Lead, Transformative Leadership & Give Back at Mastercard Foundation

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.

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.

We are recruiting to fill the position below:

Job Title: Lead, Transformative Leadership & Give Back

Job ID: JR-0000000420
Location: Nigeria

Job Summary

• Reporting to the Head, Support Services.
• The Lead, Transformative Leadership, and Giveback will be responsible for leading the development and implementation of strategies and activities to strengthen the Transformative Leadership within the Mastercard Foundation Scholars Program, and the Foundation’s broader Young Africa Works strategy. 

Responsibilities

• Develop an overarching strategy and set of programs – both face-to-face and online - to enhance the transformative leadership experience that Scholars and Alumni receive to support their learning and development.
• Oversee the Scholars Program transformative leadership framework, reviewing and updating as necessary with new knowledge and insights.
• Lead co-creation and delivery of innovative transformative leadership programs for Scholars and alumni across the Scholars Program partner network
• Support Scholars Program partners to build their on-campus transformative leadership programs and experiences. 
• Establish means of measuring success and progress, in consultation with Impact and Design and Learning teams, developing a learning framework to better understand the impact Transformative Leadership programs and initiatives are having on Scholars, their institutions, and other key stakeholders.
• Lead engagement with leaders within and outside the Foundation to identify and connect Scholars to opportunities that enrich their leadership journey.
• Develop a long-term strategy for showcasing the Foundation as a thought-leader and contributor in transformative leadership and leadership development of young people, in Africa.
• Build a network of African and global stakeholders in the leadership and education ecosystem, that will expand the thinking and opportunities for Scholar and alumni to develop their transformative leadership mindsets and behaviours as well as give back projects and that will champion the Scholar value-proposition and brand.
• Drive inclusion, ensuring that all transformative leadership programs and inputs consider the specific realities and needs of hardest to reach youth, particularly young women, refugees and displaced youth, and young people with disabilities.
• Lead the design and implementation of the Baobab Platform, to support Scholars and alumni of Foundation programs foster a sense of community, build transformative leadership skills and facilitate transitions throughout their education and career.
• Lead the design and delivery of the Baobab Summit, ensuring that the Summit is an event that showcases the Foundation, and Scholars, as a thought-leaders in transformative leadership.
• Lead the relationship between the Foundation and the Scholars Council
• Oversee the capture of data and learnings and ensure that insights and impact are routinely and effectively reported, and continually integrated into program design and implementation
• Utilize the Foundation’s tools and systems to effectively manage data, projects and initiatives.
• Cultivate and manage relationships with stakeholders to scale impact.
• Facilitate connections and exchange and learning across the Scholars Program partner network, including contributing to the planning and delivery of face-to-face convenings and virtual meetings.
• Champion safeguarding of Scholars and all Program participants.
• Identify and recruit talent, effectively mentoring and coaching colleagues, ensuring high quality of work, alignment with Foundation values, access to development opportunities and a supportive and collaborative work environment

Requirements

• Bachelors/Master’s degree in a relevant field – education, international development, public policy or other related field
• Professional qualification and a member of a relevant professional body (desirable)
• Minimum of twelve (10) years overall experience and out of which at least three (3) years should be at supervisory level
• Experience in designing and delivering leadership development programs for young people
• Experience in engaging with senior leadership in higher education institutions, government, private sector etc., as well as young people. 
• Experience in creating and building a new initiative or transforming an existing one into something more impactful, in a multi-cultural environment. 
• Experience and sensitivity to issues of inclusion; experience delivering programs for women, people with disabilities, and/or refugees and displaced youth highly desirable.
• Experience in building and managing high performing teams in in a fast-paced, fluid environment. 
• Experience working across cultures and geographies, experience living and working in Africa is required. 
• Demonstrated ability to handle multiple priorities and respond to urgent situations in a fast-paced, fluid environment.
• Excellent strategic capability and ability to plan and deliver complex initiatives.
• Deep knowledge of key issues, emerging trends, and barriers in African youth employment.
• Excellent fluency in English (French desirable)
• Excellent analytical skills, and the ability to think strategically and contribute to the Foundation’s strategy development.
• Excellent verbal, written and presentation skills with the ability to articulate information to a variety of constituents across cultures.
• Drive to continually experiment and innovate, building and leveraging best-in-class expertise and learnings.

Application Closing Date
5th November, 2025.

How to Apply
Interested and qualified candidates should:
Click here to apply online