Program Associate, Colombia Fellows, Acumen Academy

Acumen Academy in Colombia is looking to hire a Program Associate with 3-6 years experience in program operations, program reporting, and user experience with exceptional energy, a strategic mind, detail-oriented execution skills, and a commitment to unleashing human potential. The Program Associate will accompany the delivery of our curriculum and the cohort in training. The role is based anywhere in Colombia, with travel to in person encounters 3 times a year for Program delivery and eventual travel to Bogota office.

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 are enabling the poor to transform their lives. To date, Acumen has positively impacted more than 500 million lives by investing $164M in 167 innovative, early-stage companies in Africa, Latin America, South Asia, and the United States. But investment isn’t only about capital–we’ve been investing in innovators for years, connecting with emerging leaders around the world and engaging them in collective dialogue, moral inquiry, and skill building.

About Acumen Academy

Acumen Academy is the world’s school for social change. We aim to unleash a new generation of social innovators and leaders with the character and competence to build a more just, inclusive and sustainable world. Anyone with an internet connection, anywhere in the world, can access the practical tools, practices, resources and supportive community they need to achieve positive social change. With 1,000 Fellows and Accelerator alumni, and 1.2M  course sign-ups from 193 countries, the Acumen Academy community represents a new generation of social innovators and leaders committed to doing what’s right in a world that loves easy.

Acumen’s Fellows Program is a free, one-year leadership development program. In 2018, Acumen launched its Fellows Program in Colombia to help develop an ecosystem of diverse, moral leaders who are committed to seeing their country succeed and navigate collectively the challenges of the post-accord era. Each year, we select ~24 local emerging leaders to join the Fellows Program. The team based in Colombia brings to life Academy’s promise in the region.

About Acumen Latin America

Acumen Latin America (ALA) started operations in 2013 and has a team based in Bogotá focusing on Colombia and Perú. To date, ALA has made 19 investments totaling $11.2 million in agribusiness companies that seek to impact the livelihood of smallholder farmers principally in Colombia. Other sectors of interest are education and energy.

In 2018, ALA launched the Acumen Fellows program in Colombia.  Since then, we have selected 145 Fellows across 6 cohorts.  We have also adapted our online content to the context, language and channels best suited for the Latin American audience, through WhatsApp Courses.  Finally, we launched a Regional Leadership Program for rural and grassroots leaders.

Click here for more information on Acumens’ work in Latin America.

About the Role

The Program Associate is responsible for executing key operational aspects of the Fellows Program at Acumen Academy, Colombia. Working closely with the Program Manager, they ensure a seamless learning experience for participants, fostering a collaborative and engaging cohort culture. They also play a vital role in monitoring and evaluating program effectiveness through established and standardized systems.

Specific responsibilities include:

Support Program Delivery & Operations for the Colombia Fellows Program

• Support the co-creation of an operational plan for each cohort, ensuring clear timelines and deadlines. Execute the plan.
• Assist in preparing training materials and supporting the person in charge of Program logistics.
• Attend and provide operational support during three week-long in-person encounters per year, including weekends. Support the delivery and facilitation of content/curriculum. Join and participate actively in session debriefs during in person encounters and virtual workshops.
• Make minor adjustments to session design to align with program objectives.
• Manage the participants' experience, including scheduling one-on-one check-ins, maintaining ongoing communication, and fostering reflection on leadership development.
• Oversee virtual program components, including updating content on the Learning Management System (LMS) and reviewing pre-work completion.
• Actively participate in facilitator training
• Serve as the liaison with internal and external facilitators to coordinate content delivery. Onboard, support, and create materias to equip external facilitators
• Manage communications with program participants across multiple channels, including email, WhatsApp, and WhatsApp groups, ensuring timely and effective engagement, while complying with the responsibilities Fellows commit with in the ‘offer letter’
• Coordinate with third-party organizations involved in key pieces of the Fellowship experience, such as the systems content block, the WhatsApp bot, and the illustration ensuring seamless integration.
• Collaborate with the global team on curriculum, data management, and process improvement.
• Support the team with creation of marketing assets, with applicant evaluation and smooth transition into the Fellowship.

Cohort Building

• Build meaningful relationships with participants to foster trust and engagement.
• Co-create and uphold a culture of learning, setting agreements and shared expectations with participants and team members.
• Develop structures that promote strong connections and peer support among participants.
• Create systems to regularly pulse-check the cohort's progress and evolution throughout the training year.
• Support participants' leadership development both individually and as a group, ensuring alignment with learning objectives and program goals.

Monitor and Evaluate the Effectiveness of Programs

• Execute and refine data collection systems to assess execution vs goals of each step of the Program. Share key insights with the local and the global team.
• Analyze data to understand cohort development and to guide short- and long-term decisions.
• Track Fellow progress, capturing stories and key insights for reports. Provide leads of content and success stories for Acumen’s newsletter and blog. 

Skills and Qualifications 

• Minimum of 3 years of relevant experience in program management and user experience; leadership development experience, exposure to community work and facilitating is a plus.
• Proven experience facilitating groups or leading groups with communities, delivering instructions, and moderating discussions in both in-person and virtual settings. Comfortable speaking in front of a room, managing group dynamics, and ensuring participant engagement.
• Experience tracking and analyzing program data to inform decision-making. Proficiency in Excel and data management tools.
• Strong ability to anticipate needs, identify opportunities for improvement, and take initiative without prompting.
• Strong problem-solving and project management skills, with the ability to work independently and under pressure.
• Highly organized, with excellent prioritization and attention to detail.
• Proven track record of successfully managing complex projects with multiple stakeholders.
• Quick learner, adaptable to different platforms and stakeholder needs.
• Ability to work efficiently in a fast-paced environment and meet tight deadlines.
• Demonstrated ability to plan and execute with clear goals and operational structures.
• Proactive and entrepreneurial mindset—willing to test, experiment, and iterate in a startup-like environment.
• Strong relationship-building and interpersonal skills—empathetic, team-oriented, and adaptable.
• Experience in customer service or user experience design.
• Collaborative and comfortable working cross-functionally in a global organization. Ability to translate global strategies into localized program realities.
• Fluent in Spanish and English, with excellent written and verbal communication skills (Spanish is the priority language).
• Self-reflective, aligned with Acumen’s values, and committed to social impact.
• Familiarity with social entrepreneurship, impact investing, or the development sector.
• Bonus Skills: Familiarity with Adobe Suite (Photoshop, Illustrator, InDesign, Premiere) and/or Canva. Experience using CRMs like HubSpot.
• Permanent work authorization in Colombia.

Location

Candidates must have the right to work in Colombia and will be based in Bogota.  Employment will be via a local employment contract with statutory Colombian benefits.

Deadline 
Candidates are encouraged to apply early, as applications will be reviewed and interviews scheduled on a rolling basis.