School Meals Accelerator Public Narrative Consultant

Purpose of this role:

This role is part of the Engagement Team of the Acceleratorwhichisresponsible forensuring that the Acceleratorsengagementat the political levelcontinues to enable andfacilitateits work generating more supporttapping into diverse networksanddeepening relationshipsthat cancontinue to create a favorable authorizing environmentfor the initiative.The Consultant willensure that the narrative of the Acceleratorand thepublic voice of theDirectorcommunicatenot only the successes and concreteprogress that the Accelerator is making but also transmits its ethos and systemic way of workingthrough innovativeand thoughtfulstorytelling.

The School Meals Accelerator is not designedfor global advocacy(producingglobal eventscampaignsand the like)and willmostlynot be applying traditionalmasscommunication strategies (website social mediaetc);it will rely on the School Meals Coalition and its Secretariat for those functions.Instead it will be using moretargetedintentional communicationavenuesto reach specific stakeholders strengthen relationships and supportkeypartners in the growing networkitwill beorchestrating.Therefore thisroleaboutdeveloping thoughtfulnarrativetools thatcan supportstrategic engagement relationship building andthought leadership. It is aboutfinding new ways of communicating the innovative nature of the Acceleratorthat can reach the intended audience in a strategic way.

The postholder is also expected to coordinate closely with the School Meals Coalition Secretariat and other global initiatives to ensure aligned approaches shared messaging and coherent support to countries.

Responsibilities:

1) Strategic Storytelling & Narrative Development

• Develop andleada coherent narrative approach for the Accelerator that draws on evidence learning and lived experience across SMA and its partners to help diverse stakeholders understandwhat the Accelerator is doing how change is unfolding and why it matters.

• Work with Accelerator colleagues to interpret complex ideas system dynamics and emerging learning and translate these into clear audience-appropriate narrative framing that supports strategic engagement relationship-building and leadership dialogue.

• Support the Director and senior leadership in shaping and drafting speeches briefings and narrative materials that articulate both progress and learning and that convey the Accelerators systemic ethos rather than only outcomes or success stories.

• Curate insights examples and storiesemergingfrom country engagement and partnerships and use these to inform how the Accelerator positions itself politically and institutionally strengthening credibility trust and shared understanding.

• Collaborate with technical teams and partners to translate data research and programmatic learning into narrative materials that support sense-making and illuminate systemic pathways for change rather than promoting predefined messages or campaigns.
  

2)Stakeholder Engagement & Collaboration

• Work closely with Accelerator teampartnersand communities to build trusted relationships that enable the sharing of authentic stories and lived experience.

• Lead on event preparation and public engagement for the Accelerator by collaborating with the School Meals Coalition ecosystemincluding leading on narrative and messaging for Accelerator leadership and briefing materials.

• Develop communication narrative and branding materials and guidance for the Governing Committee of the Accelerator its foundingpartnersand other stakeholdersto ensure consistent communication.

• Facilitate storytelling workshops or interviews with partnersAccelerator technical team cells and otherinternal and externalstakeholders.
  

3)People Leadership Ways of Working & Culture

• Model SMAs systemic leadership mindsets andfostera collaborative psychologically safe culture where diverse perspectives emerging insights and livedexperiencemeaningfully shape shared storytelling and narrative work.

• Strengthen coherence and alignment across teams by grounding narrative work in country realities and technical insights promoting intentional communication clarity of roles and relational ways of working when navigating sensitive stories or stakeholder expectations.
  

4) Learning Continuous Improvement & Knowledge

• Capture and synthesize insights from country engagement governance and partnerships using reflective practice cycles to evolve SMAs narrative approach and ensure messages reflect real learning and systemic shifts.

• Build institutional memory byconsolidatingstories examples and system insights into accessible knowledge products using feedback to refine messaging and support adaptive implementation across SMA teams and partners.

Individual developmental expectations within the SMA Systemic Leadership Framework:

This roleoperateswithin the School Meals Accelerators systemic leadership approach. All SMA roles are expected to be enacted in line with theSMA Systemic Leadership Framework which sets out six shared leadership mindsets core leadershippracticesand more systemically demanding practices that guide how we work in complex fast-changing environments. The Framework also describes ways of engaging with complexitywhich reflect how individuals make sense of and act in uncertain interdependence situations.

While developmental maturity and role seniority are independent the SMA setsminimum developmental expectations by gradeto support clarity and fairness in recruitment and early employment.

For thisConsultancylevelIIrole the minimum expectation is:

Reflective engagement withcomplexity: Staff membersare increasingly able to step back from experience and notice their assumptions and reactions often after the event. Reflection supports learning and adjustment over time though it is not yet consistently availableinthe moment.

As set out in the Framework these expectationsrepresentfloors not ceilings. Ways of engaging with complexity aredescriptive rather than evaluative arenot tied mechanically to seniority or performance management and are used to supportreflection learning and development over time rather than ranking or judgement.

What the Systemic Leadership Framework Means for Your Recruitment and Role:

All roles in the School Meals Accelerator are expected to be enacted in line with the Systemic Leadership recruitment andselection the Framework supports informed conversations about how candidates make sense of complexityuncertaintyand systemic change alongside assessment of technicalexpertiseand role fit.

