Head, Strategy Evaluations & Reviews

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, Ethiopia, Nigeria, and Uganda, building a broader leadership presence in Africa to develop specific strategies that support youth employment.  Within a country, we work with governments, the private sector, educators, young people, and other funders to improve the quality of education and vocational training, prepare young people for the work force, expand access to financial services for entrepreneurs and small businesses, and connect job seekers to dignified and fulfilling work.

We are ambitious and driven. Our values transcend and rise above everything else as our guide. We encourage you to bring your bold ideas, curiosity, and expertise to your work. We laugh at ourselves and with each other. We are a team. Our journey together makes our impact even more meaningful.

UNDERSTANDING CANADA PROGRAMS AT THE FOUNDATION

The Foundation has begun working within Canada in partnership with Indigenous communities and post-secondary institutions to listen, learn, and best understand how we can act in meaningful ways. The EleV strategy was co-created with Indigenous communities, young people, and partners to enable 30,000 Indigenous youth to complete their education and transition to dignified work aligned with their values and aspirations.

As reflected in Canada’s Truth and Reconciliation Commission Calls to Action, education is a key driver of improved socio-economic well-being. Through building partnerships with Indigenous communities, we look to expand our initiative ultimately helping to support a generation of transformative Indigenous young leaders who will be change agents within their communities. We believe that by setting a bold target, we will encourage engagement across sectors and create momentum that will elevate the strengths and opportunities of Indigenous youth. In keeping with our approach, Indigenous communities and young people will be the drivers of this transformation. The program will promote innovations to address longer-term systemic change to achieve economic prosperity and social well-being within Indigenous communities.

The EleV team oversees current and emerging partnerships related to Indigenous education. Consistent with our overall vision and Youth Africa Works strategy, we will share learnings and opportunities to connect across the work of the Foundation. While operating in distinct contexts, the centrality of youth voice and vision, affirmation of culture and identity, and priority to enhance community capacity for self-determination are common threads upon which our work is strengthened and reinforced.

If you are an experienced Strategy Evaluations & Reviews professional looking to increase your impact, read on!

THE OPPORTUNITY

Reporting to the Director, Outcome, and Impact Evaluation, S/he will be responsible for the implementation of independent and credible evaluation, review and learning efforts of the Foundation’s strategic investments. The role will provide credible technical leadership for strategic reviews, evaluations, evidence synthesis, and forward-looking analysis and also promote learning and utilization of latest evidence and insights to support effective programming and enhance impact. S/he will build an internal and external network to increase the Foundation’s influence in evaluation and learning practice.

WAYS YOU CAN CONTRIBUTE

• Design and manage all stages of planning and implementation for thematic evaluations and strategic reviews, providing oversight of external service providers.
• As directed by the Director, Outcome, and Impact Evaluation, manage all strategic and thematic evaluations and reviews (systems level, country strategy and regional programs) to ensure quality control, and globally accepted standards in the delivery of evaluations and reviews.
• Develop and manage a sense-making strategy to share evaluative information in a timely manner to promote uptake of evidence and learning across the Foundation.
• Lead evidence synthesis, context and forward-looking analysis with particular focus understanding the effect on different populations and underlying systemic conditions that drive inequity, generate new insights and levels of understanding.
• Identify and mobilize cross-functional human resources required to effectively support the design and delivery of Pan-African programs.
• Ensure evaluations align with Made in Africa and Indigenous Evaluation practice and approach.
• Ensure the data collection, analysis and reporting are aligned with the Foundation’s evaluation standards and protocols, ensuring quality, relevance, utility and uptake and its privileges voices of young people.
• Ensure application of transformation lens to evaluation to develop a line of sight from project-level outputs and outcomes to system-level outcomes and assess whether these are transformational.
• In collaboration with the Impact Capacity Development Unit, assess technical and strategic competencies of contracted evaluation teams and provide capacity development support and guidance where needed.
• Lead development of knowledge mobilization strategy to ensure evidence informs adaptive management, strategy and accountability for investments, implications of key strategic issues emanating from evaluations, and on issues that should be elevated to risk management and strategic review.
• Ensure evaluations and review strategic lessons from across thematic areas and portfolios to facilitate learning that is timely, relevant, and applicable to the Foundation’s investments.
• Contribute to organizational and partner capacity to apply evaluative thinking and criteria to assess a proposed program’s likely transformational impacts by advising, guiding, and explaining different evaluation approaches and lenses relevant to the Foundation’s mission (equity, systems change, resilience).
• Coordinate with different learning functions across the Foundation (research, knowledge management team) to ensure alignment, strategic complementarity of efforts, and identify strategic opportunities.
• Develop internal and external thematic evaluation and learning networks and ensuring the Foundation is up to date with the latest thinking and practice.
• Participate and contribute to agreed external evidence, learning and evaluation bodies and position the Foundation as a thought leader in evaluation.
• Contribute to other Impact team and Foundation overarching objectives to ensure enhanced program delivery and impact.
• Manage the logistics calendar (Foundation drivers/third party driving service) in the absence of logistics coordinator.
• Liaise with the Country Head Executive Assistant to facilitate internal communication within the Country Office.

WHO YOU ARE

• Post graduate university degree in International Development, Evaluation or related thematic area.
• Minimum 10 years of relevant professional experience in managing an evaluation function in a medium to large international organisation, preferably with Africa as a priority focus.
• Minimum 5 years’ experience conducting country strategy and program evaluations and reviews in diverse and or private sector managed initiatives.
• Minimum 13 years conducting country strategy, system level or program evaluations in agriculture, entrepreneurship, youth employment and education in development or private sector managed initiatives.
• Familiarity with established assessment and analytical tools (e.g., market systems analysis, youth voice, indigenous evaluation).
• Experience in managing multi sector evaluations across multiple geographies including fragile contexts in Africa.
• Experience in leading and managing evaluation teams and in supervising consultants.
• Excellent research & analytical skills and impact evaluation methods including qualitative and quantitative.
• Commitment to continuous improvement and innovation in evaluation practice.
• Committed to the use of indigenous knowledge and approaches in evaluation.
• Deep commitment to equity, inclusion, and sustainability and strategic thinking of context and relevance.
• Familiarity in working with diverse groups of young people including youth in vulnerable circumstances.
• Familiarity with and participation in policy and practice debates, leveraging insights and evidence related to youth employment and wellbeing.
• 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 March 31, 2023.

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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