Programs Associate - ThinkNG

About the role

The Programme Associate is a full-time position that owns the ThinkNG programme end-to-end: daily execution during cohort delivery, participant engagement and learning support, external communications, business development and programme pipeline. At the operational level, the Associate keeps the programme running as a structured, accountable system, scheduling, data management, M&E, stakeholder coordination and reporting, so the Programme Director has the information needed to decide. At the participant level, the Associate is the main point of contact for enrolled participants.

Key responsibilities

• Own day-to-day operations across the programme lifecycle: onboarding, cohort scheduling, assessment coordination, mentorship touchpoints and close-out
• Facilitate participant onboarding: invitations, applications, orientation scheduling and platform induction
• Create and maintain the master programme tracker with milestones, owners, deadlines and status
• Coordinate Tech Support, Finance Support and the Independent Advisory Committee, and manage logistics for committee meetings, stakeholder sessions and events
• Serve as the main contact for participants on module queries, course selection, platform navigation, assessment support and academic progress
• Monitor progress, flag participants falling behind and coordinate support; liaise with Tech Support on platform access issues
• Review digital platform modules between cohorts and recommend replacements to the Programme Director
• Represent the programme at media engagements, public events, university meetings and partner conversations
• Drive business development with sponsors, co-funders and institutional partners, and lead next-cohort development including applicant pipelines, partner universities, waitlists and cohort expansion
• Work with PR and communications on announcements, launches and milestone communications
• Build the M&E framework, KPIs, dashboards and data collection, and prepare briefing materials for leadership and the Advisory Committee

Required profile

• 2-5 years of experience coordinating or managing structured programmes in education, fellowship, accelerator, talent development or research settings preferred
• Demonstrated M&E, impact measurement or data management experience
• Experience in academic support, student advising or learning facilitation; experience in stakeholder engagement, sponsor relations or business development is a significant advantage
• Bachelor's degree in a relevant field; postgraduate qualification an advantage
• Ability to work independently and drive execution without constant direction; background in an early-stage or growth-phase organisation preferred

Required skills

• Structured reporting, stakeholder briefings and programme documentation
• Advantage: programme management tools, scheduling systems, digital platforms and learning management systems