Jobs at Mastercard Foundation

THE OPPORTUNITY

• This is an exciting opportunity for a senior education leader to help shape the future of education and youth transitions across Africa. Reporting to the Senior Director, Secondary Education and Transitions (SET), the Senior Technical Advisor, SET is a trusted advisor to the SET platform and Mastercard Foundation leadership. You will influence strategy, inform high-impact programming, and engage with governments, development partners, and key education stakeholders to drive transformative changes in education systems.
• This role is ideal for a thought leader who is passionate about challenging conventional approaches, advancing innovation, and helping scale impactful education solutions that improve opportunities for young people.

Contract duration: 1 Year.

This role offers a rare opportunity to influence education transformation at scale, working alongside visionary leaders and partners to help create more inclusive pathways for young people to learn, thrive, and access dignified work across Africa.

WAYS YOU CAN CONTRIBUTE

As a strategic advisor and trusted thought partner, you will provide technical expertise, ecosystem insights, and stakeholder engagement support to strengthen the Foundation's education portfolio and long-term impact.

Key areas of contribution include:

• Advise on the development of education strategies, transformative initiatives, and program design across the SET portfolio.
• Provide expert insight on education systems, policy trends, and emerging opportunities across Africa.
• Support the design of sustainable, system-level interventions that improve learning outcomes and youth transitions to work.
• Cultivate and strengthen relationships with governments, ministries, education institutions, development partners, and other ecosystem actors.
• Contribute to thought leadership, evidence generation, policy engagement, and ecosystem convenings.
• Serve as a strategic sounding board to senior leaders while remaining hands-on in supporting program delivery and implementation.

Success in the role will be measured by:

• Timely delivery of high-quality advisory outputs and strategic recommendations.
• Positive stakeholder and government engagement outcomes.
• Effective contribution to program design, implementation, and impact.
• Strong alignment with Foundation values and strategic objectives.
• Ability to influence thinking, challenge assumptions, and advance innovative solutions across the education ecosystem.

WHO YOU ARE

• You are a respected education expert with deep knowledge of African education systems and a passion for transforming learning and transition pathways for young people. You combine strategic thinking with a hands-on approach and are comfortable challenging ideas, influencing senior stakeholders, and navigating complex environments.

Mindset

• Visionary, innovative, and intellectually curious.
• Passionate about transforming education systems at scale.
• Comfortable challenging the status quo and driving new thinking.
• Collaborative and influential, with the ability to engage diverse stakeholders.
• Equally capable of providing strategic guidance and rolling up your sleeves to deliver results.

Academic Qualifications

• Advanced academic background in Education, Public Policy, International Development, Social Sciences, or a related field.
• Additional postgraduate qualifications are advantageous.

Technical Experience

• 15+ years of experience in education, development, public sector, or related fields.
• Strong understanding of African education systems, policy landscapes, and reform priorities.
• Experience engaging with Ministries of Education, government agencies, development partners, NGOs, and other ecosystem stakeholders.
• Demonstrated expertise in strategy development, program design, implementation, and systems change.
• Knowledge of emerging trends in education, including technology-enabled learning, digital transformation, and workforce readiness.

Core Competencies

• Strategic advisory and thought leadership.
• Education policy and systems strengthening.
• Stakeholder engagement and relationship management.
• Program development and impact-driven implementation.
• Communication, negotiation, and influencing skills.
• Strong judgment, diplomacy, and political acumen.
• Ability to work effectively across complex, multi-stakeholder environments.

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THE OPPORTUNITY

• This is a unique opportunity to sit at the intersection of strategy, operations, and program delivery, helping shape and embed a modern, agile way of working across SET. As a key member of cross-functional delivery teams, the Consultant, Head, Strategic Delivery Secondary Education & Transition (SET) will lead complex initiatives from concept to execution, bringing structure to ambiguity, accelerating results, and driving impact across the organization.
• Reporting to the Director, Strategic Delivery, the Head, Strategic Delivery Secondary Education & Transition (SET) will be working closely with senior leaders and enterprise stakeholders, and play a pivotal role in building the systems, processes, and culture required to deliver SET's ambitious mandate.

Contract duration: 1 Year.

If you are excited by the challenge of driving transformational work, influencing across diverse stakeholders, and building the systems and culture that enable exceptional delivery, this role offers an opportunity to make a significant and lasting impact.

WAYS YOU CAN CONTRIBUTE

In this role, you will serve as a strategic delivery leader, ensuring high-priority initiatives move from ideas to measurable outcomes through strong project leadership, problem-solving, and stakeholder engagement. Key areas of impact include:

• Lead complex, cross-functional projects and workstreams, driving delivery against milestones, timelines, and strategic objectives.
• Partner with senior leaders and diverse stakeholder groups to solve complex challenges and remove barriers to execution.
• Build and embed agile delivery practices, operational systems, tools, and processes that enhance efficiency and scalability.
• Foster a culture of continuous improvement by identifying, codifying, and implementing best practices.
• Drive collaboration across functions including Finance, Legal, Compliance, People & Culture, Technology, and other enterprise teams.
• Support the adoption of innovative ways of working while influencing culture and mindset shifts across teams.

Success in the role will be measured by:

• Consistent on-time and high-quality delivery of projects and workstreams.
• Adoption of new ways of working and delivery frameworks across teams.
• Strong stakeholder satisfaction and cross-functional collaboration.
• Meaningful process improvements and operational efficiencies.
• Positive influence on team capability, accountability, and execution excellence

WHO YOU ARE

You are a highly strategic and execution-oriented professional who thrives in complex, fast-moving environments. You excel at bringing clarity to ambiguity, influencing without authority, and driving results through collaboration.

Mindset

• Agile, adaptable, and comfortable navigating uncertainty.
• A proactive problem-solver who combines strategic thinking with practical execution.
• Highly collaborative with strong influencing and relationship-building skills.
• Resilient, self-directed, and energized by creating order in evolving environments.
• Passionate about driving impact and enabling organisational success.

Academic Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in Business, Management, or a related field.
• Master's degree or equivalent advanced professional experience is advantageous.
• Project Management certification (e.g., PMP) is beneficial.

Technical Experience

• 12+ years of professional experience, including leadership or supervisory responsibilities.
• Strong background in project delivery, strategic planning, operational excellence, or consulting.
• Management consulting experience is highly valued.
• Proven experience leading complex initiatives involving multiple stakeholders and dependencies.
• Exposure to education, development, or social impact sectors is advantageous.

Core Competencies

• Strategic problem-solving and structured thinking.
• Advanced project and programme management capabilities.
• Stakeholder management and executive-level facilitation.
• Work planning, prioritisation, and execution management.
• Influencing and driving accountability across matrixed teams.
• Strong written communication, presentation, and facilitation skills.
• Proficiency in Microsoft Office and project management tools.