Senior Associate, Foundry

Acumen is seeking a skilled and highly organized program professional with 5 years of experience to support the design, delivery, and operations of the Foundry, Acumen Academy's alumni community in East Africa. The role also delivers the Green RISE Africa Connect Community of Practice, a cross-regional network of leaders building early-stage social enterprises in the African green economy that create dignified jobs for women and youth.

The role is based in Nairobi, Kenya and reports to the Manager, Foundry and Communities of Practice, Green RISE Africa.

About Acumen

Acumen is a global force of entrepreneurs, investors, philanthropists, and social innovators working together to build a world based on dignity. We were founded by Jacqueline Novogratz on the radical idea that business, when cultivated with moral imagination, can break the cycle of poverty. We invest in transformational companies, build sustainable markets, and prepare leaders with the tools they need to create a more just and inclusive future. Since 2001, Acumen has positively impacted over 500 million lives by investing $154M in 167 innovative, early-stage companies in Africa, Latin America, South Asia, and the United States. To learn more visit acumen.org.

About Acumen Academy

Acumen Academy is the world's school for social change. Through fellowships, accelerators, courses, and community, we equip social innovators with the tools, practices, and peer support needed to build a more just, inclusive, and sustainable world. With over 2,000 Fellows and Accelerator alumni and more than 600,000 learners across 190+ countries, our global community represents a growing movement of moral leaders committed to long-term systems change.

The East Africa Fellows Program was launched in 2010 as an intensive, leadership development program offered through Acumen Academy. Currently, the Fellowship Program is offered in 9 regions: Bangladesh, Colombia, West Africa, India, Pakistan, Malaysia, Spain, the United Kingdom, and East Africa. Every year, each program selects 20 emerging leaders to participate in a blend of immersive seminars and online content that equips them with the knowledge, skills and community they need to be more effective agents of change. Once graduated, our fellows join a global community of remarkable individuals sharing their lifelong journey to master the principles and practices of moral leadership while putting those principles and practices into action.

About the Foundry

The Foundry is Acumen Academy's alumni community, designed to support Fellows and Accelerator alumni beyond the formal programme year. It provides lifelong accompaniment through continued learning, technical support, access to capital and opportunities, amplification, and a values-driven peer network that supports leaders as they grow their organisations and deepen their impact. Across East and West Africa the Foundry now holds close to 600 leaders, and that membership will grow substantially over the next five years.

Within the Foundry sits the Green RISE Africa Connect Community of Practice, which is part of a multi-year programme delivered in partnership with the Mastercard Foundation that supports entrepreneurs in the green economy across East and West Africa to build resilient enterprises and create dignified work for young people and women. The Community of Practice brings green enterprise leaders from both regions into structured peer learning, collaboration and shared programming.

About the Role

The Senior Associate, Foundry plays a central role in designing, delivering, and operationalising the East Africa Foundry strategy to support the ongoing leadership and organisational development of Acumen Academy alumni. The role spans community building, enterprise support, partnerships, visibility, ecosystem collaboration and delivery of the Green RISE Africa Connect Community of Practice.

This is a highly relational and execution-focused role. The Senior Associate will work closely with Foundry members, Acumen's global teams, regional partners and funders to ensure the Foundry remains responsive, relevant and valuable to the evolving needs of social entrepreneurs in East Africa. The role sits within a pan-African Foundry function, so the postholder will work closely with their West Africa counterpart to deliver a consistent member experience and shared programming across both regions.

The ideal candidate is a strong systems thinker and operator who is comfortable managing multiple workstreams, holding complex relationships, and translating strategy into well-run programmes, platforms and partnerships.

