Call for Roster/Expression of Interest - WAEMU Programs

CALL FOR ROSTER/EXPRESSIONS OF INTEREST – WAEMU PROGRAMS

ABOUT MASTERCARD FOUNDATION

Mastercard Foundation seeks a world where everyone has the opportunity to learn and prosper. Through its Young Africa Works strategy and Canadian EleV program, the Foundation works with partners to ensure that millions of young people, especially young women, access quality education, financial services and dignified work. Mastercard Foundation was established in 2006 through the generosity of Mastercard when it became a public company. The Foundation is independent with its own Board of Directors and CEO.

THE WORK AT THE FOUNDATION

We have entered a very exciting time at the Foundation as we scale up our operations across Africa to realize our Young Africa Works strategy. Our role at the Mastercard Foundation is to be a catalyst. Our Young Africa Works strategy focuses on working with others to spur systemic change so young people have the opportunity to find work that is dignified and fulfilling.

The Foundation has opened offices in Rwanda, Kenya, Ghana, Senegal (hosting the WAEMU regional office), Ethiopia, Nigeria, and Uganda, building a broader leadership presence in Africa to develop specific strategies that support youth employment. 

THE CONTEXT OF WAEMU (UEMOA) ZONE

By 2030, young women and men in the West African Economic and Monetary Union (WAEMU) will have fair and equitable access to dignified and fulfilling work opportunities, particularly in an integrated, modern, industrialized, competitive, and sustainable agribusiness sector. We believe in the agriculture sector’s strong potential to create work opportunities for the youth.

The Mastercard Foundation’s “Young Africa Works” strategy in WAEMU will focus on unleashing the full potential of agribusiness within the zone (encompassing all activities related to agriculture and agri-food industries, the development of the agricultural value chain and agro-industrialization) following a fork-to-farm approach. 

The “Young Africa Works” strategy for the WAEMU zone, focusing on the development of agribusiness, is structured around four key areas of intervention: 

• Market Access: Improving market access through regional integration and stimulation of demand.
• Agribusiness adjacent sectors: Unlocking the potential of national and regional agribusiness champions.
• Agro-processing: Strengthening MSMEs across the value chain, especially in agro-industrialization.
• Primary Production: Empowering farmers and cooperatives.

CALL FOR ROSTER/ EXPRESSION OF INTEREST

We are building our talent pipeline for career opportunities that may arise in the future.  By submitting your profile, you are expressing your interest for a particular area of job discipline. We will review your profile when suitable roles become available.

The roles will be based in one of the WAEMU countries i.e. Senegal, Cote d'Ivoire, Niger, Mali, Togo, Benin, Burkina Faso…. and opened to all WAEMU nationals or profiles with experience in WAEMU.

THE OPPORTUNITIES IN DETAIL

We are looking for experienced leaders with a minimum of 10 years’ experience in either of the following areas of:

• Agrifood Systems
• Access to Finance
• Access to market
• Policies and regulatory environment
• Monitoring and Evaluation
• Capacity building
• Safeguarding
• Innovation
• Planning
• Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises development
• Finance and Accounting
• Public Affairs and Communication
• Digital Economy
• Youth Engagement
• Gender
• Education and Skills
• Business analyst
• Project Management

Candidates are expected to demonstrate leadership experience and expertise in developing and implementing strategic programs across multiple countries.

We are building a diverse team and are open to candidates from the private and not-for-profit sectors.

 WHO YOU ARE

• Excellent understanding of the WAEMU economic Ecosystem.
• Bilingual - Fluent in French/English.
• Extensive networks and strong relationships with diverse actors advancing policy reform.
• Senior leadership experience, with strong business and strategic acumen as well as professional maturity.
• Strong influencing skills with the ability to navigate complexity and inspire or compel others to action.
• Exceptional emotional intelligence and cross-cultural competency. Able to motivate, connect, and collaborate with colleagues in a matrixed structure.
• Passionate about youth empowerment in Africa and committed to engaging young people, particularly young women.
• Entrepreneurial mindset to support the development of a new function in a dynamic environment.
• Commitment to the values of listening, humility, kindness and respect, co-creation, and impact.
• Results-oriented individual and motivated by a sense of performance excellence and urgency.
• Possesses a global, inclusive, and ‘self-starter’ mindset with a demonstrated ability and sensitivity of working with diverse cultures.
• Flexible, adaptable, and able to execute a range of job duties and changing priorities.
• Possess professional maturity, sensitivity with different cultures, and impeccable integrity that exemplify the Foundation’s values.
• Excellent written and verbal skills.
• Proficiency in using Microsoft Word, Excel, PowerPoint, and Adobe Reader.
• Experience in one or many WAEMU countries is key.

 This posting will remain open until we have built a strong candidate pool.

Mastercard Foundation (the “Foundation”) values and respects your privacy. By submitting an application for this opportunity, you hereby agree to the Foundation’s collection, use and disclosure of your personal information in accordance with its Privacy Policy (available at https://mastercardfdn.org/privacy/). Please note that the Foundation may share your personal information with third-party agencies that support the Foundation’s recruitment activities, and such third-party agencies may contact you directly regarding this opportunity. If you have any questions or concerns, please contact the Foundation’s Privacy Officer at the address indicated in its Privacy Policy.

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.

For more information and to sign up for the Foundation’s newsletter, please visit http://www.mastercardfdn.org/
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