Head, Enterprise & Strategic Initiatives 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: Head, Enterprise & Strategic Initiatives

Job Requisition ID: JR-0000000521
Location: Lagos, Nigeria
Job type: Full Time

The Opportunity

• Reporting to the Senior Director, Risk & Resilience, the Head, Enterprise Risk & Strategic Initiatives is responsible for ensuring the effective execution and integration of risk management activities across non-programmatic functions and key Foundation strategic initiatives.
• The role works closely with the senior management team and functional leads to ensure that enterprise, functional, and strategic risks are systematically identified, assessed, mitigated, and monitored.
• This position is pivotal in strengthening a robust risk culture, enabling informed decision-making, and supporting the Foundation in achieving its strategic and programmatic goals.

Responsibilities
Ways you can contribute:

• Support the Senior Director Risk & Resilience, ensuring the Foundation’s enterprise risk management (ERM) framework and practices are aligned with leading practices, leveraging technology, analytics, using scenario planning and other techniques for risk identification.
• Coordinate risk identification, assessment, mitigation, and monitoring across all internal functions and strategic initiatives to ensure the ERM program is effective and supports the Foundation’s strategic goals.
• Provide risk advisory support for new and ongoing strategic initiatives, ensuring risks are considered during planning and execution.
• Collaborate with Foundation teams and risk champions to foster strong risk behaviours, ensuring a shared understanding of the Foundation’s risk appetite, risk tolerance, and risk management processes.
• Promote the integration of risk management into planning, operations, and strategic decision-making.
• Evaluate and critique risk registers submitted by risk champions, providing actionable insights to enhance the risk identification, assessment, and mitigation process.
• Monitor and analyse emerging risks and trends relevant to the Foundation’s enterprise and strategic activities.
• Plan and conduct regular spot checks and reviews of internal processes, strategic projects, and Foundation functions to assess compliance with risk management policies and procedures.
• Support the development and execution of overall business resilience strategies, including crisis management and business continuity plans for enterprise functions and strategic initiatives.
• Develop and deliver tailored capacity-building initiatives for program staff and implementing partners, ensuring they have the tools, knowledge, and training needed to identify, assess, and manage risks effectively.
• Prepare, consolidate enterprise risk reports and provide regular updates on risk management activities to the Senior Director, Risk & Resilience.
• Escalate significant risks and incidents as appropriate.

Requirements

• Bachelor’s Degree in Risk Management, Business Administration, International Development, Public Administration, Economics, Finance, or a related field; a Master’s degree and professional risk certifications are strong assets.
• Over 10 years of experience in risk management with at least 5 years in a managerial role.
• Demonstrated experience in risk management, with exposure to strategic risk assessments and implementing risk frameworks in multi-country organisations.
• Experience working in culturally diverse environments, with proficiency in English required and French an asset.
• Excellent communication, facilitation, and interpersonal skills, with the ability to engage diverse stakeholders with empathy, cultural sensitivity, and purpose.
• High integrity, sound judgement, and the confidence to uphold principled positions in challenging situations.
• Collaborative and capable of building capacity across teams and partners.
• Agile and adaptable, with the ability to stay informed on emerging trends in the development sector and risk management.
• Commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion.

Application Closing Date
4th March, 2026.

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