Program Growth & Partnerships Associate (SLEP & Digital Ventures)

Office of the CEO, Full-Time

Remote / Hybrid

SmartChain Limited is hiring a Program Growth & Partnerships Associate to support two strategic areas: the SmartChain Leader Empowerment Program (SLEP), which develops graduates and early-career professionals through practical projects, mentorship, professional development, and employer exposure; and an emerging SmartChain digital venture designed to address a significant business challenge in Nigeria.

Approximately 70% of the role will focus on growing SLEP’s participant, university, employer, sponsorship, and placement ecosystem. The remaining 30% will support the launch and growth of the digital venture through user engagement, market research, partnerships, product adoption, and stakeholder feedback.

This is a hands-on growth and stakeholder-management role. You will work across talent development, partnerships, marketing, product, engineering, and business operations—and will be accountable for measurable outcomes.

Role Overview

Department: Office of the CEO
Reports To: Executive Director
Operational Assignment: SmartChain Leader Empowerment Program (Primary); Emerging SmartChain Digital Venture (Secondary)
Employer: SmartChain Limited
Employment Type: Full-Time Employee
Location: Remote / Hybrid, with occasional in-person attendance
Experience Level: Recent graduate to early career
Core Mandate: Grow SLEP participation, partnerships, sponsorships, and employment outcomes while supporting the launch and adoption of an emerging digital platform.
Initial Requirement: Prepare and execute a first-90-day action plan.

Key Responsibilities

SLEP Recruitment and Delivery

Recruit, screen, onboard, and support participants through universities, graduate networks, referrals, and outreach.
Coordinate cohort schedules, mentorship, live projects, assessments, participant communication, and performance tracking.
Work with mentors and project leads to ensure participants receive practical experience, timely feedback, and appropriate support.
Track enrolment, participation, completion, professional development, and employment readiness.

Partnerships, Sponsorships and Placements

Build relationships with universities, employers, sponsors, professional bodies, and other institutions.
Develop proposals and packages for sponsored slots, employer-funded training, placements, internships, projects, apprenticeships, and graduate roles.
Prepare participant profiles and portfolios, and coordinate employer introductions, interviews, offers, and post-placement follow-up.
Track partnership activity, funding secured, placement opportunities, employer satisfaction, participant retention, and repeat hiring.

Digital Venture Growth

Support market research, product demonstrations, user testing, onboarding, adoption, and retention for an emerging SmartChain digital platform.
Engage potential users, organizations, professional communities, and distribution partners.
Gather user feedback and translate it into clear recommendations for engineering, product, marketing, and business teams.
Track user interest, adoption, feedback, barriers, and early market performance.

Marketing and Stakeholder Engagement

Provide marketing with participant insights, employer needs, user feedback, success stories, and campaign recommendations.
Support participant recruitment, employer outreach, sponsorship campaigns, product-launch activities, and approved program communications.
Collect feedback from participants, mentors, employers, partners, sponsors, and platform users.
Maintain a simple feedback process, share priority issues with the appropriate teams, and communicate relevant outcomes to stakeholders.

Operations, Reporting and Confidentiality

Turn program plans into weekly priorities, deadlines, responsibilities, and measurable outputs.
Maintain accurate records across participants, partnerships, sponsorships, placements, product adoption, and stakeholder feedback.
Submit concise weekly reports covering progress, results, risks, blockers, and decisions required.
Protect all participant, employer, partner, financial, technical, product, and commercial information, and avoid unauthorized commitments on behalf of SmartChain.

Candidate Profile

This role is open to high-potential recent graduates and early-career professionals who demonstrate initiative, sound judgment, strong communication, and the ability to deliver results. Relevant experience may come from employment, internships, national service, volunteering, student leadership, entrepreneurship, freelance work, or independently led projects.

What You Need

Strong communication, writing, research, documentation, and organizational skills.
Confidence engaging participants, mentors, employers, sponsors, partners, and product users.
Interest in employability, talent development, partnerships, technology, digital products, or social impact.
Ability to coordinate multiple activities, manage deadlines, maintain accurate records, and follow through.
Commercial awareness and willingness to contribute to sponsorship, partnership, placement, and product-growth targets.
Ability to understand stakeholder needs and communicate them clearly to marketing, engineering, product, and business teams.
Ability to work independently, protect confidential information, and take responsibility for outcomes.
Willingness to learn quickly, accept feedback, and improve.

Experience and Qualifications

0–4 years of relevant employment, internship, volunteer, entrepreneurial, national-service, or project experience.
Exceptional recent graduates are strongly encouraged to apply.
Bachelor’s degree or HND in a relevant discipline; candidates from other backgrounds may be considered based on demonstrated capability.
Experience in student leadership, program coordination, recruitment, partnerships, sponsorships, training, community management, product growth, user research, or employer engagement is an advantage but not required.
Relevant certifications are helpful but will not replace evidence of initiative, judgment, and delivery.

Performance Measures

Applications, enrolment, participation, completion, retention, and participant performance.
Program-delivery quality and participant employment readiness.
University, employer, sponsor, and institutional partnerships developed and activated.
Sponsored slots, funding, and program revenue secured.
Internship, project, apprenticeship, and employment opportunities generated.
Placement rates, employer satisfaction, participant retention, and repeat hiring.
Digital-platform user acquisition, onboarding, engagement, feedback, and adoption.
Quality of stakeholder feedback, marketing input, reporting, teamwork, confidentiality, and follow-through.
Demonstrated judgment, teamwork, integrity, and responsibility for outcomes.

First 60-Day Outcomes

Establish participant recruitment, screening, onboarding, and communication processes for the next SLEP cohort.
Coordinate the cohort delivery plan, including mentorship, live projects, assessments, and performance tracking.
Build qualified university, employer, sponsorship, and placement pipelines.
Establish participant profiles, portfolios, employment-readiness criteria, and employer-engagement processes.
Support early-user engagement, market research, product testing, and adoption activities for the digital venture.
Establish a stakeholder-feedback process connecting participants, employers, partners, and users with internal teams.
Introduce concise weekly reporting across SLEP delivery, partnerships, placements, sponsorships, product growth, risks, and required decisions.
Specific targets will be agreed during onboarding based on current priorities and available resources.

What SmartChain Offers

Practical experience across talent development, partnerships, sponsorships, employer engagement, marketing, product growth, and technology.
Direct engagement with participants, mentors, universities, employers, institutions, users, and business leaders.
Meaningful responsibility across a growing employability program and an emerging digital venture.
Exposure to product launch, market testing, user adoption, and collaboration with engineering and business teams.
Performance-linked incentives tied to agreed program and growth outcomes.
HMO and pension in accordance with SmartChain policy and applicable Nigerian requirements, effective upon confirmation.
A working environment that recognizes initiative, learning, integrity, and measurable results.

Working Arrangement & Terms

Employer: SmartChain Limited.
Engagement Model: Governance, employment, and performance management held by SmartChain Limited.
Work Pattern: Remote / Hybrid; occasional attendance for cohort activities, university visits, employer meetings, partner engagements, user research, product demonstrations, and events.
Compensation: Competitive base salary plus performance-linked incentives tied to growth, partnership, and revenue outcomes; disclosed during the selection process.
Confidentiality: All participant, employer, partner, client, financial, technical, product, and internal program information must be treated as confidential.

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