Senior Programs Officer, Venture Ecosystem

About the role

Ashesi University's Center for Entrepreneurship runs a structured pipeline from early ideas to viable ventures, and the Senior Programs Officer, Venture Ecosystem leads its venture-development work and the development of an engaged alumni founder community. The role manages the venture cycle from sourcing and selection through coaching, specialist support, milestone-based funding, venture reviews and progression to market, partnership, growth and capital opportunities. It works closely with the Alumni Relations Office and reports to the Assistant Director, Operations.

Key responsibilities

• Lead the Center's venture-development programs and manage the full cycle: sourcing, assessment, selection, onboarding, delivery, review, progression and close-out.
• Maintain a current view of each supported venture, its priorities, milestones, evidence needs and support requirements, and monitor performance against milestones.
• Lead formal venture reviews, make recommendations on continued support and progression, and ensure decisions are documented and followed through.
• Manage coaches, specialists and other service providers, matching them to ventures' commercial and operating needs.
• Manage milestone-based funding, assessing requests against priorities, evidence and outcomes, and recommending release, re-scoping, withholding or discontinuation.
• Build the alumni founder community with the Alumni Relations Office, connecting alumni founders to support, networks and opportunities, and mobilizing them as mentors, advisors, partners, investors and speakers.
• Assess venture readiness for customer, market, partnership, growth and capital opportunities and connect qualified ventures to buyers, investors, lenders and partners, tracking outcomes such as pilots, contracts and financing discussions.
• Ensure ventures submit timely, complete commercial, financial, customer, employment and funding data, and maintain accurate records of performance, funding and progression decisions.
• Use portfolio evidence to recommend stronger or different interventions, and contribute accurate analysis to management, institutional, partner and donor reporting.

Required profile

• Strong commercial judgment and program ownership.
• Relationship and community management, execution discipline, and the ability to make sound support and progression recommendations based on evidence and readiness.