Manager, Regenerative Agriculture, Kenya

Position Overview
In March 2025, The Rockefeller Foundation approved a first-of-its-kind $100 million "Big Bet" aimed at building markets to accelerate the transition to regenerative/agroecological production while targeting vulnerable consumers, school-aged children, through school meal programs and public procurement. With a five-year runway to co-design and implement this program that aims to reach 100 million children with school lunches increasingly through regeneratively produced food, the program team seeks a highly collaborative, dynamic, results-based leader poised to help develop and drive this program, particularly in Africa. Specifically, the "Regenerative School Meals" initiative will stand as "place-based lighthouses" – living labs within key landscapes where producers and other food systems actors will be supported in their transition to regenerative production with a focus on orchestrating markets into school meals/public procurement.

Lighthouse programs will exist in 3-4 geographies, and East Africa is a first priority, particularly Kenya and Tanzania. The Manager, Regenerative Agriculture will lead the co-design and engagement efforts needed to help scale the development, data analysis, financing, and empowerment of landscape stewards practicing regenerative agriculture with an eye toward spurring and tracking the simultaneous gains to carbon sequestration, soil health, biodiversity, water quality, farmer profitability, yield, and cultural/spiritual cohesion. Partnership cultivation is central to this role, which will leverage existing funder networks, practitioner networks, and government efforts, all of which need to be leveraged and connected for any lighthouse to succeed. Additional focus areas include (1) research and evidence building, (2) prototyping new financial mechanisms and structures required to unlock the capital to accelerate the transition to regenerative agriculture, (3) advancing coherent, unifying, outcomes-based measurement of regenerative/agroecological production, and (4) building connective tissue between the school meals demand side and the supply side actors - farmers, landscape stewards, purchasers, and allied initiatives - to share knowledge, build advocacy, and demonstrate proof points.

The Rockefeller Foundation is hiring a Manager, Regenerative Agriculture, to advance this work. The Manager, reporting to the Vice President, Food Initiative, is responsible for shaping and managing a portfolio of existing and forthcoming grants, supporting and developing external partnerships, and conducting targeted analysis on key topics to inform strategy and support the work of our partners.

Please Note

• This is an open contract.
• The position will be based in the Nairobi office.
• Submission of a cover letter is required.

Principal Duties And Responsibilities
Grant Management

• Sources and manages a portfolio of grants within Regenerative Agriculture with support and direction from the Vice President and with guidance and engagement from other members of the Regenerative School Meals team, including understanding and building the capacity and success of potential grantees, designing and writing grant memos and other key documents, and managing grantee relationships.
• Helps the Regenerative Agriculture team (which consists of others on the food team and the Innovative Finance team with grants at the food and climate interface) assess incoming project opportunities, which includes shaping criteria to inform decision-making based on learning to date and evaluating the incoming pipeline of individual ideas, grant proposals, and opportunities.
• Develops, reports against, and analyzes key metrics and outcomes for initiative programs, advances a structured approach for measuring and communicating progress (internally/externally), understands and plans for risks.
• Supports the Vice President and other team members in internal processes such as budget management, business planning, Board reporting, and communications

Strategy

• Responsible for coordinating strategy development, reporting, communication, and alignment necessary, driving the "Big Bet" investment from the foundation within Africa and other geographies as needed (e.g., Indonesia, Philippines, etc.).
• Contributes to the development and implementation of the Regenerative School Meal's overall strategy and activities within the context of the Foundation's existing food strategy and emerging climate strategy.
• Supports the Vice President and team in advancing internal integration and alignment with other relevant areas of work pertinent to unifying and aligning around the Regenerative School Meals strategy (e.g., with the Nairobi-based School Meals team members, Innovative Finance, Convenings, Communications, etc.) and supports coordination with key internal stakeholders.
• Surfaces the new developments, innovations, and trends in Regenerative Agriculture by reading key reports, regularly engaging and attending conferences and events, particularly in areas pertinent to regen financing/investment, subsidy repurposing, and farmer experience.

