Project & Community Programs Manager at Ngara Cooks Kitchen Limited
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Job Description
The Project & Community Programs Manager will play a central role in building and managing Refettorio Nairobi’s programs and partnerships, ensuring alignment with NCK’s mission and the broader Refettorio global network.
Location: Nairobi, Kenya - HQ is in Ngara neighborhood and will require onsite working
Position Type: Full-time or 12-month contract (renewable)
Compensation: Competitive, commensurate with experience
Organizational Overview:
Food for Soul is a global nonprofit organization founded in 2015 by Chef Massimo Bottura and Lara Gilmore to empower social change through the transformation of food systems, spaces, and communities. Over the last 10 years, Food for Soul has grown into a worldwide movement, building a network of Refettorios—community spaces around the world that promote dignity, inclusion, and sustainability through shared meals, art, and culture.
Each Refettorio is a unique response to local challenges, created in collaboration with community partners, chefs, artists, designers, and organizations that share a vision of building more resilient and inclusive societies. In Nairobi, Ngara Cooks Kitchen (NCK) has joined as the operating partner of Refettorio Nairobi. NCK is a social-impact driven culinary co-working and incubation hub that supports emerging food entrepreneurs by providing affordable kitchen space, mentorship, and training. Guided by the belief that food is more than nourishment – its life, connection and a pathway to opportunity, NCK brings its entrepreneurial and communitydriven expertise to the Refettorio movement.
This role offers an incredible opportunity to be part of bringing the first Refettorio project to Nairobi, in the vibrant and diverse Ngara neighborhood.
Position Summary:
The Project & Community Programs Manager will play a central role in building and managing Refettorio Nairobi’s programs and partnerships, ensuring alignment with NCK’s mission and the broader Refettorio global network. The position will lead community engagement, coordinate stakeholders, and support the delivery of day-to-day programming, while also contributing to the technical expertise during the renovation phase and helping to build the sustainable systems that drive both social and culinary impact.
The position will coordinate a planning committee composed of internal and external stakeholders and issue experts and will leverage consultants and other resources to drive development of a comprehensive service model, monitor planning and logistics of site development, and work with NCK, Food for Soul, and NBST staff to identify funding needs and coordinate marketing activities.
The Project & Community Programs Manager will join at the ground level and contribute to building the foundation for long-term community impact. The ideal candidate is organized and detail-oriented, with a proven history of managing large projects with multiple timelines and deadlines. The position will grow into a key management role within the Refettorio once it opens to the public in December 2025.
The position reports directly to Ngara Cooks leadership, collaborates closely with Food for Soul (advisory), and liaises with NBST (facilities support).
Work Environment:
The work environment characteristics described here are representative of those an employee encounters while performing the essential functions of this job.
Work schedule is variable 20-40 hours per week during normal business hours, Monday through Friday. Attends evening, weekend, and early morning meetings and functions as required.
Job Industry
Job Salary Currency
Job Salary Fixed
NoKey Deliverables
Project Coordination and Development
During Discovery, Renovation, Program and Financial Development Phases:
● Coordinate design and program timelines and deliverables, including the coordination between cross functional team executing: construction and design plans, community organizations, volunteer and beneficiary engagement, program and fund development planning.
● Co-collaboration and oversight in communicating project goals and impact, including tracking and reporting of metrics
● Contribute to the project brand and marketing development, including providing creative contribution towards the project’s brand guide, digital strategy and creation of communication assets
● Monitor progress against key milestones in the renovation schedule; flag risks and delays proactively.
● Document and report on progress to executive development team, advisory and stakeholder community
● Liaison between the nonprofit, design partners, and other stakeholders to ensure alignment between renovation design and future community program needs.
● Lead community outreach and engagement efforts.
Program Management
At Opening and for the continued project operational management:
● Develop, coordinate, and manage partnerships with community-based organizations, beneficiary referral, program partners and collaborators
● Oversee implementation of day-to-day operations of public programming, workshops, events, and services
● Track participation, outcomes, and impact metrics.
● Build and maintain strong relationships with local community leaders and organizations
● Support donor stewardship, relations and reporting
● Lead ongoing community outreach and engagement efforts.
Essential Qualities
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Experience managing renovation or infrastructure-related projects (even if not construction). ● Familiarity with design thinking or participatory planning. Fluency in Kiswahili and English. ● Comfort using tools like Google Workspace, Asana/Trello, or Airtable. Physical Demands: The physical demands described here are representative of those that must be met by an employee to successfully perform the essential functions of this job. While performing the duties of this job, the employee is regularly required to sit and talk or hear. The employee frequently is required to walk. ● Spearhead process to conduct community engagement activities and needs assessments to gather beneficiary and stakeholder feedback (this includes outreach with vulnerable individuals from or transitioning through Ngara neighborhood and surrounding areas). This includes obtaining research data from street surveying and focus groups ● Develop and implement impact data collection and management system; and formal program evaluation processes ● Work with NCK, Food for Soul, and NBST planning committee to develop a plan for project sustainability, considering possible revenue streams and development and fundraising requirements External Relations ● Coordinate planning committee comprised of internal and external stakeholders ● Recruit and maintain relationships with committee members to fill skills gaps and ensure high-quality work ● Handle scheduling of and coordination of all committee activities, including facilitating discussions, booking and coordinating meetings, and providing regular updates on committee activities to both committee members and project leadership ● Coordinate marketing and public relations functions with NCK leadership, including digital marketing campaign and web presence; signage and other physical marketing elements; background campaign, with special emphasis on achieving community buyin; and launch campaign and press relations ● Maintain relationships for external project stakeholders General ● Demonstrate Projects Mission, Core Values, Shared Goals ● Exhibit professionalism and high standards in all aspects of performance. ● Work with all departments as appropriate to ensure that the needs of the agency’s participants are addressed. ● Attend department and agency meetings as required.
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Special Benefits for this Position
We believe in compensating our employees competitively commensurate with experience. In addition to a competitive monthly base salary, this role is eligible for a comprehensive total benefits package, which includes:
● Health insurance coverage
● Airtime/data allowance
● Transport stipend for field visits
● 21 days annual leave
● Professional development budget
● Flexible or hybrid work schedule where possible
Application Process
Please submit your CV, a cover letter, and at least one reference contact to fadhuma@ngarakitchenproject.com with the subject line: “Project & Programs Manager – Refettorio Nairobi”