Consultant, Policy & Thought Leadership – Enterprise Initiatives

ABOUT MASTERCARD FOUNDATION

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 Senior Policy & Thought Leadership professional looking to increase your impact, read on!

THE OPPORTUNITY 

Reporting to the Director, Policy & Thought Leadership, the role will be responsible for overseeing the cascade and socialization of the Policy & Thought Leadership (PTL) strategy at the enterprise level. Working with other relevant functions and sub-functions within the Foundation to design and deliver Enterprise PTL initiatives such as interfacing with Impact & Learning to drive PTL synthesis and insight generation for external engagement & influence. S/he will also ensure the development of the Foundation’s PTL products, processes and engagements while ensuring PTL capacity building is happening across the Enterprise. The consultancy is for a period of 12-24 months.

The location is flexible, but preferably within Africa.

WAYS YOU CAN CONTRIBUTE

• Contribute to the development and refinement of the PTL Strategy and roadmap.
• Oversee the cascade and socialization of PTL Strategy at enterprise level.
• Drive the design and delivery of Enterprise PTL initiatives working with internal and external stakeholders as required.
• Coordinate the interface with Research, Impact & Learning to ensure PTL synthesis and insight generation for external engagement and influence.
• Direct the development of Foundation PTL products that help drive critical discussions and actions on the Foundation’s priority areas. Examples of PTL products include briefs, case studies.
• Work with other capacity building and enablement teams within the Foundation to drive PTL Capacity building across the enterprise through enablement initiatives and programs.
• Participate in the documentation and communication of PTL Impact and Learning working with other teams to ensure all stakeholders receive the right level of details regarding our PTL strategy, including Board reporting.
• Operate as a subject matter expert to train and facilitate enablement sessions that involve elements of the PTL strategy and initiatives.
• Identify and maintain strong relationships with direct PTL partnerships, including youth-led actors.
• Coordinate activities related to communication and engagement with Peer actors.
• Oversee the process of providing Government Relations advisory to the Foundation as it relates to PTL strategy implementation.
• Coach direct reports (employees or agencies) across the team to support their productivity in the consistent excellent delivery of PTL KPIs.
• Set immediate and longer-range PTL priorities culminating in PTL Strategy and roadmap.
• Align on design choices for PTL strategy roll-out in accordance with Foundation values and priorities.
• Participate in setting budget for initiatives and programs related to the socialization and capacity building of the PTL strategy.
• Participate in recruiting talent or procuring agencies for delivery of PTL strategy. Lead performance management for the team and participate in defining and refining PTL sub-function’s operating model.

WHO YOU ARE

• Master’s degree in social sciences, policy studies, development, or a related field from a recognized university and a relevant professional qualification.
• Minimum of 15 years’ relevant experience in a similar organizational setting with at least four (4) years at senior management level.
• Experience in leading organizational policy development and delivery and ensuring its effective delivery across a global organization.
• Experience and knowledge of/with the landscape of local, national, regional, and pan-African organizations and networks as well as knowledge of the development policy landscape across the continent.
• Experience in policy and thought leadership strategy articulation and socialization.  
• Experience in stakeholder relationship management and engagement as well as strong coordination and project management skills. 
• Experience working with organizations that elevate Gender initiatives on the African continent.
• Proficient in MS Office suite (Word, PowerPoint, Excel).
• Exposure to systems thinking with an ability to understand and engage with stakeholders in different ecosystems and design programming that addresses root causes and critical needs.
• Substantive knowledge of key issues and emerging trends and barriers in youth and work across Africa.
• Demonstrated strategic-acumen and thinking skills and experience in program design.
• Demonstrable influencing skills at a senior leadership level and with high profile stakeholders.
• Proven success in developing and leading a global team. Proven people management skills and team-building skills.
• Strong inter-personal and influencing skills, able to manage conflict and handle sensitive issues, particularly in cross-cultural and cross-departmental contexts.
• Creative and solution-focused attitude.
• Flexible, adaptable, agile, and able to execute a range of job duties with multiple deadlines and changing priorities.
• Proven excellence in verbal, written, and presentation skills with the ability to articulate information to a variety of constituents across cultures and to distill complex information and data into accessible conversation and written pieces.
• Possess professional maturity, sensitivity with different cultures, and impeccable integrity that exemplify the Foundation’s values. 
• You have a commitment to Mastercard Foundation’s values and vision.

Deadline for Applications is April 19, 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.

The Mastercard Foundation values the unique skills and experiences each individual brings to the organization and we are committed to creating and maintaining an inclusive and accessible environment for everyone.

Completion of satisfactory business references and background checks are essential conditions of employment.

For more information and to sign up for the Foundation’s newsletter, please visit http://www.mastercardfdn.org/
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