Senior Associate, Foundry

About this role

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…