Mastercard Foundation New Jobs 2019

Mastercard Foundation is a global foundation based across four hubs in Kigali, Rwanda, Nairobi, Kenya, Accra, Ghana and Toronto, Canada. Our programs promote financial inclusion and advance education and learning in Africa, primarily for young people, and in Canada for Indigenous youth. 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.   

Job Description

Job Title:  Program Lead, Digital Economy

The Foundation believes that youth employment is key to unlocking prosperity, both for youth and their societies. Enabling young women and men from disadvantaged communities to secure dignified and fulfilling work will ensure inclusive development and economic growth in Africa.   

Values are timeless, they transcend and rise above all. They guide everything we do, as employees of the Foundation.  We share a common vision of a world where everyone has the opportunity to learn and prosper. We make mistakes, we reflect, and we grow so that we can impact our world – it’s why we are here. We are ambitious and driven. 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 WORK AT THE FOUNDATION – INCLUSIVE DIGITAL ECONOMIES in AFRICA (IDEA) 

Digital technologies will shape the future of work, both influencing a country’s labor market and offering levers to strengthen young people’s success. The Foundation’s strategy features a cross-cutting IDEA theme to help unlock the power of inclusive digital economies for youth in Africa.  To ensure this linkage is fully realized, the IDEA team primarily supports the development of country strategies and programs. The IDEA team provides technical support, helps colleagues build a shared understanding of key issues and opportunities related to inclusive digital economies in Africa, and contributes to the Foundation’s learning agenda. 

Digital technologies are transforming every aspect of life for billions of people. Digitally-enabled businesses – local and global, small and large – create new work opportunities that require new skills and mechanisms to link appropriately-skilled workers with opportunities. Youth who currently use digital technologies can anticipate a lifelong journey to ensure their skills remain relevant to evolving needs and opportunities. Those who have yet to benefit from digital inclusion need support and encouragement to begin to climb the ladder of basic digital literacy and skills. Lack of meaningful progress towards digital skills leaves millions of young Africans at risk of exclusion from opportunities in an increasingly digital world. It limits the ability for teachers or students to use digital solutions effectively within the educational systems, as well as the competitiveness of workers wishing to join local, regional and global ICT labor markets. Ultimately, this constrains the ability of firms to implement new technology and create new jobs. 

SKILLS DEVELOPMENT

Improving the quality and relevance of education and work-force training, so that it equips young women and men with the skills employers need – and that young people themselves need into order to start and grow a business – is core to the Foundation’s Young Africa Works strategy. Particularly in the context of rapid technological change, equitable and scalable access to market-relevant foundational, technical and transferable skills is crucial if young people are to make smooth transitions to dignified and fulfilling work, and if enterprises are to grow and create the jobs that the continent so requires. 

To ensure that the Foundation’s programming takes these issues into account, the Skills Development team provides technical support on the development of country-led programs; helps colleagues build a shared understanding of key issues and opportunities related to skills development, secondary education, technical and vocational education and training, and teachers in Africa; and contributes to the Foundation’s learning strategy and thought-leadership agenda.  

As part of the Regional Program, the Skills Development Team is supporting the launch of The Centre for Innovative Teaching and Learning in ICT (the Centre), which is based in Kigali, Rwanda. It is part of a larger initiative called Leaders in Teaching which seeks to improve the quality of teaching and learning in secondary schools by recruiting top graduates into the profession; training new, early career and experienced teachers; leading positive instructional environments; and motivating and elevating the status of teachers. The goal of the Centre is to spark innovation and promote promising practices in the use of ICT for teaching and learning and to catalyze significant improvements in secondary education across Africa. Working at the intersection of EdTech entrepreneurs and Governments, the Regional Centre for Innovative Teaching and Learning in ICT will support entrepreneurs with growth-stage EdTech models to scale up technology innovations to improve teaching and learning in secondary education at scale. 

THE OPPORTUNITY 

The Program Lead, Digital Economy will report to the Regional Head on the Programs Team. The Program Lead, Digital Economy will be an integral member of the IDEA and Skills Development areas. As a member of IDEA, she/he will provide expertise on digital policy issues. As a member of the Skills Development Team, she/he will contribute to the development of digital skills strategies, identify opportunities to leverage digital solutions in skills and workforce development, and support the workplan of The Centre in Kigali. In this role, the Program Lead, Digital Economy will also work collaboratively with other Foundation staff, such as Program country team members who are developing country strategies; Strategy and Learning colleagues who are managing the Future of Work learning agenda and research activities; and other program team members in other technical teams (e.g. education finance, agriculture, MSME, etc.).  

