Line Manager: Senior Associate Food Safety
Department: Operations
Location: Food for Education, Nairobi - Kenya
About Food4EducationHungry 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 600,000 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 ValuesAt 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 RoleThe Food Safety Associate provides technical oversight and leadership for food safety across assigned operational clusters, ensuring effective implementation and continual improvement of the Food Safety Management System (FSMS), regulatory compliance, food safety verification, incident management and continuous improvement initiatives while promoting a strong food safety culture.
ResponsibilitiesFood Safety Management System Oversight
- Provide technical oversight of food safety programmes across assigned cluster(s).
- Support implementation and continual improvement of the Food Safety Management System.
- Verify compliance with prerequisite programmes (PRPs), regulatory requirements and internal food safety standards.
- Conduct scheduled and risk-based food safety inspections to assess compliance with the FSMS and regulatory requirements
Operational Food Safety Assurance
- Provide oversight of receiving, storage, production, dispatch and food service operations to identify and manage food safety risks.
- Verify the effectiveness of critical food safety controls, including temperature control, allergen management and traceability.
Verification and Validation Activities
- Coordinate food, water and environmental sampling programmes and other food safety verification activities including traceability exercises, mock recalls and withdrawal activities.
- Review laboratory reports and communicate findings to relevant stakeholders.
- Verify implementation and effectiveness of corrective actions.
- Support internal audits, external audits and regulatory inspections.
Non-conformance and Incident Management
- Lead investigations into food safety incidents and non-conformities.
- Conduct root cause analysis and determine appropriate corrective and preventive actions.
- Monitor corrective action implementation, effectiveness and closure timelines.
- Escalate unresolved or high-risk food safety issues.
Training and Technical Leadership
- Support the development and delivery of food safety training programmes.
- Mentor and provide technical guidance to Food Safety Trainees.
- Foster a culture of accountability and responsibility for food safety among kitchen and school staff.
- Promote a strong food safety culture through continuous cross functional engagement.
Performance Monitoring, Reporting and Continuous Improvement
- Analyse food safety performance trends, verification data and inspection findings.
- Prepare and communicate food safety performance reports to the Senior Food Safety Associate and other relevant stakeholders.
- Recommend and drive continuous improvement initiatives based on performance data and identified risks.
- Maintain accurate and up-to-date records of inspections, verification activities, corrective actions and food safety performance metrics.
QUALIFICATIONS, EXPERIENCE AND COMPETENCIES
- Bachelor's degree in Food Science and Technology or a related scientific discipline.
- Minimum of three (3) years' relevant experience in food safety, quality assurance or quality control within the FMCG industry.
- Demonstrated knowledge and practical experience in implementing and maintaining ISO 22000:2018 Food Safety Management Systems (FSMS) and HACCP principles.
- Professional certification or formal training in ISO 22000:2018, HACCP or Internal Auditing is an added advantage.
- Proficiency in Microsoft Office applications for data analysis, reporting and performance monitoring.
- Demonstrated experience conducting food safety inspections, audits, verification activities and incident investigations, including the management of Corrective and Preventive Actions
- Strong leadership, analytical, critical thinking, decision-making and problem-solving skills.
- Coaching, mentoring and people development skills.
- Excellent communication, stakeholder engagement and technical report writing skills.
- Ability to thrive in a fast-paced, dynamic operational environment.
We are an equal-opportunity employerWe 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.
Career Growth and DevelopmentWe 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.
We aim to contact all our applicants, but due to the high volume of applications only short-listed 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.
