assigned area.
• Drive performance across production, yield, stock availability and dispatch readiness.
• Coach and support Kitchen Officers to deliver consistent kitchen performance.
• Identify and resolve operational challenges before they impact service.
• Excludes a centralised kitchen assigned to a Kitchen Manager.

Key Responsibilities

• Site Operations & Standards
  • Conduct structured audits of your sites, ensuring compliance with F4E's SOPs, food safety policies, and operational standards.
  • Train kitchen staff on SOPs and communicate policy updates — you're the bridge between the service centre and the sites.
  • Ensure every site has what it needs to operate: stock, PPE, equipment, and supplies are 
  • Validate stock takes twice a month at every site you oversee.
• Financial Oversight
  • Own your understanding of cost-per-meal (CPM) variance across all your sites. You are the person who knows why costs moved, and you surface both concerns and opportunities to your manager.
  • Support billing processes in partnership with your Regional Coordinator and the finance team.
  • Drive timely procurement: 90% of orders submitted on time, every cycle.
• Data, Reporting & Analysis
  • Track, synthesize, and report on performance trends at the school and kitchen level.
  • Respond to data requests from the service centre with accuracy and speed.
  • Own yield variance analysis — understand the drivers, flag anomalies, and recommend corrective action.
• Capacity & Growth
  • Understand your site’s capacity: you know when sites are over- or under-utilized and proactively bring that intelligence to your manager.
• Stakeholder Management
  • Build and maintain relationships with other field teams and school leadership in your area. This includes occasional check-ins with the schools you serve to learn about how you and your team can improve the experience.
  • Coordinate and host site visits for F4E staff and donors.
• Facility Maintenance
  • Own 100% reporting and escalation of facility maintenance issues; nothing is left unreported, nothing is someone else's problem.

Minimum Requirements
Education:

• Bachelor's degree in Business or a related field

Experience:

• Experience supervising multiple food-production or comparable high-volume operating sites; controlling stock, waste and staffing; and coaching site leaders. Ability to work with production data and approved food safety procedures.

What Success Looks Like
These aren't just targets; they define what ownership looks like in this role. Each success metric reflects a commitment to the children, schools, and communities we serve.

• On-time, in-full delivery (OTIF): above 95%. Every missed or incomplete delivery is a child who didn't eat, so near-perfect delivery is non-negotiable.
• Food safety incidents: zero. One incident can harm children and erode years of community trust. Zero tolerance is the standard. 
• CPM variance, explained and escalated: within 5 days of month close. Cost surprises compound when they aren't understood early. You are expected to explain every variance, flag risks and surface opportunities proactively.
• Facility and equipment maintenance reporting: 100%. Unreported issues lead to OTIF failures, food safety incidents and lower production yield. You make sure everything is logged and escalated. 
• Yield variance ownership: 100%. Yield loss is a cost and quality risk. You understand the drivers and act before problems occur. 
• Procurement order timeliness: 90%. Supply gaps shut kitchens down. Timely procurement protects service continuity for every school you serve.

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.