Program Manager, Youth Engagement - Mastercard Foundation

The Mastercard Foundation is a global foundation based in Toronto, Canada. Our programs promote financial inclusion and advance youth learning in Africa. The Foundation was established in 2006 through the generosity of Mastercard when it became a public company. From inception, the Foundation was designed to be a separate entity and independent from Mastercard. Our policies, operations, and funding decisions are made by our President and Board of Directors.

In the past decade, the Foundation has become one of the largest funders of youth learning and financial inclusion in Africa. The Foundation believes that youth employment is key to unlocking prosperity, both for youth and their societies. By enabling young women and men from disadvantaged communities to secure and sustain decent work, we will enable tangible and intrinsic improvements to their well-being. By 2030, we want to change the lives of 30 million people to see an Africa where young people, particularly young women, have decent and fulfilling work. Where everyone can acquire the education and skills they need to find meaningful work and contribute to their societies. Where everyone is financially included and has access to relevant, affordable, and local financial services that they need to manage their daily lives, grow their businesses, and achieve their dreams. Most importantly, we want to see an Africa with a thriving private sector and where governments address the needs of their populations through well-designed and implemented policies and programs, and where the continent is self-reliant and driving its own development.

The Foundation values innovative and fresh thinking as it strives to become a global thought leader. Its work is achieved by a strategic, nimble, and adaptable team with a proactive and results-oriented approach to its philanthropic activities. The organization’s culture is shaped by people who are driven and passionate about the Foundation’s mission.

THE OPPORTUNITY

Reporting to the Senior Program Manager, Youth Engagement and Networks, this newly created role within the Youth Engagement (YE) team will support the development of the Foundation’s youth engagement strategies, specifically the development of alumni approach and programs. Mastercard Foundation is committed to keeping youth at the center of all that we do, and therefore has created a team to support the efforts to engage young people in our programming. Specific activities include the building of alumni networks within countries, elevating youth voices and insights within our programs and supporting young people’s initiatives and ideas. This role will join a dynamic team looking to plan, organize and implement this alumni strategy. This role will be responsible for building and managing local partnerships, supporting the alumni leadership committees and ongoing tasks to make this work successful.

The successful candidate for this role will be proactive, collaborative, team player who is passionate about young engagement and community mobilization.

WAYS YOU CAN CONTRIBUTE

Alumni Engagement

• Working alongside YE team to provide oversight, implementation and guidance to the national alumni leadership teams in West Africa.
• Planning and implementing the leadership onboarding week, which includes supporting agenda development, logistics, and communication with attendees.
• Guiding and supporting to national committees to build connections with private, public, and civil networks.
• Committed to ongoing learning to ensure that we are adapting consistently to ensure we are creating sustainable, alumni-led and guided programs and approaches.

Partnership Management

• Building partnerships with local African-based organizations to advance the objectives of the alumni strategy and country programs.
• Providing support to country office in areas of youth engagement and other technical support as needed and applicable.
• Developing training, programming and guidance alongside local partners that will support the Foundation in its programmatic objectives.
• Managing day-to-day communication and needs of partners while implementing strategic activities.

Youth Engagement

• Supporting country teams in elevating youth voices while country strategies are creating and throughout program implementation and monitoring.
• Developing and implementing strategies to ensure youth are kept at the centre of country work (including supporting youth advisory committees, youth feedback loops, youth participating in decision making).

Events

• Planning and executing alumni regional events in West Africa. Tasks will include creating the agenda, booking speakers, booking venues, communicating with attendees and organizing travel logistics for participants and speakers.
• Supporting Mastercard Foundation teams to feature youth at events, either as participants or speakers.
• Other duties as assigned.

WHO YOU ARE

• Degree/Diploma in a related discipline such as International Development, Community Engagement and/or Education.
• Minimum 6-10 years of relevant experience supporting young people, community mobilization, events and communications, preferably in a global context.
• 5-10 Events planning and management experience.
• Strong coordination skills and understanding of project management.
• Ability to communicate effectively with a broad range of stakeholders, including both internally and externally.
• Ability to interact across functional, organizational, and cultural lines and capable of working comfortably with all levels of individuals.
• Proficiency with Microsoft Office suite (Word, PowerPoint and Excel). Familiar with Adobe Acrobat.
• Excellent written and spoken communication skills, proofreading skills with a high attention to detail.
• Excellent organizational skills and demonstrated ability to handle multiple tasks simultaneously.
• Ability to make sound judgement decisions.
• Ability to meet tight timelines and to work in a high-paced work environment.
• Ability to troubleshoot on the spot and in the moment.
• Bilingual (English/French) is an asset.
• High level of integrity and ethical standards.
• You are flexible, adaptable, and able to execute a range of job duties and changing priorities.
• You possess excellent verbal, written, and presentation skills with the ability to articulate information to a variety of constituents across cultures.
• You possess professional maturity, sensitivity with different cultures, and impeccable integrity that exemplify the Foundation’s values.