Program Lead Gender at Mastercard Foundation

THE OPPORTUNITY

Reporting to the Country Head Kenya, the Program Lead Gender primary role will be to builds impactful country programs by setting direction and engaging partners throughout program design and implementation and focused on the Foundation’s commitment to enable dignified and fulfilling work for young women. The job holder is responsible for facilitating understanding of gender dynamics and how they influence various opportunities and supporting programmatic interventions that are responsive to the realities at the country level.

WAYS YOU CAN CONTRIBUTE

• Integrate gender considerations across the Country Strategy, program cycle, and to advance the Foundation’s overall gender outcomes in collaboration with the Country Head, technical experts and program teams including Impact and Measurement, Thematic Research and Communication teams.
• Engage and solicit input from young people, especially young women and collaborating with colleagues to ensure inclusion of perspectives of young women and men, in portfolio and program design.
• Collaborate with Programs and Design and Learning colleagues co-design programs and embed designs and adequate resources and budget to ensure implementation of gender approaches and mechanisms in their programmes.
• Develop and/or adapt gender analysis tools for the Foundation and provide technical and strategic guidance for applying them to various projects/programmes at the country level.
• Lead a needs assessment and design of a detailed support plan on gender mainstreaming for employees and partners at Country level, through training and coaching programs, resource development, identifying support networks, and so on.
• Support implementing partners to build gender outreach mechanisms, ensuring young women and men remain at the from and center of implementation efforts.
• Initiate relationships with local organizations working on women and various segments of young people and create opportunities (events, platforms) to listen to them and consider their input towards enhancing reach and impact for underserved young women and men in Kenya.
• Build and maintain relationships with leaders in the field of gender equality, particularly in and identify and help develop strategic partnerships in Kenya and in the Region.
• Oversee research and evaluation partners to ensure that they are able to stimulate relevant, rigorous, and respective approaches to deepening the Foundation’s approach to gender equality in the Country Programme.
• Identify and contribute to relevant learning networks and/or communities of practice and represent the Foundation at gender related events and coordination mechanisms in the country.
• Identify, document, and mobilize gender-related focused insight and learning from the Foundation’s current and future portfolio of work in the Country in the support of the Country Head, technical experts and program teams including Impact and Measurement, Thematic Research and Communication teams.
• Contribute to a learning culture within the Foundation that is reflective, people-focused, and rooted in gender-sensitive evidence.
• Manage relationships with government stakeholders, private sector and other actors in the gender space.
• Provide support in identifying skill and workforce development gaps, issues and trends that affect gender space during the Foundation’s country strategy and program development processes.
• Collaborate with Program Partners and high quality of work, and alignment with Foundation values, with potential managerial responsibilities.

WHO YOU ARE

• Master’s degree or equivalent experience in social sciences, including gender/women’s/youth studies, education or relevant discipline.
• Minimum of 7 years of relevant experience in supporting young people, community mobilization, events and communications.
• Knowledge of and experience with the landscape of local, national, regional, and pan-African women’s and youth-serving organizations and networks as well as knowledge of the country-specific social, economic and political contexts.
• Experience in partnership management including capacity building, coordination and networking for effective gender mainstreaming and youth empowerment.
• Proficiency with MS Office applications (PowerPoint, Word, and Excel).
• Excellent oral and written communication skills in English and Amharic is required.
• Excellent verbal, written, and presentation skills.
• Results driven and motivated.
• Excellent prioritization and time management skills with ability to work both independently and as part of a team.
• Ability to travel regularly within and outside the country of focus.
• 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.

Deadline for Applications is  June 25, 2022