Senior Consultant, Implementation Deployment (Pan Africa Programs)-1 Year

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 program implementation senior professional looking to increase your impact, read on!

THE OPPORTUNITY 

Reporting to the Head, Implementation Deployment, Strategy & Execution, the Consultant will support the Implementation Deployment team’s core mission to ensure rigorous program execution. This includes maximizing program impact through agile resource deployment, bespoke project management, effective work planning, strategic partner engagement, dynamic problem-solving, complex stakeholder management, and adaptability to the ever-changing implementation landscape.

The successful candidate will be based in any of our offices in Africa (Uganda, Kenya, Rwanda, Ethiopia, Nigeria, Ghana, or Senegal). 

WAYS YOU CAN CONTRIBUTE

• Support the rigorous execution of programs by leveraging facilitation, problem-solving, structuring, framing, and process management to address complex operational challenges through thoughtful engagement with partners and internal leadership.
• Own and drive specific workstreams to maximize the impact of implementing programs, supporting effective execution against timelines and critical milestones with robust management of dependencies, stakeholders, and timely problem-solving.
• Participate fully in efforts to translate solutions into well-scoped, concrete workplans, milestones, KPIs, or other tools to drive and track progress while managing dependencies.
• Perform as part of an integrated team to ensure alignment of implementation, programmatic objectives, and Foundation goals.
• Support and participate in strategic problem-solving to address implementation challenges and derive the fullest impact possible.
• Continuously identify and prioritize major issues or obstacles to effective program implementation for timely problem-solving.
• Support team engagement with partners as required by team leaders to drive execution discipline while maintaining a positive partner experience.
• Support strengthening of partner teams' capabilities, especially at kickoff, to independently and efficiently execute the program.
• Maintain strong ownership of work and deliverables to enforce the highest-level execution standards for self and team collectively, fostering continuous improvement.
• Understand, internalize, and support core team strategy to maximize the effectiveness of the Implementation Deployment group as part of PANA’s Strategy & Execution apparatus.
• Engage broader team as necessary to deliver on assigned workstreams while maintaining alignment of objectives, timelines, milestones, and critical deliverables, with a focus on problem-solving and effective team dynamics.
• Create and maintain a centralized repository of key learnings and best practices to optimize future program delivery.

WHO YOU ARE

• Over 12 years of robust experience in supporting and driving the implementation of large-scale programs at both the continental and global levels.
• Experience collaborating effectively in teams and as an individual contributor to drive complex deliverables, support strategic problem-solving, and navigate intricate planning processes with many dependencies.
• Strong instincts for navigating complex problems, ambiguity, and sensitive stakeholder dynamics (both internal and external).
• Proven ability to engage multiple workstreams and rigorously deliver against shifting timeframes, maintaining control and ownership of assigned responsibilities.
• Thrives in “start-up” environments with constant evolution and growth.
• Solid fundamentals in project management principles and a seasoned “project management mindset.”
• Comfortable operating across cultures, nationalities, time zones, and geographies.
• Skilled in facilitation with diverse stakeholders to drive alignment across competing interests.
• Strong problem-structuring and problem-solving skills to break down complex issues, rapidly develop hypotheses, and execute structured approaches.
• Proven expertise in developing and accessing robust, detailed work plans.
• Proficiency in Microsoft Office applications (Excel, PowerPoint, Word) and comfort with project planning tools (e.g., Asana, MS Project).
• Proactive process manager with a strong eye for detail and an ownership mentality.
• Pragmatic problem-solver (80/20) with the ability to prototype approaches for various problem types (e.g., financial vs. operational).
• Demonstrate a commitment to Mastercard Foundation’s values and vision.

Deadline for Applications is February 28, 2025.

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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