Program Lead Acumen Academy, Pakistan

Acumen; Islamabad; On-site; PKR 1,200,000 - 1,800,000; Full time

Job summary

A global non-profit organization is seeking an experienced individual to manage the Acumen Academy Program in Pakistan. The ideal candidate should have a minimum of 10 years of experience in education, training, and leadership development. Responsibilities include overseeing program operations, building partnerships, and coaching Fellows. Strong communication and stakeholder management skills are essential. This role offers an opportunity to significantly impact social entrepreneurship in Pakistan.

Qualifications

• Minimum 10 years of work experience in a related field.
• Experience in fundraising for new ventures.
• Experience managing a team and stakeholders.

Responsibilities

• Manage the launch, delivery, and growth of the Acumen Academy Program.
• Build partnerships and funding support for Pakistan Acumen Academy.
• Coach Fellows and provide feedback.

Skills

Experience in education, training, fellowships, entrepreneurship

Group facilitation skills

Fundraising experience

Strong operations track record

Stakeholder management

Detail-oriented

Strong verbal & written communication skills

Education

Graduate/master’s degree in a related field

Job description

Acumen Pakistan is looking for an exceptional individual to manage the launch, delivery, and growth of our Acumen Academy Program in Pakistan. The ideal candidate must have at least 10 years of experience preferably in education, training, fellowships and/or leadership development, entrepreneurship. The role will report to the Country Director.

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.

Acumen Pakistan (formerly Acumen Fund Pakistan) was set up in 2006, as a local non-profit entity. We currently have $16 million in committed investments in Pakistan, a strong Advisory Board, a network of Acumen Pakistan Fellows and a highly engaged partner community.

About Academy

Acumen invests in social entrepreneurs across the capital continuum and accompanies them on the journey to create transformational change. At Acumen Academy, we identify and prepare these leaders with the hard skills required to build scalable solutions to poverty and the harder skills of moral leadership to re-imagine and build a better world.

About the Foundry

In the Foundry, we accompany our alumni (1800+ across 70 countries) with the tools, community, and capital required to scale their impact. These extraordinary leaders are deeply rooted in their local context and in the global community. Today, the Foundry is collectively reaching more than 50 million lives through innovations in agriculture, education, workforce development, and healthcare and creating the next generation of role models and business models that are changing the world.

In the context of Pakistan, this means, continuing to strengthen and grow our flagship program, and accompanying our ~200 alumni on their path towards solving problems of poverty.

About the Role

We’re looking for an exceptional person to build Acumen Academy in Pakistan. This role includes working directly with our Fellows, our global team, and external partners. You will lead a team and report directly to the Pakistan Regional Director.

Manage the Fellowship Outreach, Selection, and Delivery

• Lead the design and execution of Fellows' outreach and recruitment strategy
• Oversee recruitment and selection for the Pakistan Fellowship, and make data-driven decisions to improve the selection process
• Facilitate seminars that create and hold space for reflection and absorption of the content
• Oversee the program operations including budgeting, logistics, and coordination and cultivation of a strong facilitator bench.
• Establish oneself as a point of contact for Fellows all-through the program. Support Fellows by connecting them with internal resources and conducting 1:1 with participants and facilitators.
• Coach Fellows: provide feedback when sought; periodically conduct 1-on-1s with Fellows as required; and provide written evaluations over the course of the year.
• Build an ecosystem of funders, supporters, and advisors to contribute to the success and sustainability of the program

Accompany the Pakistan Foundry

• In partnership with the Foundry Lead and the Global team, define the PK Foundry strategy and oversee its execution
• Oversee development and rollout of programs and initiatives that will connect and support the Foundry – e.g. coaching/mentoring; community gatherings; local and global exposure; accessing capital and sharing best practices
• Support the global team in identifying and accompanying the Foundry members for various internal and external opportunities
• Collaborate with the global team to measure the impact of Foundry in Pakistan and ensure that the data is collected and reported

Build Pakistan Acumen Academy

In collaboration with, and with guidance from the Pakistan Regional Director and the Global Acumen team:

• Build partnerships and funding support for the Pakistan Acumen Academy
• Support engagement of partners/prospects locally by managing grant reporting calendar; drafting reports for funders; writing quarterly partner updates; creating presentations for pitches to prospective funders
• Own and manage relationships with key program partners
• Champion and reinforce the Acumen Academy brand in Pakistan in collaboration with global communications team
• Establish new funding relationships for flagship programs as well as any new initiatives
• Establish a strong community of supporters and Advisors who can provide you – and the Foundry – with ongoing support for the Leadership work in Pakistan
• Lead and manage 2-4 team members.

Qualifications and Skills

• Minimum 10 years of work experience in a related field, preferably in education, training, fellowships and/or leadership development, entrepreneurship
• Experience in group facilitation and adult learning. Coaching skills, including the ability to give constructive feedback effectively, and willingness to have difficult, courageous conversations in service of helping others grow.
• Experience in fundraising for new ventures
• Experience setting up new ventures/programs in new markets is preferred but not required
• A strong track record of managing stakeholders, and building relationships with teams and partners.
• Experience managing a team (structuring the work, prioritizing, assigning, delegating, tracking results and team morale, and executing yourself when required) and managing stakeholders in a collaborative fashion
• Strong operations track record and ability to achieve targets independently.
• Can prioritize effectively and is detail-oriented.
• Prior work experience in a fast-paced environment, ability to work efficiently against tight deadlines
• Familiarity and exposure to the field of social enterprise and poverty alleviation preferred
• A graduate/master’s degree in a related field (for example: education, psychology, leadership, etc.)
• Strong verbal & written communications skills, and comfort representing Acumen Academy initiatives externally

Deadline to apply: Candidates will be reviewed and interviewed on a rolling basis.