THE OPPORTUNITY
We are seeking a Workforce Development Embedded Advisor who will serve as a senior strategic liaison embedded within Rwanda's Ministry of Education, acting as a bridge between the Foundation and key government stakeholders. The role is responsible for advancing workforce development and education initiatives by closely with government officials, development and implementing partners, and stakeholders to ensure successful project delivery, build capacity, and foster collaborative relationships.
Working at both strategic and operational levels, the Advisor brings a systems-thinking approach to complex education and workforce development challenges, helping align Foundation programming with Rwanda's vision of becoming a knowledge-based, innovation-driven economy powered by human capital development. The role influences key stakeholders, strengthens partnerships across the education ecosystem, and supports the design and implementation of solutions that drive sustainable, system-level impact.
WAYS YOU CAN CONTRIBUTE
Taskforce Team Operationalization: Establish Taskforce teams comprising stakeholders from government agencies, development partners, and industry partners to enable the implementation and operationalization of each project activity.
Managing New Programs’ Inception Activities to ensure alignment of development partners on post-Day Zero deliverables, ensuring seamless transition and implementation of project activities.
Arrange stakeholder consultations to inform outcome delivery, ensuring that project activities are tailored to meet the needs of key stakeholders.
Carry out needs assessments in the Ministry to stand up capacity for proper implementation, identifying areas for capacity building and technical assistance
Develop a capacity development plan to address identified needs, ensuring that the Ministry has the necessary skills and expertise to implement project activities
Stakeholder Engagement: Build and maintain strong relationships with government officials, development partners, and stakeholders to facilitate collaboration, communication, and problem-solving. The role will also facilitate clear communication channels between project teams and stakeholders, gather feedback, manage expectations, and resolve conflicts as needed
Capacity Building: Identify capacity-building needs and provide technical assistance to government officials and project staff to enhance their project management and implementation skills.
Monitoring and Evaluation: Support the monitoring and evaluation of project activities, identifying areas for improvement and implementing corrective actions as needed.
Knowledge & Documentation: Maintain a centralized repository of project plans, templates, lessons learned, and best practices, while also providing training resources to enhance team competencies.
Transparency & Reporting: Ensure that essential, accurate information is always available to support decision-making. This includes project archiving, documentation management, and historical project data for future references.
Project Oversight & Multi-Project Management: Monitor project progress, identify deviations, manage cross-project dependencies, and prepare executive portfolio updates/reports for management decisions.
WHO YOU ARE
An advanced degree (Master’s or above) in Project Management, Business Administration, Workforce Development, or a related field.
A minimum of 10 years’ experience in project management, coordination or implementation, preferably in a development context
Demonstrated experience working with the Ministry of Education and its affiliated agencies, development partners or international organizations in Rwanda
Demonstrated Systems-Level Leadership, applied a systems-thinking approach to understand the broader education and workforce development ecosystem.
Able to identify opportunities to address complex challenges through systemic solutions rather than isolated interventions.
Able to connect national policy objectives with implementation realities at local and community levels.
Demonstrated experience in assessing how various actors, programs, and investments interact within the broader ecosystem.
Strong project management, coordination skills
Excellent communication, interpersonal and stakeholder engagement skills
Ability to work in a fast-paced, dynamic environment with multiple stakeholders
Proficiency in project management tools and software (e.g. Asana, Trello, MS Project)
Experience with capacity building, technical assistance and stakeholder engagement
Fluency in English (written and spoken) and Kinyarwanda
The Mastercard Foundation values the unique skills and experiences each individual brings to the organization and we are committed to creating and maintaining an inclusive and accessible environment for everyone.
Completion of satisfactory business references and background checks are essential conditions of employment.
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