Consultant, Senior Transitions

About the Role

Become part of the Mastercard Foundation’s Secondary Education and Transitions (SET) platform, playing a crucial role in directing major education and youth employment efforts across Africa. This role is geared towards experienced leaders in education and development who can provide strategic and technical advice to influence expansive education programs, enhance education systems, and facilitate effective transitions for young people into meaningful employment.

Reporting to the Director of Transitions, the Consultant, Senior Transitions collaborates extensively with government entities, ministries, development organizations, educational institutions, and Foundation teams. The goal is to foster innovative, scalable, and sustainable solutions that elevate access, quality, inclusion in education, and employment outcomes for African youth over a contract term of one year.

Key Responsibilities

• Offer strategic and technical expertise to guide education strategies, program designs, and their implementations within the SET portfolio.
• Conceptualize and develop initiatives that reinforce secondary education systems and ease young people's pathways toward employment and entrepreneurship.
• Advise on forming effective partnerships, stakeholder engagement tactics, and manage government relations to expand program impact.
• Contribute actively to establishing monitoring, evaluation, governance, and learning frameworks to ensure program sustainability and effectiveness.
• Drive thought leadership by supporting research, evidence development, and policy dialogues that shape the broader educational landscape.

Success Metrics

• Provision of high-caliber strategic advice and actionable program recommendations.
• Meeting deadlines for deliverables and sustaining productive stakeholder engagement.
• Building and nurturing strong trust-based relationships with government bodies and ecosystem partners.
• Facilitating systemic impact leading to sustainable improvements for youth outcomes.

Who You Are

You are a goal-oriented education and development specialist passionate about improving youth prospects across Africa. You excel in complex environments, wield significant influence with senior stakeholders, and adeptly blend strategic vision with practical delivery.

Qualifications and Experience

• At least 15 years of professional experience in education, international development, or related sectors.
• In-depth knowledge of education systems, policy reform, and the mechanics of youth transitions to employment.
• Proven track record collaborating effectively with Ministries of Education, government agencies, development partners, NGOs, and similar stakeholders.
• Strong expertise in strategy development, program design, proposal creation, and leadership of projects.

Key Competencies

• Expertise in strategic planning and systems thinking.
• Excellent skills in stakeholder engagement and relationship building.
• Outstanding communication, facilitation, and persuasion abilities.
• Sound judgment combined with diplomacy and political insight.
• Capacity to manage complex, multi-stakeholder settings and forge alignment towards shared objectives.

Additional Information

The Foundation welcomes exceptional candidates based anywhere in Africa, emphasizing their commitment to attracting top talent continent-wide. The Mastercard Foundation is dedicated to fostering an inclusive and accessible work environment, respecting all unique skills and experiences.

Employment is contingent upon successful business references and background checks.