Partnerships

• Serves as a focal point for the design of key meetings, convenings, and learning journeys. Co-creates design, identifies speakers, profiles breakthrough work, and manages partners, contractors, and logistics for events at such gatherings as Africa Food Systems Summit, Global Climate Summits, UNGA/NYCW, Bellagio convenings that are led by RF, and more.
• Cultivates, grows, and maintains partnerships with co-funders (MDBs, bilaterals, foundations, private investors), leading to increased co-funding in aligned work on regenerative agriculture and school meals; in lighthouse geographies, prioritizes strengthening local/regional/global networks to engage more explicitly in co-investing in regenerative school meals.
• Develops ambitious investment and partnership opportunities that support regenerative agriculture and market development for school meals.
• Identifies, participates in, and links to networks, including with private investors, private businesses, farmer groups, multilateral, bilateral, and foundation funders, universities and research institutes, and others – around regenerative agriculture, financing regenerative agriculture, sustainable farming, indigenous foodways, soil management and improvement, data sharing and interoperability, and more.

Education, Experience, And Skills

• At least 7 years of relevant experience in regenerative agriculture, agronomy, agroecology, food systems, agricultural economics, or food policy.
• Proven related work experience in Africa.
• Master's preferred (or international equivalent) related to Soil Science, Agroecology, Agronomy, Environmental Engineering, Agricultural Economics, or related discipline .
• Strong written and verbal communication skills, including effective public speaking and the ability to communicate complex issues both verbally and in written form in English.
• Experience developing, leading, and implementing a portfolio of projects with defined objectives, deliverables, monitoring, and evaluation of results.
• Experience navigating global food systems institutions and stakeholders, including building partnerships with senior leaders.
• Ability to navigate complex, overlapping networks to build trust, allyship, and shared vision.
• Prior experience in environmental and conservation-based investing with a focus on sustainable agriculture is preferred.
• Prior experience in financing/blended capital/private investment preferred.
• Prior experience directly engaging with farmers, landscapes, and investors is preferred.

Qualifications And Competencies

• Data Oriented: Consistently achieves results by approaching work informed by data.
• Directs Work: Provides direction, delegates, and removes obstacles to get work done.
• Manages Complexity: Makes sense of complex, high quantity, and sometimes contradictory information to effectively solve problems.
• Strategic Learning: Actively learns through experimentation when tackling new problems, using both successes and failures as learning fodder.
• Values Differences: Recognizes the value of different perspectives, commits to being self-aware and respectful, and seeks to learn from new and different voices.

About The Rockefeller Foundation
The Rockefeller Foundation is a pioneering philanthropy built on collaborative partnerships at the frontiers of science, technology, and innovation that enable individuals, families, and communities to flourish. We make big bets to promote the well-being of humanity. Today, we are focused on advancing human opportunity and reversing the climate crisis by transforming systems in food, health, energy, and finance. For more information, sign up for our newsletter at and follow us on X @RockefellerFdn.

As an organization, we focus on six values to advance our culture and continue our success. We are dedicated to being Transparent, Optimistic, Accountable, Collaborative, Trusted, and Equitable. We expect all employees at the Foundation to contribute by developing their unique perspectives and talent, challenging conventional wisdom through evidence and reason, and amplifying marginalized voices.

The Rockefeller Foundation is committed to the principles of equal employment opportunity and compliance with all federal, state, and local laws concerning employment discrimination, including the Americans with Disabilities Act. To this end, the Foundation ensures equal opportunity to all employees and applicants regardless of race, color, age, gender, sexual orientation, religion, marital status, national origin or ancestry, citizenship, lawful alien status, physical, mental, and medical disability, veteran status, liability for service in the United States Armed Forces, or any other protected status.

The Rockefeller Foundation is an Equal Opportunity Employer.