Head of Scholars Program - 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 have entered a very exciting time at the Foundation as we scale up our operations across Africa to realize our Young Africa Works strategy. Our role at the Mastercard Foundation is to be a catalyst. Our Young Africa Works strategy focuses on working with others to spur systemic change so young people have the opportunity to find work that is dignified and fulfilling.

The Foundation has opened offices in Rwanda, Kenya, Ghana, Senegal, Ethiopia, Nigeria and Uganda, building a broader leadership presence in Africa to develop specific strategies that support youth employment.  Within a country, we work with governments, the private sector, educators and other funders to improve the quality of education and vocational training, prepare young people for the work force, expand access to financial services for entrepreneurs and small businesses, and connect job seekers to dignified and fulfilling work.

We are ambitious and driven. Our values transcend and rise above everything else as our guide. We encourage you to bring your bold ideas, curiosity, and expertise to your work. We laugh at ourselves and with each other. We are a team. Our journey together makes our impact even more meaningful.

THE OPPORTUNITY

The Scholars Program

The Mastercard Foundation’s Scholars Program is the largest education and transformative leadership development program of its kind in Africa. The vision of this program is to foster and create the next generation of transformational leaders in Africa. We believe that all young people, no matter their starting point have the opportunity to receive a quality education and pursue their life’s aspirations. Our goal for the Program is that Scholars will develop into ethical and transformative leaders who have a positive impact on the world around them.

To date the Foundation has committed approximately $1.3 billion to provide quality education (secondary and tertiary level) and leadership development to 37,000 young people in Africa.  The Foundation intends to commit additional investment for further growth of the Program, and to deepen its reach and impact on young people in Africa. We will focus the expansion on partnerships with African universities and deepen linkage to our country program in order to increase opportunities for Scholars to gain work experience and enhance successful transition to dignified and fulfilling work.

Delivering Impact

The Head of Scholars is a newly created position at the Foundation and comes at an exciting time of growth for the Foundation as it implements its new strategy, Young Africa Works.

This role will champion building of the Scholars Program brand and lead its translation into action. It is also about ensuring that the right deserving individuals join the Program, that they get a quality education and effective leadership development and that they are supported to transition successfully to their next stage in life. And it goes beyond the Scholars. It is also about influencing other institutions, funders and policymakers on how they effect the sea of change in education and future of work.

The Foundation is looking for a highly strategic and visionary individual who brings considerable experience working on the continent, preferably from the private sector.

The successful candidate will be a ‘big picture’ thinker, educator, and talented manager who is passionate about catalyzing the power of young people in Africa to spur socioeconomic transformation of the continent. Through the Program we will strive to influence other institutions, funders, and policy makers to enable and champion positive change of the education landscape and the future of work in Africa

WAYS YOU CAN CONTRIBUTE

Reporting to the Chief Program Officer, the Head of Scholars Program’s key responsibilities will be to provide strategic and visionary leadership. S/he will be responsible to lead its delivery and expansion to grow its global network of higher education institutional partners across Africa while maintaining the Program’s global and regional focus. S/he will lead the identification and development of new partnerships, ensuring inclusion, and incorporating robust mechanisms for advancing transformative leadership, deepening Scholars’ transition, facilitating institutional transformation and catalyzing system level change. S/he will also be expected to work closely with the Program team leadership to anchor the Scholars Program work within the larger framework of the Foundation’s Young Africa Works strategy.

Program Strategy and Alignment to Young Africa Works (YAW)

• Scale reach and depth through program expansion and driving cross-program collaboration.
• Set goals and targets, monitor to ensure their attainment.
• Ensure effective linkage between the Scholars Program and country programs.

Program Design and Delivery

• Drive for inclusion in accordance with Foundation targets for gender, refugees and displaced people, and people with disabilities.
• Champion Program quality and branding, working in close collaboration with senior leadership of implementing partner institutions.
• Ensure successful transition of Scholars into the world of work or further education.
• Ensure that learnings and research findings are continually integrated into program design and implementation.

Partnerships and Stakeholder Engagement

• Build and nurture strong relationships with senior leadership higher education institutions within the Scholars Program partner network.
• Establish and manage effective relationships with senior leadership in priority countries in Africa, and relevant stakeholders at regional and global levels.
• Build and nurture strong linkages between the Scholars Program and private sector, public service and non-government actors to advance Scholars transition and youth employment in Africa. Establish a private sector network.

Scholars Transition to Work

• Create and oversee programs that build a bridge to dignified and fulfilling work for Scholars. This involves the building of a network of employers (in the private and public sectors, supporting the development of entrepreneurs, championing a Fellows Program that can lead to direct opportunities with the Foundation and other institutions in the network.
• Develop an innovative placement service platform for the Scholars Program, working in collaboration with similar initiatives in Africa and globally.
• Support the partner institutions with implementation of transition support mechanisms and effective transformative leadership programs.
• Build an effective alumni network, including graduates of the Scholars Program and other Foundation programs and leverage it to advance Scholars transition.

Leadership and Management

• Identify and recruit talent to build up the Scholars Program team.
• Effectively lead, mentor and coach staff within the function, ensuring high quality of work, alignment with Foundation values, access to development opportunities and a supportive and collaborative work environment embracing cultural, gender and linguistic diversity.
• Partner with Country and Regional leadership team.
• Serve as a member of the enterprise-wide Senior Leadership Team.
• Developing, building and maintaining relationships with the team across Africa and in the Toronto office for stronger collaboration and to ensure overall success.
• Representing the Foundation at relevant events.

WHO YOU ARE

• An individual with at least 20 years’ experience in the private sector, passionate about education and Africa who has demonstrated experience in building a new initiative or transformed an existing initiative into something even more impactful.
• Excited working with and motivating young people.
• Knows how to engage leaders and senior people in private sector, government, etc.
• You hold a Master’s/MBA or PhD in a relevant field such as international development, education, public policy or another related field.
• Proven ability to think in a strategic, transformative way, able to conceptualize initiatives/processes that will drive large scale change.
• Proven experience effectively engaging with technical experts to build communities of practice.
• Innovative and entrepreneurial individual who can develop new or creative approaches to problems while inspiring others on the team.
• Drive to continually experiment and innovate, building and leveraging best-in-class expertise and learnings.
• Commitment to the value of co-creation, employing deep listening and authentically inclusive approach.
• Demonstrated success in building and managing high performing teams.
• Ability to travel frequently across Africa and internationally.
• Flexible, adaptable, and able to execute a range of job duties and changing priorities.
• Possess excellent verbal, written, and presentation skills with the ability to articulate information to a variety of constituents across cultures.
• 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.
• French language and/or local language skills are an asset.