Program Manager, Colombia Fellows

Acumen Academy in Colombia is looking to hire a Program Manager with at least 7 years of relevant experience to execute our local Fellows Program strategy, manage the day-to-day operations of our Fellows Program in Colombia, and ensure sustained impact.  The Program Manager will lead the delivery of our curriculum and the cohort in training. The role is based anywhere in Colombia, with travel to in person encounters 4 times a year for Selection conference, Program delivery and eventual travel to Bogotá office.

Job Description in Spanish here. Please send CVs in English.

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

This role is key to strengthening the development and impact of Acumen Academy's work in the region by overseeing the continued success of our flagship Program in Colombia—our longest-running and most established initiative locally. You will be responsible for managing the end-to-end operations of the Program and leading the team that is building the pathway into the broader Acumen Academy Community. This role combines strategic thinking, people management, program operations, curriculum design, facilitation, and community building. You will manage a team of Analysts and Associates, and work closely with the Acumen Academy Lead in Latin America to deliver a powerful, standardized, contextually-rooted leadership development experience for social leaders across the country. You will also serve as a connector—between participants, facilitators, alumni, and Acumen’s global team—helping build a strong and engaged Acumen Academy Community.

Specific responsibilities include:

Program management, strategy and team management

• Understand our local impact thesis and the implications (design and data collection) during training and accompaniment. Support the Community Associate with the impact measurement of the Fellows Program 
• Own our local Program which implies making decisions within global boundaries around curriculum, delivery model and user experience. Prioritize the needs of the Colombian audience and make small tweaks to centrally available resources to our local strategy
• Oversee all Program operations including budgeting, recruitment and selection, coordination and cultivation of a strong facilitator bench, facilitation of content blocks in-person and online
• Define the Program delivery calendar annually, make adjustments and adaptation to global surveys and templates, so they respond to the needs of the region
• Understand profoundly our local impact thesis and how it connects to Acumen Latin America’s regional strategy. 
• Support the creation of reports or proposals for funders and write monthly partner updates
• Lead and support a high-performing team of Analysts, and Associates. Provide guidance and coaching to ensure effective execution across operations, outreach, selection, and delivery. 
• Create a culture of accountability, reflection, and continuous learning within the team.
• Connect regularly with peers leading the Acumen Fellows Programs in other regions to share learnings and best practices.
• Stay up to date on programmatic changes and tools developed by Acumen’s global Center of Shared Services (CoSS).
• Ensure local program alignment with global quality standards while advocating for small adaptations needed in the Colombian context within the allowed boundaries. Communicate local implications of global changes clearly and constructively with both global and local teams.

Outreach and selection

Supervise the annual outreach and recruitment process to select ~26 Fellows per year.Oversee the design and implementation of the outreach strategy and selection process, including communication flows, evaluator management (120+ volunteers), and an in-person Selection Conference. Lead the analysis and reporting of application data and trends. Build and leverage partnerships and alumni networks to identify strong candidates. Overview the design and execution of our annual in person Selection Conference and Selection Process Report.

Program delivery and facilitation

• Oversee all components of program delivery across a 9-month cycle (3 in-person immersions + 2 virtual workshops).
• Lead the preparation and evolution of facilitator guides and overview the production of training materials. Make curriculum adaptations for our language, context and culture. Root the work in the local context.
• Facilitate sessions and lead content delivery both online and in person.
• Provide support or coaching to Fellows during both in-person and virtual program modules.
• Offer support or informal coaching to team members who are facilitating or co-facilitating content. This may include giving feedback, offering thought partnership in real-time, or helping troubleshoot during delivery moments.
• Supervise logistics, training material preparation, LMS management, and pre-work completion tracking.
• Recruit, onboard, and support external facilitators; develop facilitator guides and training materials.
• Foster a culture of reflection, trust, and shared learning.
• Maintain ongoing communication with participants via email, WhatsApp, and other channels.
• As time passes, train facilitators and co-facilitators (support in the room) for their roles. Support all facilitators in honing their facilitation and coaching skills.
• Collaborate with the global team on curriculum, data management, and process improvement.

Cohort Building and community nurturing

• Design and execute cohort-building structures that promote peer connection and support.
• Ensure inclusive facilitation practices and co-create a culture of belonging and respect.
• Collaborate with the Community Associate to align Program delivery and “Foundry touchpoints” with long-term community engagement goals.
• Build meaningful relationships with participants to foster trust and engagement with the Fellows community.
• Co-create and uphold a culture of learning, setting agreements and shared expectations with participants and team members.
• Act as a bridge between diverse identities and experiences, creating a welcoming, inclusive and respectful space. 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

• Implement data collection systems to track program execution, participant development, and outcomes. 
• Analyze and report on impact, using qualitative and quantitative data.
• Capture and share participant insights and success stories for communications and learning purposes. 

Skills and Qualifications 

• Minimum of 7 years of relevant experience in Program management, facilitation and operations; user experience; leadership development. Exposure to community work is a plus.
• Proven experience managing budgets, teams, and complex projects with multiple stakeholders.
• Relevant experience in soft skills training, adult learning, facilitation (online and in-person), and leadership development.
• Demonstrated ability to adapt and localize curriculum collaboratively, whitin  global boundaries.
• Strong understanding of Colombia’s socio-political realities and a commitment to social change.
• Comfort engaging with people online and in person.
• Experience designing and executing public events, online and in person.
• Ability to work and deliver projects independently, proactively and under pressure.
• Ability to get the details right.
• Experience working in or with the social enterprise, peacebuilding, or poverty alleviation sectors preferred.
• Familiarity with user experience design and/or customer service principles.
• Experience leading and managing teams: structuring workflows, assigning and prioritizing tasks, tracking results, and maintaining team morale.
• Comfortable executing independently when needed and managing stakeholders collaboratively.
• Coaching skills with a willingness to give/receive feedback and hold courageous conversations.
• Ability to anticipate needs, identify operational gaps, and create systems to improve effectiveness.
• Skilled facilitator with experience in adaptive or experiential learning methods.
• Comfortable leading group sessions, moderating discussions, and managing group dynamics in diverse settings.
• Clear, compelling communicator—both written and verbal—in Spanish and English (Spanish is the primary working language).
• Experience collecting, analyzing, and reporting data to inform decision-making.
• Deep self-awareness and ability to understand your own positionality and its impact.
• Proven experience in working with a lens of diversity, equity and inclusion practices with the possibility to apply them to operations and facilitation processes. 
• Strong alignment with Acumen’s values, with a commitment to social impact and peacebuilding. 
• Empathetic, inclusive, and collaborative—able to engage diverse audiences and foster a sense of belonging. 
• Entrepreneurial mindset: proactive, adaptable, and energized by a fast-paced, evolving environment.
• Previous participation in leadership development programs is a plus.
• Bonus Skills: Familiarity with Adobe Suite (Photoshop, Illustrator, InDesign, Premiere) and/or Canva. Experience using CRMs like HubSpot and Salesforce.
• Permanent work authorization in Colombia.  This role is located anywhere in Colombia.

Deadline

Candidates are encouraged to apply early, as applications will be reviewed and candidates interviewed on a rolling basis, and the role might be filled before the deadline.

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