Company: Acumen
Location: Nairobi
Job Type: Full Time
Apply Before: 2026-08-26
Job Description
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
How to Apply
Interested and qualified? Go to Acumen on job-boards.greenhouse.io to apply
Build your CV for free. Download in different templates.
Source: MyJobMag