ACN Affiliates Program Associate

African Leadership Academy (ALA) seeks to transform Africa by identifying, developing, and connecting a new generation of young leaders who will lead the continent towards lasting peace and shared prosperity for all. Since our inception in 2008, we have worked to lay the foundations of this audacious mission by identifying and developing a group of exceptional young leaders who will work together to shape Africa's future.

The Program Associate - Affiliates plays a central role in strengthening ACN's scholar to career conversion system. This position is responsible for operational excellence, performance tracking, and high quality coordination across 15 Affiliate partners, up to 50 ACN Campus Ambassadors annually, and up to 20 Peer Coaches annually. The role ensures disciplined execution, robust data integrity, strong recruitment pipelines, and measurable coaching to placement conversion outcomes.

• Lead recruitment, onboarding, and activation of up to 50 ACN Ambassadors annually. Design, coordinate, and coach structured Ambassador training on the relevant LMS, as well as mentorship, and build Communities of Practice.
• Track Ambassador led scholar recruitment and referral pathways into Peer Coaches, Sector Networks, and Affiliate programs.
• Monitor activation and performance metrics, ensuring alignment with recruitment targets.
• Manage incentive tracking and disbursement processes linked to verified outputs.
• Maintain high engagement and attendance across required Ambassador activities.

• Recruit, onboard, and support up to 20 Peer Coaches annually.
• Coordinate structured coaching training and ongoing engagement sessions on the LMS.
• Track scholar progression from application through interview and placement.
• Maintain coaching dashboards aligned to placement and conversion targets.
• Validate coaching evidence and ensure stipend disbursements meet compliance standards.
• Identify and escalate pipeline bottlenecks affecting conversion rates.

• Provide structured coordination support across 15 ACN Affiliates.
• Track reporting submissions, engagement metrics, and milestone compliance.
• Support logistics for Affiliate capacity building workshops and peer learning sessions.
• Lead data validation processes across recruitment, training, and placement outputs.
• Coordinate preparation of Affiliate performance review documentation.
• Ensure compliance with safeguarding, DEI, and reporting standards.

• Maintain real time tracking dashboards covering: Scholar recruitment volumes, Training participation, Coaching engagement, Placement outcomes.
• Ensure audit ready data integrity across program systems.
• Contribute to quarterly and donor reporting processes.
• Maintain organized documentation systems and shared trackers.
• Support cross functional collaboration with Employer Engagement, Finance, and Monitoring & Evaluation teams.

• Bachelor's degree in Development Studies, Education, Business, Social Sciences, or related field
• 2-4 years of experience in program coordination, youth development, nonprofit delivery, or employment initiatives
• Experience working with university partnerships, coaching programs, or youth employment ecosystems preferred

• Experience working across multiple African countries is advantageous
• French language proficiency is a strong asset

• Strong program coordination and project management capability
• Experience maintaining dashboards and performance tracking systems
• Proficiency in Microsoft Office, CRM, and data tracking tools required

• Exceptional organizational and time management skills
• Ability to manage multiple stakeholders across countries and time zones
• Strong analytical thinking and data literacy
• Clear and professional written and verbal communication

• High attention to detail and quality assurance discipline
• Ability to operate effectively in a fast paced, performance driven environment
• Strong professional judgment and accountability

Report to: SNR Program Manager - ACN Affiliates
Job Location: ALA Campus, Honeydew, Johannesburg
Start date: 01 May 2026