Senior Associate, Funding to Build Lagos

Acumen was incorporated on April 1, 2001, with seed capital from the Rockefeller Foundation, Cisco Systems Foundation and three individual philanthropists. Our desire was to transform the world of philanthropy by looking at all human beings as members of a single, global community where everyone had the opportunity to build a life of dignity.

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 help people living in poverty to transform their lives. We are  recruiting to fill the position below:

 Job Title: Senior Associate, Funding to Build

Location: Lagos About the Role

Acumen Academy is hiring a Senior Associate to support the Funding to Build program. This role will provide hands-on, 1:1 support to funded enterprises on the fundamentals of their organisations from business models to unit economics while owning relationship management and portfolio management across the Funding to Build cohorts. The Senior Associate plays a central role in funding cycles, supporting due diligence, assisting the Manager in pipeline building, and helping enterprises translate their funding into credible, evidence-based Youth-in-Work outcomes. The role reports to the Manager, Funding to Build, and works closely with the Associate, Funding to Build, and cross-functional teams across Acumen (including Legal, Compliance, Finance, and Impact) to ensure enterprises receive consistent, high-quality support throughout the funding lifecycle. The ideal candidate is analytical, relationship-oriented, and comfortable managing a growing portfolio of early-stage entrepreneurs with care and rigor.

Act as a key relationship point of contact for Funding to Build enterprises, co-facilitating office hours on project support and company needs, and providing tailored 1:1 support on financials such as unit economics, revenue models, pricing strategy, and project budget planning. Support enterprises in developing realistic projects with evidence-based projections for green job creation (Youth-in-Work outcomes), helping close common gaps between beneficiary reach and actual jobs created. Help enterprises translate their disbursement into a clear implementation plan, ensuring funds are matched to the activities needed to deliver impact in each tranche. Coordinate with enterprises on outstanding documentation, contract queries, and disbursement conditions.

Contribute due diligence findings and recommendations during the selection and shortlisting process. Support due diligence coordination, legal, compliance, and ESG reviews, working closely with Legal and Compliance to keep enterprise folders current and contract-ready.

Assist the Manager in building and strengthening the enterprise pipeline for future funding cycles. Support portfolio management across the Funding to Build cohort, tracking financial, operational, and impact KPIs and flagging enterprises that need additional support or intervention.

Analyze enterprise reporting (financial and narrative) at each tranche milestone, and synthesize findings into portfolio-level insights. Collaborate with the Associate and Manager to continuously refine tools, templates, and processes based on what's working each cycle.

Qualifications & Skills

Bachelor’s Degree required.  Minimum of 5 years of experience in enterprise support, SME finance, portfolio management, or impact investing, ideally within the social enterprise or development sector. Strong analytical skills, with experience in financial analysis and unit economics, and the ability to translate financial data into practical recommendations for enterprises. Experience conducting or supporting due diligence (financial, legal, compliance, or ESG) processes. Demonstrated ability to manage a portfolio of enterprise relationships independently, with strong relationship-management and communication skills. Comfortable working with trackers, dashboards, and reporting tools (e.g., Excel/Google Sheets) to monitor KPIs across a portfolio. Detail-oriented, proactive, and able to work independently and collaboratively. Self reflective and aligned with Acumen values.  Permanently authorized to work in Lagos, Nigeria.

13th November, 2026. How to Apply

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