Associate, West Africa Fellows Program

Acumen West Africa is seeking a skilled and highly organized program professional with 3 years of experience  to support the operations and coordination of the West Africa Fellows Program.This role will support the launch and effective delivery of Acumen’s first Climate Themed Fellowship, a leadership development program supporting early-stage social enterprises in the African green economy that are creating dignified jobs for women and youth. 

About Acumen
Acumen is changing the way the world tackles poverty by investing in companies, leaders, and ideas. We invest patient capital in businesses whose products and services help people living in poverty to transform their lives. To date, 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. But investment isn’t just about capital, we’ve been investing in relationships for years, connecting with emerging leaders in their own countries and engaging them in extended collective dialogue, moral inquiry, and skill building. To learn more visit acumen.org.  

About Acumen Academy
Acumen Academy is the world’s school for social change. Our mission is to unleash a new generation of social innovators and leaders with the determination and grit to build a more just, inclusive, and sustainable world. Blending the best of online and offline learning, we offer anyone with access to the internet the tools, practices, resources, and supportive community they need to achieve positive social change. With more than 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 doing what’s right in a world that loves easy.

The West Africa Fellows Program was launched in 2019 as a transformative, cohort-based leadership program for individuals with an entrepreneurial mindset and a commitment to addressing poverty. Currently, the Acumen Fellowship Program is offered in 9 regions: Bangladesh, Colombia, East Africa, India, Pakistan, Malaysia, Spain, the United Kingdom, and West Africa. Every year each program selects approximately 20 emerging leaders to participate in a blend of immersive seminars, learning labs, one-on-one coaching, and peer learning designed to deepen their leadership practice and strengthen their impact. Once graduated, our fellows join the Foundry, our 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 Role
The West Africa Fellows Program Associate will support program operations, coordination, and administrative delivery for the Climate-Focused West Africa Fellows Program. By ensuring strong program operations across recruitment, selection, and delivery, the Associate will play a key role in enabling high-quality learning experiences through operational excellence.

This role will work closely with Fellows, internal Acumen teams, and external partners to ensure smooth program execution from recruitment through graduation. While the Associate will not be responsible for facilitating fellowship content, they will be expected to participate in foundational and curriculum training to build the confidence and context needed to effectively support the delivery team. The role will report directly to the Fellows Manager.

The ideal candidate is highly detail-oriented, proactive, and energized by working in a fast-paced environment while supporting meaningful learning experiences

Key Responsibilities

1. Programme Operations & Logistics

• Manage end-to-end logistics for seminars, events, and programme delivery (virtual and in-person), including venues, travel, accommodation, vendors, and supplies.
• Support high-quality curriculum delivery by preparing and reviewing training materials and assisting in workshop facilitation to ensure a seamless learning experience.
• Coordinate participant communications and support learning platforms (e.g., Thinkific, Hubspot, WhatsApp, Calendly)
• Participate in foundational and curriculum training to progressively co-facilitate Fellowship learning content
• Produce run-of-show documents/showflows and support post-event debriefs and analysis
• Monitor and track programme expenses; maintain organised records and inventories
• Support efficient and well-organized program operations across all phases of the Fellowship lifecycle.

2. Outreach, Recruitment & Selection Support

• Develop and support outreach content and recruitment collateral for campaigns (press, online, partner channels)
• Support the Fellow selection process, including application reviews, coordination of selection events, and communication with applicants
• Manage communications with applicants, candidates, and evaluators throughout the selection process
• Coordinate onboarding and transitions for participants across the programme experience

3. Data, Reporting & Learning Support

• Manage surveys, feedback forms, and evaluations; support quality assurance and documentation
• Maintain accurate programme databases, trackers, and participant records
• Prepare data summaries and contribute inputs for reports, newsletters, blogs, and learning products
• Support writing and compiling programme reports (seminar, feedback, learning, and impact updates), and communication of programme value and outcomes for partners

4. Foundry Engagement 

• Provide coordination support for Foundry activities as needed (scheduling, communications, logistics).

Qualifications & Skills

• Minimum of 3 years’ experience in programme operations, coordination, or administration (fast-paced environments preferred)
• Strong organisational skills, attention to detail, and ability to manage multiple deadlines
• Strong Excel, PowerPoint, and data management skills; ability to maintain trackers and prepare summaries
• Strong written and verbal communication skills
• Experience with tools like SurveyMonkey, HubSpot, Canva, and similar platforms is an advantage
• Familiarity with social entrepreneurs and the social impact sector in West Africa.
• Experience coordinating cross-country programmes is an advantage.
• Strong interpersonal skills and team orientation (courtesy, tact, empathy, reliability)
• Self-reflective and aligned with Acumen’s values and mission
• Permanently authorised to work in Lagos, Nigeria

Deadline
The deadline to apply for this position is Friday, 6 March but candidates are encouraged to apply early, as applications will be reviewed on a rolling basis.

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Location
Lagos, Nigeria