In ongoing work the Framework provides a shared orientation to how we work here and supports individual and collective learning over time.

Qualifications:

Education:

Advanced university degree in Communications Journalism Media Studies Marketing International Relations Social Sciences or another relevant field; or a first university degree withadditionalyears of relevant professional experience and/or advanced training.

Experience:

• At least 5 years experience in international development strategic communications journalism community building social impact storytelling or policy advocacy is strongly valued; experience working with governmentled processes is a plus.

• Demonstrated international experience collaborating with diverse partners (governments International Financial Institutions UN agencies civil society private sector academia) across regions and organizational levels.

• Experienceshaping the narrative of earlystage or systemschange initiatives translating complex ideas government insights and founder intent into clear compelling emotionally resonant stories.

• Proven ability to usestrategic storytelling for partnershipbuilding crafting narrative materials and highquality content (speeches briefs strategy decks case studies) that strengthen trust alignment and shared purpose.

• Stronginsightgathering and interviewing skills able to distill perspectives from governments communities and technical teams and adapt narratives in fastmoving ambiguous environments where strategy and positioning evolve.

Knowledge and Skills:

• Exceptional storytelling and writing skills able to craft clear emotionally resonant narratives from complex systemslevel ideas.

• Strong narrativeframing and sensemaking ability turning insights interviews and technical information into coherent story arcs.

• Excellent stakeholderengagement and facilitation skills including interviewing cocreation and relationshipcentered communication.

• Ability to produce highquality content across formats (briefs speeches decks case studies) and collaborate effectively with designers or content creators.

• Comfort working in fastmoving ambiguous environments adapting and iterating narrative quickly as strategy or context evolves.

• Familiarity with multimedia and digital communication workflows (storyboarding basic production content adaptation) to support intentional targeted communication.

Languages:

Englishmothertongue level isfor this role;intermediate (level B) in a second official UN language (Arabic Chinese French Russian Spanish).

At the heart of the SMA Systemic Leadership Framework are sixleadership mindsets.
These mindsets describe shared orientations that shape how situations are interpretedand what kinds of action feel legitimate or possible in system-level change work.

They are not competencies or values statements but shared ways of making sense of complex situations that shape leadership practice particularly under pressure or uncertainty.

The six SMA leadership mindsets are:

• We see systems change as starting with us: We notice and work with how our roles assumptions and responses shape what becomes possible in the system.

• We experiment our way forward: We use disciplined experimentation and learning to make progress in conditions of uncertainty.

• We put countries needs first: We orient our work around the prioritiescontextsand capacities of countries rather than organisational convenience or external agendas.

• We value different perspectives even when they clash: We work productively with differencetensionand disagreement to support learning and systemic change.

• We teach and learn from one another: We treat learning as a shared ongoing responsibility and useeverydaywork as a source of individual and collective development.

• We are intentional about how and when we act not simply defaulting to urgency: We treat pace and timing as deliberate leadership choices choosing actions that support learning and lasting change rather than activity for its own sake.

The mindsets are mutually reinforcing rather than sequential. Effective systemic leadership involves working across all of them rather than privileging one at the expense of others.

Within each mindset the Frameworkidentifiesleadership practices that describeobservable ways of working how leadership shows up in action.The Accelerator has 30core leadership practices(5 per mindset)whichare foundational practices expected of everyone working in the Accelerator regardless of role or grade. They support effective participation in complex multi-stakeholder environments.

Ways of engaging with complexity:

The Framework also describesdifferentwaysof engaging with complexity drawing on adult development theory.Ways of engaging with complexity describehow leadership practices are enactednot which practices arepermitted. They are descriptive rather than evaluative are not tied mechanically to seniority or role and arecontext-sensitive.

The Framework describes four broad ways of engaging with complexity:

• Habitual engagement
  People tend to respond to situations through familiar rolesroutinesand immediate reactions. What is felt or thought in the moment tends to drive action with limited separation between observationinterpretationand response especially under pressure.

• Reflective engagement
  People are increasingly able to step back from experience and notice their assumptions and reactions often after the event. Reflection supports learning and adjustment over time though it is not yet consistently available in the moment.

• Intentional engagement
  People actively work with their assumptionsemotionsand roles as part of ongoing practice. They are better able to pause make deliberate choices about how to respond and adapt their actions in real time under conditions of uncertainty.

• Systemic engagement
  People understand their actions as part of wider system dynamics shaped by relationships powerhistoryand context. They act with awareness of timing rippleeffectsand shared responsibility andare able tosupport learning and capacity beyond their own role.
  

These ways of engaging with complexity do notrepresenta linear progression or a single ideal endpoint. Individuals mayoperateindifferent waysin different situations.To support clarity and fairness the SMA setsminimum developmental expectations by gradewhich representfloors not ceilings.

What the Framework is used for:

The SMA Systemic Leadership Framework is:

• a shared developmental reference for leadership practice;

• a basis for reflectionfeedbackand learning;

• a way of embedding systemic leadership expectations into everyday work.

It isnot:

• a competency framework;

• a performance rating system;

• a leadership pipeline;

• a tool for ranking or scoring individuals.