Director Strategic Delivery Pan African Programs at Mastercard Foundation

This role is responsible for shaping and driving the strategic direction, programmatic execution, and operational excellence of the Pan-African Program platform. It oversees three key functional areas—Strategy & Planning, Program Design & Development, and Program Delivery & Operations—ensuring alignment with organizational goals and fostering innovation, impact, and coherence across thematic areas and delivery platforms. The Director also promotes collaboration across Pan-African, and with all other platforms, while modelling and championing the Foundation’s values and culture.
Ways You Can Contribute
Strategic Leadership:

• Lead the development and execution of the organization’s strategic plan across all programmatic areas.
• Provide thought leadership on scaling impact and drive exponential change through innovative approaches.
• Support the Executive Director in identifying synergies across sector strategies and co-creating new Pan-African initiatives.
• Prepare strategic materials that the ED presents in different platforms, including the Board and the Executive Committee.

Program Design & Delivery

• Drive excellence in program design and delivery through Pods, integrated team approaches and cross-functional resource mobilization.
• Ensure effective co-creation with partners and stakeholders, prioritizing exceptional partner and youth experiences.
• Codify and adapt program models for diverse partnership archetypes.

Program operations:

• Oversee planning, coordination, monitoring, reporting, learning, and quality assurance across Pan-African programs.
• Resolve operational bottlenecks escalated by the Head of Program Delivery and Operations.
• Ensure enterprise-wide coordination and a holistic view of program operations.

Strategy & Innovation Planning

• Collaborate with sector teams to embed innovation into program design and delivery.
• Partner with the Impact team to develop and apply a Theory of Change and impact measurement framework.
• Contribute to thought leadership in collaboration with the PAC team.

Stakeholder Engagement

• Identify and cultivate strategic relationships to enhance the Foundation’s Pan-African work.

Leadership & Culture

• Lead the Strategic Delivery team.
• Promote collaboration, accountability, and professional growth across the Pan-African program team.
• Champion the Foundation’s values and culture across all programmatic engagements.

Who You Are

• Advanced degree in Public Policy, International Development, , agrifood systems, life sciences or related field.
• Finance and management education background and experience in digital strategies will be an asset
• Minimum 10 years of senior leadership experience in strategy, programming, or program operations within a mission-driven organization.
• Proven expertise in strategic planning, program design, and organizational development.
• Proven track record in strategy development at a regional or continental level
• Experience with Design for Scale and exponential change methodologies.
• Strong understanding of performance management and risk mitigation.
• Excellent communication and stakeholder engagement skills.
• Fast-paced, collaborative, and impact-driven.
• Occasional travel required for convenings, stakeholder engagement, and program oversight.
• Creative in solving problems and generating innovative solutions.
• Strong Project Management skills and experience: ability to manage multiple high-profile projects and effectively leverage all resources to achieve results.
• Experience in coordinating diverse programs and functions for a very diverse department.
• Well-honed written, verbal, and creative communication skills, including the ability to translate insight into content, create slide or written presentations, and create overall communication plans.
• Professional maturity, sensitivity to different cultures, and impeccable integrity that exemplify the Foundation’s values.
• Flexible, adaptable, and able to execute a range of job duties and changing priorities.
• Strong communication skills, both in English and other local languages.
• Knowledge of the non-profit sector and the context in which non-profit organizations operate.
• Strong functionality with computers and software, particularly Microsoft Office Suite (e.g., Access, Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook) and any specialized PM&E software.
• Strong facilitation skills.
• Excellent organizational skills