Head of Scholars Program at Mastercard Foundation

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.