Lead, Program Planning and Monitoring at Mastercard Foundation

THE OPPORTUNITY

Reporting to the Country Director, The role will provide leadership, guidance, and technical support to the Country program team on planning and monitoring work. S/He will be primarily responsible for coordinating program and portfolio planning that translates country/regional strategic agenda into annual/thematic plans and operational delivery; building and ensuring the implementation of the Foundation’s investment tracking systems and monitoring framework and coordinate tasks and processes for monitoring progress on key agreed indicators ((i.e., Levels 1-4 as set out in the Shared Measures released in 2021) that have implications for learning and adaptive management of the relationships between implementing partners and the Mastercard Foundation.

As an integral part of the Country program team, S/He will work in collaboration with the Impact team at Country, Regional and Enterprise-wide levels, and with the Strategy and Planning function.

WAYS YOU CAN CONTRIBUTE

• Coordinates the processes of determining the best strategic approach in a country based on the Foundation’s mission, niche and comparative advantage, and alignment to country’s national priorities and aspiration of young women and men. Specifically, to developing strategic plans:
  • Codify learnings from diagnostics, ecosystem mappings, foresight studies and macro analysis to inform strategic plans
  • Lead and manage the country strategy development processes, including root cause analyses, target setting and illustrating the development hypotheses.
• Coordinates the program and portfolio planning that incorporates integrated end-to-end programming process, including approaches/ mechanisms for partnering.
• Contributes to project design processes such as developing/evolving project boundaries, theories of change, and adaptable plan(s) for implementation.
• Contributes to the development of Foundation-wide standards and process for systematic Program monitoring (with Impact and Strategy and Planning).
• Coordinates the operationalization of the Foundation-wide monitoring system standards, guidelines, processes, and tools to monitor the Foundation’s investments in Country.
• Specifically, to implement and strengthen partner level MEL systems by:
  • Developing an understanding of partner-level systems already in place and determine how they can be strengthened.
  • Facilitating the alignment of theories of change and M&E plans; determining information needs, data sources, processes for reporting, feedback, learning and adaptation; implementing these systems.
  • Building relationships with relevant stakeholders to understand their needs and be able to provide relevant guidance that are useful for them.
• Coordinates the monitoring of agreed KPIs and facilitate the development of other indicators as may be co-determined for effective and efficient implementation of measures that increase impacts at scale.
• Provides strategic guidance in the process of developing a robust, Partner-level M&E plan and frameworks for the purpose of implementing the agreements for delivery reached with the Foundation.
• Advises and collaborate with the country Program team to determine/develop monitoring and partner insights requirements for the Foundation’s Partner initiatives to be included in the MOUs with the Foundation.
• Work in collaboration with the country Program team to support staff of the Foundation’s Partners and other stakeholders in monitoring data collection, report writing, and documenting of good practices achieved as a result of implementation of the Foundation’s partnership for increased access of young women and men to opportunities for dignified and fulfilling work.
• Leads, manages, and oversees recording, analyzing and sense making of Foundation’s Partner monitoring data to support effective progress reporting and decision making.
• Advises Country program team and in-country Impact team on monitoring issues, including quality assurance of programs prioritizing issues and/or programs of work of strategic importance to the Foundation.
• Develops effective learning and capacity building mechanisms on monitoring and partner insights, continuously identifying good practice inside and outside the Foundation to inform learning and provide oversight of peer support to Foundation’s Partners in Country.
• In collaboration with the Impact Capability Development and Strategy and Planning and other relevant Functions, carries out capacity assessments based on country needs, including supporting the Nigeria Program team to build MEL capabilities, multiply the learning and provide peer-to-peer support.
• Participates in inter-functional initiatives such as coordinated visits to intervention sites, to support program development from a monitoring and partner insights perspective.
• Provides oversight to the management of the Program Planning and Monitoring team, including performance management and staff development of both direct reports and (external) consultants as required.
• Represents Program Planning and Monitoring internally in the Foundation, and externally at forums and specialized events on program monitoring and learning.

WHO YOU ARE

• Post-graduate degree and/or equivalent experience and training. A knowledge of research methods, and in particular research approaches and skills related to gathering data and insights among indigenous communities, youth and other vulnerable groups, using appropriate cultural lenses and perspectives.
• Ten (10) plus years' experience working with the private and non-profit sectors, particularly in a role relating to leading/coordinating planning, M&E and reporting systems.
• Demonstrated ability to develop and manage strategic and operational plans to manage, track the implementation of Roadmaps and partnerships – delivery of outcomes and deliverables, timelines, responsibilities.
• Experience in working closely with stakeholders in developing countries (such as government ministries and NGOs) to design and implement results-based management systems; this should be done in such a way that the M&E systems become useful for local stakeholders and get used by them.
• Experience in working with international stakeholders (e.g., donors) to design/implement results based management systems for complex programs, including programs that have a wide scope of emergent interventions and a focus on adaptation and learning.
• Working experience in developing, updating, and delivering training on M&E systems.
• Experience with introducing new ideas and methods to M&E systems, and in setting up computerized MIS.
• Experience applying a range of tech-enabled tools for data collection, analysis, reporting, and communication.
• Experience in participatory approaches and demonstrated commitment to gender inclusion and youth engagement.
• Experience with data quality assessments of administrative, qualitative, and quantitative data mixed methods.
• Experience with beneficiary feedback loops and participatory methods.
• Experience at senior leadership and management, preferably leading a country.
• Experience living and/or working in a local country/community.
• Experience navigating research protocols, review processes and management of big data with government and academic institutions.
• Solid experience in strategic, portfolio and implementation work planning.
• Deep familiarity with strategies for collecting, collating, and analyzing data for the purpose of measuring and reporting on outcomes and impacts. Deep knowledge of monitoring systems, local research and evaluation methods.
• Strong language, cultural and identity/affiliation with national people.
• Membership in national networks and authorities as applicable.
• Skills and competency to develop Measurable Outcomes and Impacts, as well as methods and tools for measuring same within government and non-governmental institutions.
• Understanding of systems thinking and strong ability to develop and test theories of change and associated practice tools as they may be relevant and appropriate for indigenous communities.
• A dynamic thinker, you bring effective experience in stakeholder engagement and policy influencing. This can include experience working in community-based organizations, governance and related councils/commissions, regional and national government, and the private sector.
• High tolerance for ambiguity and change, and ability to adapt to changing priorities within a fast-paced work environment with a “roll up the sleeves” attitude.
• Strong problem-solving skills combined with a track record of pivoting in response to opportunities and challenges.
• Flexible, 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 that exemplify the Foundation’s values.
• Demonstrate a commitment to Mastercard Foundation’s values and vision.