Key Responsibilities

 Community Building and Engagement

• Build and steward a values-aligned Foundry community in East Africa grounded in trust, peer learning, accountability, and shared leadership
• Design and manage engagement across digital and in-person platforms, including Circle, online convenings, and regional gatherings
• Design and facilitate structured peer learning and problem-solving spaces that enable shared learning across sectors, cohorts, organisation stages, and countries
• Maintain a strong pulse on member needs, challenges, and opportunities through structured needs assessments, regular check-ins, and ongoing touchpoints to inform both lightweight and longer-term programming
• Build, manage, and engage the Regional Foundry Advisory Committee to strengthen shared ownership and community accountability

Green RISE Africa Connect Community of Practice

• Deliver the Connect Community of Practice in East Africa, including peer group facilitation, masterclass delivery and ongoing Circle engagement
• Onboard incoming members entering the Foundry through the Accelerate and BUILD pillars, working with the pillar teams and the Foundry Manager to integrate them into the wider membership
• Support cross-regional programming and convening with the West Africa Foundry
• Ensure the member touchpoints the programme has committed to are delivered on schedule and to a consistent standard

Enterprise Development and Founder Support

• Design and deliver enterprise-focused offerings that support Foundry organisations to build resilient and sustainable businesses
• Coordinate access to tools, experts, capital readiness support, and learning opportunities aligned with founders' stages and archetypes
• Support the delivery of global Acumen opportunities, including early-stage grants, pro bono consulting, and partnerships, by working closely with global teams and partners to localise offerings for regional relevance and impact
• Conduct site visits and on-the-ground engagements with Foundry organisations to inform tailored enterprise support, learning design, and partnership opportunities
• Track enterprise needs and progress to inform targeted support and programming, and identify members with the potential to be referred into the Scale Ready Ventures programme

Partnerships, Ecosystem and Visibility

• Build and manage strategic partnerships with funders, ESOs, companies, media, and service providers that expand Foundry members' access to expertise, tools, capital, and platforms
• Design and deliver ecosystem-facing convenings and collaborations that create shared learning, strengthen funding readiness, and support regional innovation
• Translate ecosystem engagement into regional visibility and thought leadership that strengthens Acumen Academy's presence and influence in East Africa
• Lead the identification and support of nominations and external opportunities that elevate Foundry members across awards, fellowships, speaking platforms, and global networks
• Curate and amplify Foundry stories and insights through newsletters, social media, and partner channels to increase reach, engagement, and visibility

Member Insight, Data Quality and Reporting

• Surface member needs, emerging collaborations and regional insight back into programme design and the shared Foundry strategy
• Maintain accurate and current records for East Africa members within the shared Africa member system, working to the data standards agreed across the function
• Contribute regional data, insights and stories to grant reports, internal learning documents and funder communications

Qualifications and Skills

• 5 to 6 years of experience across programme delivery, community building, enterprise or ecosystem support, with exposure to venture building, investment readiness, or working closely with early- and growth-stage social enterprises
• Strong relationship builder, able to engage founders, partners, and cross-functional teams
• Proven ability to design, run, and improve multi-stakeholder programmes or communities end-to-end, from needs assessment through to delivery and iteration
• Strong online and in-person facilitation skills and comfort convening leaders across cohorts, countries, and sectors
• Clear, compelling communicator with strong writing and storytelling skills, including newsletters, profiles, nominations and reports
• Strong data and systems orientation, with experience using CRMs and tools such as Salesforce or Airtable to track engagement, needs, and outcomes
• Comfortable in fast-moving, ambiguous environments, able to prioritise well and execute with attention to detail
• Deep familiarity with the East Africa social innovation ecosystem and the realities of building in low-resource contexts
• Interest in or exposure to the green economy, climate-focused enterprise or dignified job creation is an advantage
• Self-reflective, values-driven, and aligned with Acumen's moral leadership ethos
• Strong alignment with Acumen's mission and values
• Ownership mindset and comfort with accountability
• Learning-oriented, reflective, and adaptive
• Collaborative, pragmatic, and outcomes-driven
• Must be permanently authorized to work in Kenya

Deadline

Applications will be reviewed and interviews scheduled on a rolling basis. 

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