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, young people, 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.

UNDERSTANDING CANADA PROGRAMS AT THE FOUNDATION

The Foundation has begun working within Canada in partnership with Indigenous communities and post-secondary institutions to listen, learn, and best understand how we can act in meaningful ways. The EleV strategy was co-created with Indigenous communities, young people, and partners to enable 30,000 Indigenous youth to complete their education and transition to dignified work aligned with their values and aspirations.

As reflected in Canada’s Truth and Reconciliation Commission Calls to Action, education is a key driver of improved socio-economic well-being. Through building partnerships with Indigenous communities, we look to expand our initiative ultimately helping to support a generation of transformative Indigenous young leaders who will be change agents within their communities. We believe that by setting a bold target, we will encourage engagement across sectors and create momentum that will elevate the strengths and opportunities of Indigenous youth. In keeping with our approach, Indigenous communities and young people will be the drivers of this transformation. The program will promote innovations to address longer-term systemic change to achieve economic prosperity and social well-being within Indigenous communities.

The EleV team oversees current and emerging partnerships related to Indigenous education. Consistent with our overall vision and Youth Africa Works strategy, we will share learnings and opportunities to connect across the work of the Foundation. While operating in distinct contexts, the centrality of youth voice and vision, affirmation of culture and identity, and priority to enhance community capacity for self-determination are common threads upon which our work is strengthened and reinforced.

If you are an experienced Operational Excellence professional looking to increase your impact, read on!

THE OPPORTUNITY

The Foundation is evolving to a matrix approach of working to deliver on our Young Africa Works Strategy. This is a unique opportunity to work in this matrix setting within the country teams.

This position formally reports to the Operational Excellence Lead; however, the Project Manager (PM) will take day-to-day direction from the Country Head in Ethiopia. The PM will serve as a business partner to the country team to support their prioritized project management, process optimization, and planning needs. This ranges from monitoring the portfolio of work including key timelines, milestones and dependencies; supporting the implementation of enterprise transformation initiatives including the programming approach and delegation of authority; developing detailed workflows and artefacts to support and/or improve existing processes; supporting teams to meet timelines around program reviews and documentation required for Board meetings, etc. The PM will also liaise with the Strategy and Planning team as directed by the Ethiopia Country Head.

The PM will work on complex, multi-track projects or workstreams balancing scope, time, cost, and quality while maintaining a positive environment that promotes high performance. The PM must be comfortable with diverse teams and managing uncertainty; he/she must possess the flexibility to co-create with dynamic, cross-functional teams to deliver integrated solutions. The PM will also be key to enabling an enterprise-wide distribution and uptake of project management best practices in the country team through the Project Management Centre of Excellence

WAYS YOU CAN CONTRIBUTE

• Coordinate delivery and execution of complex country projects or workstreams. concurrently with country stakeholders throughout project lifecycle, including process design or redesign initiatives.
• Understand and develop project content and deliverables through active engagement of stakeholders, and development of trusted thought-partner relationships.
• Dynamically engage stakeholders to problem-solve for solutions as needed to execute deliverables.
• Drive discussions with integrated country teams for a desired/improved future state and document workflows tools, and accountability frameworks as required; house information in a knowledge repository.
• Provide support in implementation and operationalization efforts including training, change management and communications.
• Develop and manage integrated plans and associated communication documents to report on progress; provide frequent verbal and written progress reports on the status of projects; and provide action plans or recommendations on project delivery to stakeholders.
• Develop and maintain plans and deliverables to track achievement milestones and overall project delivery within the constraints of scope, schedule, cost and quality.
• Work with stakeholders to identify, document, assess, and monitor all project dependencies/interdependencies, risks, issues, and required decisions.
• Ensure delivery of requirements from the Strategy and Planning team (as directed).
• Provide coaching on project management best practices, stand in as Operational Excellence resource for the country in alignment with the Foundation’s Project Management Centre of Excellence.
• Perform other duties and responsibilities as required.

Who You Are

• PMI certified with a University degree, preferably in business administration or a related field; Master’s Degree is an asset.
• Minimum 7-9 years business project management experience (as opposed to IT project management) and success in leading and managing complex projects in an official PM capacity, demonstrating PMO methodologies for planning, risk management and reporting.
• Possess a good knowledge of process design and redesign (workflow mapping, accountability frameworks, etc.). Lean Six Sigma certification is an asset
• Strong knowledge of country priorities and vision, including country policies, reform efforts, relevant public and private institutions, and ecosystem actors is an asset.
• Solid knowledge of the nature of the private sector within the country, or experience working with the private sector and support private sectors stakeholders through reform is an asset.
• Advanced knowledge of project management tools and MS Suite (Word, PowerPoint, Project, Viso and Excel).
• Detail-oriented, methodical, and process-oriented to consistently and effectively produce and deliver high quality results.
• Strong collaborator and relationship builder who can establish trust, respect, and credibility to co-create solutions across a range of stakeholders.
• A highly analytical problem-solver and critical thinker who can define root cause, evaluate alternatives, and find solutions effectively.
• Possess a ‘client’ focus mindset which enables effective business partnering and issue resolution.
• A team player, self-starter, and resourceful with the ability to work within a constantly changing and ambiguous environment with minimal supervision and resilience.
• Agile, 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.
• Fluent in English required. Ability to speak locally and regional spoken language(s) is an asset.
• Flexible to travel, if required.
• Committed to Mastercard Foundation’s values and vision