The Program Lead, Digital Economy will provide expertise to identify constraints that prevent education and workforce systems from functioning effectively; develop and design programs that equip young people with the skills to succeed in an increasingly digital workplace and that leverage digital solutions; and, contribute digital policy expertise to design and implement country-level strategies. This individual will play a key role influencing and mobilizing dialogue between private sector and policy makers, especially as it relates to digital technology and skills development. They will support the development and design of skill development programs aligned with nationally identified priorities and Foundation strategies that respond to the needs of young people and the private sector. In addition, they may assist in the design of a portfolio of technology and skills related programs and draw insights on key questions in the Foundation’s learning agenda. The successful applicant will also support the Foundation in developing perspectives regarding effective skills policies and ecosystems in Africa that can contribute to thought leadership. 

WAYS YOU CAN CONTRIBUTE 

• Provide digital technology expertise to support the design and management of programs that leverage technology. 
• Help identify skill and workforce development gaps, issues and trends, especially as they relate to digital skills and education delivery, during the Foundation’s country strategy and program development processes.  
• Diagnose and contribute expertise on digital enabling environment and policy to inform country strategy design, partnership development, and monitoring processes. 
• Engage government and other key stakeholders on digital inclusion and innovation issues. 
• Over time, lead and supervise colleagues or junior experts by providing coaching and support necessary for success and growth.  
• Work closely with the program and country teams to leverage synergies across programs and across geographies.  
• Support and/or Manage current or future programs as appropriate, distilling learnings for the country teams as well as wider Foundation staff.  
• Contribute insights to the Foundation’s thought leadership on digital skills development in Africa by writing blogs, attending and presenting at conferences and identifying other opportunities to share and deepen learning.  
• Assist in expanding the Foundation team’s capacity relating to digital skills development and digital policy, by sharing learning, facilitating training and supporting country teams.  
• Support the design and delivery of appropriate mechanisms to monitor effectiveness and impact of skills development interventions in close collaboration with the Strategy and Learning team.  
• Participate in governance activities related to programs, such as investment committees, advisory committees or other stakeholder fora to provide oversight or elevate and leverage learnings. 
• Build and maintain relationships with partner organizations, key stakeholders at country-level, communities of practice and global stakeholders. 

WHO YOU ARE 

• Master’s degree or equivalent experience in education, business, or a technology-related field.   
• Ten (10) plus years of experience working with the private and non-profit sectors, particularly in a role relating to digital technology and skills development in Africa. 
• Experience working in a skills or workforce development program or policy context, focused on low-income youth, and incorporating one or more of: work-based and experiential learning approaches (e.g. apprenticeships, internships, etc.); upskilling or reskilling; assessment and credentialing; digitally-enabled delivery; career counselling; soft skills training; entrepreneurship skills training; labour market and skill gap assessments.  
• Experience in policy design, implementation or analysis related to digital solutions, e.g. mobile or internet network operations; digital education, agriculture, or other sectors; industry association, etc.
• Excellent project management skills, including multi-stakeholder projects. 
• Experience successfully managing consultants and technology vendors and suppliers to achieve goals. 
• Command of quantitative and qualitative education and labour market analysis techniques. 
• Knowledge of skills development, workforce development and/or education policy and reform in one or more African contexts is a significant plus. 
• Knowledge of skills and workforce development aligned with one or more growth sectors (e.g. agrifood systems, hospitality, manufacturing, construction, creative industries) would be an asset.   
• Knowledge of skills and workforce development financing approaches would be an asset. 
• Knowledge of the skills development issues surrounding vulnerable groups (e.g. young women, refugee or displaced youth, youth with disabilities etc.) would be an asset. 
• Experience living and/or working in Africa. 
• Demonstrated written, presentation and spoken communication skills in English and French required. Fluency in African language(s) is an added advantage. 
• Strong interpersonal skills with the ability to be flexible and adaptable and have a comfort for ambiguity. 
• Proactive, engaged and a self-starter. 
• Excellent prioritization and time management skills.  
• Ability to work both independently and as part of a team.  
• Good organizational skills and demonstrated ability to handle multiple tasks. 
• Proficiency with Microsoft Office applications (PowerPoint, Word and Excel). 
• Is willing to travel up to 20% of the time.