TNC has for the last one year led several partners to codesign what is called the Central Highlands Ecoregion Foodscape (CHEF). CHEF aims to develop incentives and initiatives that promote land health, water resources management, and biodiversity in food systems, against the backdrop of climate change, environment degradation and rural poverty. CHEF is tailored to connect different geographies, climates, ecosystems, social and economic contexts, and the motivations of relevant stakeholders, including local communities. CHEF will cover an area spanning from source water locations in counties around the Mt Aberdare and Mt Kenya, through production areas leading to the rangelands of Laikipia, Isiolo and Samburu Counties. Solutions from the CHEF will be cross-border, national and local in nature. It is a partnership program for integrated action around solutions that fall in five action areas. (1) Foodscape innovation hub. (2) scaling regenerative practices in crop, livestock, fish, and forest (margin) systems. (3) Market systems and business models and innovations that enable sustainable livelihoods. (4) Policy engagement. (5) Building capacities and multi-actor processes for social-ecological resilience.

The Foodscape Innovation Specialist will lead the Agriculture Strategy scaling programme by utilising transdisciplinary data to guide the development and implementation of innovative solutions that significantly contribute to TNC 2030 Goals. You will manage (collect, collate, analyse, share) various data types related to climate, water, biodiversity, and livelihoods outcomes. You will use these data to catalyse collective and/or coordinated action among diverse actors involved in the CHEF, to drive an ambitious scaling program. The data will not lead to a static how-to plan to scale, but rather a living strategy that serves as a “north star” to guide the scaling mechanism through the Foodscape Innovation Hub. This strategy will consist of CHEF-wide key actionable products tailored to meet TNC’s unique Ag-conservation work across four ecologies, a variety of production systems, and to serve corporate partners. You will support the CHEF Director to regularly convene CHEF actors: governments, corporate and private sector, CGIAR, NGOs, funding partners, producer entities to review foodscape implementation progress, share lessons learned, and adapt as necessary based on the contextual, internal and external factors.

You will lead TNC staff and partners to deliver the CHEF scaling strategy, including working closely with TNC regional and global Corporate Engagement Teams to organise customised training and engagement programs in regenerative systems to enable the private sector transition into nature-positive actors. You will work closely with the Africa Agriculture Strategy members, the Freshwater Strategy team, Global Provide Food and Water teams, CHEF partners, Kenya Country program teams, and the Africa Business Unit staff to advance progress across the five action areas of the Agriculture Strategy. You will work with the full range of CHEF actors, including government agencies, other conservation organizations, foundations, communities, and other stakeholders.

The Foodscape Innovation Specialist reports to the CHEF Director and will be based in Nanyuki Town, Kenya. No employment visas or relocation assistance is being offered with this position except for the local labor employment requirements.