Mastercard Foundation seeks a world where everyone has the opportunity to learn and prosper. Through its Young Africa Works strategy and Canadian EleV program, the Foundation works with partners to ensure that millions of young people, especially young women, access quality education, financial services, and dignified work. Mastercard Foundation was established in 2006 through the generosity of Mastercard when it became a public company. The Foundation is independent with its own Board of Directors and CEO.

THE WORK AT THE FOUNDATION

We are currently in an exciting period at the Mastercard Foundation as we intensify the implementation of the Young Africa Works strategy, aiming to empower 30 million young people throughout Africa to access dignified and fulfilling employment.

To ensure the Foundation’s accessibility to our partners and program participants, we have established offices in Rwanda, Kenya, Ghana, Senegal, Ethiopia, Nigeria, and Uganda. These offices provide strong in-country support for the implementation of Young Africa Works. We collaborate with governments, the private sector, educators, and other funders to enhance the quality of education and vocational training, equip young individuals with the necessary skills for the workforce, expand access to financial services for entrepreneurs and small businesses, and facilitate connections between job seekers and meaningful employment opportunities.

Our values serve as our guiding principles, transcending and surpassing all other considerations. We wholeheartedly encourage you to bring your bold ideas, curiosity, and expertise to your work.

If you are an experienced Transformative Leader looking to increase your impact, read on!

THE OPPORTUNITY

Reporting to the Head, Transitions, the Lead, Transformative Leadership, and Givebacks will be responsible for leading the development and implementation of strategies and activities to strengthen the Transformative Leadership within the Scholars Program, and the Foundation’s broader Young Africa Works strategy.

WAYS YOU CAN CONTRIBUTE

• Maintain the Program’s transformative leadership competency framework, reviewing and updating as necessary with new knowledge and insights.
• Develop an overarching strategy and set of programs – both face-to-face and online – to enhance the transformative leadership experience that Scholars and alumni receive to support their learning and development.
• Develop a long-term strategy for showcasing the Foundation as a thought leader and contributor to transformative leadership and leadership development of young people, in Africa.
• Collaborate with the Transitions team and Foundation’s leadership to develop and nurture an ecosystem, a network of like-minded youth, mentors, employers, and other resources to support Scholars in their leadership journey.
• Work with the Foundation’s Impact and Design and Learning teams to develop a learning framework to better understand the impact that transformative leadership programs and initiatives are having on Scholars, their institutions, and other key stakeholders.
• Lead engagement with leaders from within and outside the Foundation to identify and connect Scholars to opportunities that enrich their leadership journey.
• Lead co-creation and delivery of innovative transformative leadership programs for Scholars and alumni across the Scholars Program partner network.
• Drive inclusion, ensuring that all transformative leadership programs and inputs consider the specific realities and needs of marginalized youth, particularly women, refugees displaced youth, and young people with disabilities.
• Collaborate with Regional Scholars Program teams, Transitions, and Refugees, Disp., and PPLD teams to enrich existing and new partnerships.
• Support Scholars Program partners to build their on-campus transformative leadership programs and experiences.
• Lead the design and implementation of the Baobab Platform, a life-long learning platform designed to support Scholars and alumni of Foundation programs to foster a sense of community, build transformative leadership skills, and facilitate transitions throughout their education and career.
• Lead the design and delivery of the Foundation’s signature youth leadership event, the Baobab Summit, ensuring that the Summit is an event that showcases the Foundation, and Scholars, as leaders in transformative leadership.
• Contribute to problem-solving and escalate issues as necessary.
• Utilize the Foundation’s tools and systems to effectively manage data, projects, and initiatives.
• Capture data and learnings and ensure that insights and impact are routinely and effectively reported and integrated into program adaptations.
• Build a network of stakeholders in the leadership and education ecosystem, in Africa and globally that will expand the thinking and opportunities for scholars and alumni to develop their transformative leadership mindset and behaviors, as well as give back projects that will champion the Scholar value-proposition and brand.
• Lead the relationship between the Foundation and the Scholars Council, a body made up of Scholars from each of our institutional partners, who are elected by their peers to act as a leader and representative of the Program on their campus.
• Facilitate connections and exchange and learning across the Scholars Program partners, as relates to transformative leadership. This may include contributing to the planning and delivery of face-to-face and virtual advisory groups, convenings, and working groups.
• Contribute to the leadership of the Scholars Program, working in close collaboration with other teams within the Program Department and across the Foundation.
• Build and maintain effective business partnerships with other teams within the Foundation.
• Support the identification and recruitment of talent.
• Coach and mentor colleagues driving towards the delivery of high-quality work, alignment with Foundation values, and a supportive and collaborative work environment.
• Champion safeguarding of Scholars and all program participants

Who You Are

• Master’s degree in Business Administration, Public Policy, International Development, Social Science or a related field
• Minimum of twelve (12) years overall experience designing and delivering leadership development programs for young people, in Africa.
• Contributing to new initiatives or transforming an existing one into something more impactful, in a multi-cultural environment.
• Managing multiple projects and building partnerships.
• Building and managing teams, coaching, and mentoring colleagues.
• Presenting information to internal and external leadership teams/individuals.
• Delivering results in a fast-paced, fluid environment.
• Working across cultures and geographies and experience living and working in Africa is required.
• Fluency in English and other languages relevant to the work, particularly French or a local language is also desirable.
• Deep knowledge of key issues and emerging trends and barriers in youth education, employment, and leadership in Africa.
• Experience and sensitivity to issues of inclusion; experience delivering programs for women, people with disabilities, and/or refugees and displaced youth highly desirable.
• Exceptional analytical skills, the ability to think strategically and contribute as a thought partner in the Foundation’s strategy development.
• Passionate about youth education and employment in Africa
• Commitment to engaging and empowering young people, particularly women, and other marginalized groups such as refugees and displaced youth, and young people with disabilities.
• Good critical thinking and problem-solving skills.
• Ability to plan and act strategically over long timeframes, patience and persistence to achieve goals; and ability to balance immediate execution needs with longer-term visioning.
• A team player with a high degree of emotional intelligence.
• Entrepreneurial mindset to build a new function in a dynamic environment.
• Service Mindset and striving towards becoming a trusted business partner to drive common Foundation goals.
• Results-driven and motivated by a high sense of performance excellence and urgency.
• Drive to continually experiment and innovate, building and leveraging best-in-class expertise and learnings.
• Flexible, adaptable, and able to execute a range of job duties and changing priorities.
• Possess professional maturity, sensitivity to different cultures, and impeccable integrity that exemplify the Foundation’s values.
• Excellent verbal, written, and presentation skills with the ability to articulate information to a variety of constituents across cultures.
• Demonstrate a commitment to the Mastercard Foundation’s values and vision.

Deadline for Applications is May 6, 2024.

Mastercard Foundation (the “Foundation”) values and respects your privacy. By submitting an application for this opportunity, you hereby agree to the Foundation’s collection, use and disclosure of your personal information in accordance with its Privacy Policy (available at https://mastercardfdn.org/privacy/). Please note that the Foundation may share your personal information with third-party agencies that support the Foundation’s recruitment activities, and such third-party agencies may contact you directly regarding this opportunity. If you have any questions or concerns, please contact the Foundation’s Privacy Officer at the address indicated in its Privacy Policy.