Associate, Foundry

Acumen Academy is looking for an Associate with at least 4 years of experience to support the development of offerings to the India based community of changemakers, who are ~300 strong and growing. This role will be based out of Mumbai or Bengaluru

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 offer important opportunities to people living in poverty. To date, Acumen has positively impacted over 500 million lives by investing $154.4M 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 Academy
Acumen Academy is the world’s school for social change. We’re looking to support a new generation of social innovators and leaders with the character and competence to solve problems of poverty and build a world based on dignity. We seek to inspire a new generation by sharing stories of visionary role models and business models with the world.

About the Foundry
Through the Fellowship program, Acumen invests in developing the moral leadership skills of social builders. Acumen Fellowship graduates enter the Foundry, a global community with a shared ethos and vision: to build a world based on dignity that centers people and planet. The Foundry is the alumni community for the +1,600 graduates of our Fellowship or Accelerator Programs.

About the Role: We're searching for someone to support our community initiatives. At Acumen, we believe that when social innovators come together in a community based on trust and shared goals, they can achieve systemic change. Our goal is to create a community where social - innovators can:

• Get to know each other and help each other out.
• Partner with ecosystem organizations for increasing capital and organizational support for the social-innovators.
• Understand what the community needs by collecting and analyzing information through large data-sets.
• Make it easy for community members to connect with each other by providing the right tools and resources.

Ultimately, we want to make a big impact by bringing social-innovators together and supporting their efforts to create positive change.

To enhance your comprehension of the work we do and advance through our selection process, we strongly recommend that each applicant familiarizes themselves with the following resources:

1. The essence of Foundry
2. The pillars of Foundry
3. A case-study of how the Foundry is connected and accompanies each other

Job Description:

The Associate (Foundry) will be responsible for building and managing the infrastructure to increase the engagement and impact of the 300+ Foundry Members (Social-Entrepreneurs, Public Sector Leaders & Social-Intrapreneurs) across India, including the governance model, infrastructure, programs, spaces and communication channels. We want to take the number of organizations in the Foundry to create systemic impact through collaborations within 5 years assuming we begin interventions with the social-innovators when they are at early-stage. We want to build a connected community of leaders with a shared commitment to each other and Acumen’s mission.

Key accountabilities include:

Design and co-execute a community space: Work closely with the Manager of Foundry to develop gathering spaces, workshops and convenings addressing different needs of the community. We aim to engage 70% of our community through these spaces where social-innovators often find key partners and friends. 

Manage the Foundry data and insights: Manage a process to regularly collect and maintain up-to-date data (including stories, generic information, annual reports) and co-build insights that showcases the story of The Foundry’s impact.

Establish and manage partnerships: Work closely with existing partners and build new partners to circulate opportunities towards funding, fellowship, awards and curated stories that inspire learning, leadership and rigor. 

Manage the communication channels: Activate existing communication channels with our weekly newsletter showcasing relevant opportunities, highlighting curated Foundry stories and showcasing social innovators. Beyond this, the expectation is to have an active involvement in WhatsApp channels with these communities. 

Unlock insights from the Foundry:  In partnership with the team, establish and manage a process to regularly check-in with members of the Foundry deep-diving into their interventions and long-term goals along with understanding their challenges. It is expected to connect with 300+ social innovators in a year to do this. 

Qualifications & Skills:

• At least 4+ years of experience building and leading communities (virtual and IRL)
• Track record of growing community engagement and impact
• Analytical mindset to understand data, insights and impact
• Creative thinking to develop innovative community programs and gathering spaces
• Communication skills to work with global, cross-cultural colleagues, partners and community members
• Demonstrated success in building collaborative relationships with both external and internal stakeholders
• Willingness to take risks and ability to address complex issues creatively and effectively
• Effectively collaborates with and across teams, seeks, and provides constructive feedback
• Self-reflective and aligned with Acumen values

This role reports to the Manager of Foundry and will collaborate closely with colleagues across Acumen. 

We are committed to creating an inclusive workplace where all employees feel valued, respected, and empowered to bring their authentic selves to work every day. We welcome candidates from all backgrounds to apply for this role.

Deadline : Candidates will be reviewed and interviewed on a rollling basis