Acumen is seeking a Program Lead with a minimum of 10 years of leadership experience developing, managing and executing large-scale, multi-year programs donor funded programs. The person in this role can be based in either Lagos or Nairobi, with frequent travel within East and West 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, we have scaled companies and shaped markets in some of the hardest-to-reach communities on the planet, impacting over half-a-billion lives. To learn more visit acumen.org.
About the Role
Acumen is hiring a Program Lead who will be responsible for the overall planning, launching, management and execution of all personnel and project-related activities for a five-year, donor-funded Program valued at approximately USD 80M. The Program will provide support to early-stage social enterprises in the African green economy that are creating and improving dignified work opportunities for women and youth. Reporting to the Regional Director, the Program Lead is ultimately accountable for successfully delivering all Programmatic activities and achieving Program objectives on time and within budget. This role will provide strategic guidance and leadership across functions, create and oversee Program implementation, support Program delivery teams across regions, be responsible for financial oversight, and engage internal and external stakeholders effectively. The Program Lead will be the primary representative of the project and partnership with the donor, representing Acumen at ecosystem events and engaging networks and experts in Africa and abroad. This role is contingent on funding approval and availability.
Key Responsibilities
Overall Program Leadership, Management and Implementation
- Develop, manage and implement Program strategy, workplan, timeline, and reporting, adhering to technical standards and compliance as outlined in the grant agreement.
- Manage complex workstreams and dependencies, ensuring efficient oversight and execution of the project in its entirety.
- Lead annual planning, prioritization and resource allocation in partnership with regional teams (Acumen Academy and Portfolio) and Acumen colleagues in Canada in operations, finance, compliance and legal.
- Oversee and understand all details of the Program budget and overall grant management in partnership with regional and Canadian finance and grant management colleagues.
- Monitor expenditures, ensure compliance with fiscal policies, and maintain value-for-money oversight.
- Oversee annual Monitoring, Evaluation and Learning (MEL) plans in close coordination with regional and technical leads, and the impact lead.
- Create and execute robust MEL systems, including detailed monitoring plans, baseline surveys, progress reviews, and evidence-based reporting in partnership with impact lead.
- Support insights and research deliverables related to Programmatic areas (e.g., case studies, lessons learned, insights reports, convenings) and integrate insights as needed to inform adaptive Programming, working closely with regional teams, and Acumen Insights and Impact colleagues.
- Represent and speak on behalf of the Program as a senior representative, engaging with donors, government, external partners, and media, as needed.
- Monitor and communicate political, contextual and socio-economic shifts to the Program Governing Body and Acumen senior leadership, mitigating associated risks.
Multiple Stakeholder Management
- Serve as the primary Program contact for the donor by managing the overall Programmatic relationship. This includes interfacing with the donor alongside a counterpart on the Development and Partnerships team, communicating externally and internally throughout the five-year Program cycle, ensuring Program expectations and deliverables are met including the successful execution of all Program activities, financial reporting and strategic alignment.
- Liaise with respective Acumen department heads and Grant Manager on donor priorities, ensuring ongoing strategic alignment across organizational priorities and local regulations in multiple markets.
- Proactively engage with the Program delivery team and external delivery partners, maintaining accountability and coherence across all operational and implementation activities.
Program Team Development & Leadership
- Operationalize a global, cross-functional team that will successfully deliver the Program (e.g., inform Program-related org chart, accountabilities, reporting structure, be involved in the hiring process for new roles etc.)
- Lead and mentor a global and diverse team contributing to the Program.
- Set clear Program and performance objectives, scheduling regular feedback loops, performance appraisals, capacity-building, and succession planning.
Skills & Qualifications
- Bachelor’s degree; advanced degree or certification(s) in International Development, Project Management, Business Management or related field is a plus.
- Minimum 10+ years of professional experience in a leadership role, managing and executing large-scale donor funded programs.
- Direct experience managing multi-million, multi-year programs funded by major international, corporate donors, foundations and non-profit organizations.
- Proven expertise in full project cycle management: creating, launching, planning, implementing, Monitoring Evaluation & Learning (MEL), budget creation and allocation, financial stewardship, and technical (Programmatic and financial) reporting.
- Demonstrated leadership of diverse, multicultural teams with strong communication, management, capacity-building and performance management skills.
- Strong strategic planning, project management, and team leadership skills.
- Excellent verbal and written communication skills for diverse stakeholders.
- Experience in creating and understanding results frameworks, MEL systems, logframes and learning agendas.
- Strong financial and project/grant reporting experience with good knowledge of leading grant reporting systems (e.g., Salesforce, Prophix, Asana etc.)
- Have strong networks of Enterprise Support Organisations and consultants in East and West Africa
- Prior regional, in-country experience working in East or West Africa.
Location & Authorization
- Must be based in Nairobi, Kenya or Lagos, Nigeria.
- Must be legally authorized to work in the relevant country.
- Must be able to travel and correspond frequently across East Africa, West Africa, Europe and North America as required.
To Apply
Please include a cover letter along with your CV/resume in one document.
Deadline:
Candidates are encouraged to apply early as applications will be reviewed on a rolling basis.