Health Entrepreneurship (HENT) Lead

ABOUT ALU

ALU provides higher education for a higher purpose. Our students declare missions, not majors.They develop the real-world skills to take on the world’s most pressing challenges. And they take ownership of their learning from day one through our peer and student-led approach – because ALU believes in the power and agency of young people to start shaping the future right now. Together with a world-class faculty and staff, our students are igniting a ripple of positive impact across Africa and the world.

We are dedicated to fostering an open yet secure environment, balancing the safety of students, staff, and visitors with respect for individual rights, and safeguarding responsibilities.

HOW WE WORK

The ALU Team works in starkly different ways to traditional academic bureaucracies. We approach education from first principles, empower individuals to design, test, and implement creative new ideas, and work closely together to craft transformative learning experiences. We are deeply passionate about our students and excited by the challenge of building something entirely new.

The African Leadership University is committed to ensuring the safety and Well-being of all students under our care. As part of this commitment , we have a comprehensive safeguarding policy in place , which outlines our Zero-tolerance approach to any violation of safeguarding.

ABOUT THE ROLE

The Health Entrepreneurship Lead (HENT Lead) is responsible for leading the execution and operational delivery of all health entrepreneurship programs, venture support initiatives, mentorship frameworks, and events. The HENT Lead ensures ventures progress, programs run smoothly, partners are engaged effectively, and operational excellence is maintained across the Health Entrepreneurship Pillar.

KEY RESPONSIBILITIES

1. Venture Program Execution

• Lead the day-to-day delivery of health entrepreneurship accelerator programs, including ALX Health Accelerator, and other venture support initiatives.
• Monitor and track venture progress across cohorts, ensuring founders meet agreed milestones across our campuses.
• Provide hands-on coaching to founders on business models, operational challenges, growth strategies, and early-stage scaling.
• Identify ventures requiring additional mentor, partner, or technical support and coordinate timely interventions.
• Ensure that program delivery aligns with ALU’s BEL curriculum, mission-based learning approach, and Health Collaborative standards.

2. Mentorship & Ecosystem Coordination

• Operationally manage the structured mentorship framework: onboarding, mentor pairing, engagement tracking, and impact assessment.
• Serve as the primary point of contact for mentors, ecosystem partners, and sector experts supporting ventures.
• Ensure mentors and partners are effectively briefed, equipped, and engaged for high-quality support to ventures.
• Coordinate mentor sessions, feedback collection, and reporting of mentorship outcomes to inform program improvements.

3. Event, Workshop & Hackathon Delivery

• Lead operational planning and execution of all venture-related events, including masterclasses, hackathons, Demo Days, and workshops.
• Manage logistics: venues, participant communication, registration, technology setup, catering, and branding.
• Coordinate panels, judges, guest speakers, mentors, and partners, ensuring smooth execution and professional presentation.
• Capture and document event outcomes, lessons learned, and participant feedback to improve future programs.

4. Data, Reporting, & Learning

• Maintain and oversee all program and venture data: participation, milestones, mentorship interactions, and KPIs.
• Generate operational reports, dashboards, and updates for the Healthcare Venture Manager (HVM) to inform portfolio and strategic decisions.
• Capture program and venture learnings, including founder feedback and partner insights, to continuously improve program quality.

5. Budget & Resource Management

• Manage the operational execution of program budgets in collaboration with the Healthcare Venture Manager, ensuring expenses are tracked, aligned with plans, and compliant with ALU policies.
• Prepare operational budget forecasts and track program spending for accelerators, fellowships, mentorship initiatives, events, and venture support activities.
• Ensure procurement and vendor management are executed accurately and within budgetary allocations.

6. Operational Leadership

• Supervise and guide the Health Entrepreneurship Associate, ensuring prioritization of tasks, accountability, and professional development.
• Act as the operational problem-solver for program-related challenges, escalating to the HVM only when necessary.
• Coordinate across internal ALU teams to ensure seamless integration of entrepreneurship programming with academic and student development units.

7. Internal Stakeholder Support

• Support the HVM in preparing operational updates, insights, and materials for donor meetings, PAC reviews, and cross-ALU coordination.
• Act as the internal operational focal point for venture-related queries, ensuring timely resolution.

Essential Requirements

• Bachelor’s degree in Public Health, Business, Innovation, Entrepreneurship, or a related field.
• 3–5 years of experience in entrepreneurship program leadership, venture support, startup incubation, or innovation management.
• Strong understanding of early-stage venture development and accelerator/fellowship program delivery.
• Proven experience coaching or advising founders or early-stage teams.
• Demonstrated operational leadership, including budget tracking, event management, and program execution.
• Excellent organizational, project management, and facilitation skills.
• Strong communication and stakeholder management skills; able to work effectively across teams and with external partners.
• Comfortable operating in fast-paced, high-accountability, mission-driven environments.
• Equity and inclusion mindset; able to implement gender- and youth-responsive programs.

Desired

• Master’s degree in Public Health, MBA, MSc Innovation, or Development Practice.
• Direct experience founding a venture or leading operational roles in a startup.
• Familiarity with health systems, digital health, or health innovation ecosystems in Africa.
• Experience with donor-funded programs, venture funds, or accelerator management.
• Exposure to cross-institutional or collaborative education programs.
• Financial literacy to support operational budgeting, vendor management, and venture financial guidance.
• Experience raising program visibility through events, partnerships, or thought leadership initiatives.