Philanthropies Lead - MEA at Microsoft Nigeria

Microsoft Corporation is an American multinational technology company with headquarters in Redmond, Washington. It develops, manufactures, licenses, supports, and sells computer software, consumer electronics, personal computers, and related services. Its best known software products are the Microsoft Windows line of operating systems, the Microsoft Office suite, and the Internet Explorer and Edge web browsers. 

At Microsoft our mission and values are to help people and businesses throughout the world realize their full potential.

We are recruiting to fill the position below:

Job Title: Philanthropies Lead - MEA

Job number: 1243687
Location: Nigeria
Employment type: Full-Time
Profession: Legal & Corporate Affairs
Role type: People Manager
Travel: 0-25 %

Overview

• At Microsoft, our mission is to empower every person and every organization on the planet to achieve more. Empowering communities and nonprofits to realize the potential of technology is the mission of Microsoft Philanthropies. We empower our own people to achieve more and make a difference in the world. Join us and be one who empowers millions!
• The purpose of Microsoft Philanthropies is to advance the company’s mission by making the opportunities of our rapidly evolving digital economy accessible to all people, particularly those most at risk of being left behind. As such, we are looking for a seasoned Social Impact / Corporate Philanthropies professional who will be charged with managing the local implementation of Microsoft Philanthropies in MEA, reporting to the International Field Lead.
• The pillar programs of Philanthropies are focused on “Skills for Jobs” ensuring that we reach those excluded from technology opportunities with skills training so that they can participate in the Digital Economy.  A second pillar is identifying and implementing Microsoft’s AI for Good projects to leverage the power of AI to improve the social impact of initiatives in the region.
• This leader will oversee the community of professionals that execute the programmatic work for Microsoft Philanthropies initiatives in the Middle East and Africa Area.

Responsibilities

• Responsibilities of the role include but are not limited to, strategy and planning, project management, stakeholder management and executing Microsoft’s priorities described below:
• People Leadership - build an effective, diverse and inclusive Philanthropies team - lead a team of Philanthropy professionals across the MEA region to develop a strategy for their Area and implement programs to drive impact for underserved populations in their countries. Develop relationships with global subsidiary peers to leverage best practices and drive global integration. Nurture a sense of community across the region, sharing learnings and identifying and reviewing opportunities to scale local programs regionally and globally.
• Develop Relationships and influence with the Leadership Teams (LT) across MEA and WW Teams - cultivate relationships with the MEA LT to get support for the Philanthropies initiatives in the region to maximize the social and business impact. Business acumen to understand business priorities, relate the social impact initiatives to those, and to develop relationships and credibility with LT to drive influence and impact. Work effectively with Corporate stakeholders to provide meaningful insights to improve the strategy and local impact. 
• Drive excellence in execution of programmatic “Skills for Jobs” initiatives in MEA - ensuring investments in the region contribute to closing the skills gap and enhancing employability for underserved communities. This involves co-designing and executing scalable and sustainable skills programs with nonprofit partners, Governments, and other stakeholders for maximum local impact while aligning to the WW strategies.
• Actively create opportunities for partnership, collaboration, and engagement with large Enterprise customers on their ESG priorities - showcasing Microsoft technologies and leveraging existing Philanthropies initiatives, in alignment with these companies’ social impact-related or corporate responsibility objectives.
• Create showcases of AI for Good, leveraging our AI for Good grant portfolio to help address the most important issues of our time: environmental sustainability, inclusion of people with access needs, humanitarian crises and health.
• Telling Our Story - Drive strong external and internal awareness of Microsoft’s social impact, working in partnership with Corporate Comms and Central Marketing teams to showcase the results of our investments through strategic campaigns. Represent Microsoft as spokesperson and subject matter expert in the Social Impact and Corporate Philanthropy fields.
• Employee Giving - land the employee giving campaigns in the region and local markets, supporting the execution of the global campaigns.
• Disaster Response - Represent philanthropies in assessing regional disaster response; work closely with the affected country / Area to support the specific plan and execution.
• Operational Excellence - Manage the Corporate and local budgets effectively, including allocation, and management of the grants, forecast, and spend.

Qualifications

• Proven success in leading high performing teams to deliver complex programs in a matrixed environment to deliver impact and results.
• Experience engaging with C-suite and executives at Microsoft and our top customers, as well as representing the company with public speaking in regional media, prestigious conferences, and events.
• Strategic leadership ability. Create a strategy, coach others to create strategy and coach the team on implementation of the strategy to deliver impact.
• 10+ years of experience project managing social impact initiatives, ideally for multi-year projects spanning large geographic regions in an ESG, CSR or Government Affairs or Nonprofit leadership role, preferably in the area of skills and the workforce space.
• Ability to work cross-functionally in a matrix organization, deal with ambiguity and manage a multi-cultural team, demonstrating sensitivity and commitment to diversity.
• Regional understanding and context: ability to execute the strategies understanding the context and needs of MEA; experience working in MEA preferred.
• A relentless focus for helping those most in need get the digital skills that they need to participate in the digital economy; a passion for how technology can help advance social impact of individuals and nonprofits.

Application Closing Date
Not Specified.