Head, Evidence & Insights at Mastercard Foundation Full Time

Mastercard Foundation is a global foundation based across four hubs in Kigali, Rwanda, Nairobi, Kenya, Accra, Ghana and Toronto, Canada. Our programs promote financial inclusion and advance education and learning in Africa, primarily for young people, and in Canada for Indigenous youth. The Foundation was established in 2006 through the generosity of Mastercard when it became a public company. From inception, the Foundation was designed to be a separate entity and independent from Mastercard. Our policies, operations, and funding decisions are made by our President and Board of Directors.

The Foundation believes that youth employment is key to unlocking prosperity, both for youth and their societies. Enabling young women and men from disadvantaged communities to secure dignified and fulfilling work will ensure inclusive development and economic growth in Africa.

We are desirous of recruiting suitably qualified individuals in the position below:

Job Title: Head, Evidence & Insights

Location: Nigeria

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 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.
• If you are an experienced Evaluation manager ready to build something new and increase your impact, read on!

The Opportunity

• Reporting to the Head of Impact, the Head, Evidence & Insights will be responsible for leading the vision for, and managing the Evidence and Insights Workstream to ensure that high quality independent evaluations and reviews are commissioned and managed well, that Impact Labs are established to support and elevate Indigenous knowledge, and that evaluative evidence is consolidated and provided to the Foundation to support adaptive management and governance.
• In doing so, the Head of Evidence and Insights will be part of the senior Impact team in implementing the vision of the Impact Strategy to transform the ways evaluations and reviews are conducted in giving greater voice to youth and Indigenous ways of knowing.

Ways You Can Contribute
Strategic management of the Evidence and Insights Workstream:

• With specific responsibility for leading the Evidence and Insights workstream, you will:
  • Work with the Head of Impact and the core Impact team to ensure that the vision of the Impact Strategy is operationalized across Africa and in indigenous communities in Canada.
  • Develop and implement strategies and operational workplans to deliver the E&I workstream activities, manage, mentor and coach staff, and engage innovative partners across Africa and indigenous Canada to nurture the co-creation of indigenous knowledge and data.
  • Manage the timely provision of essential impact reports and narratives to the Impact Reporting workstream.

Overseeing Outcome & Impact reviews:

• Ensure the commissioning and conduct of country strategy and annual program impact reviews, aiming to generate formative, independent, credible, and useful evidence and insights by assessing the performance and results of Foundation’s Young Africa Works country strategies  and associated portfolios and programs.
• Lead the development of An Approach to Evaluations and Reviews in Mastercard Foundation (policy-guideline equivalent) that sets out the types of evaluations and reviews that will be undertaken at Program, Portfolio and Country systems level, including the use of innovative practices and methods to  ensure insights into the lives of young women and men, their families, institutions, and systems.
• Lead the development of an Annual Evaluation Plan that sets out the scope of the Foundation’s annual evaluation and review activity at  Partner, Program, Strategy and Mission levels.
• Socialize the approach to evaluation  across the Foundation  to ensure the production of independent, credible evidence that meets high professional standards.
• Develop mechanisms and standards for sourcing  high quality independent Evaluation and evaluation specialists, including deploying a transparent EOI and RFP process that reaches beyond the convention evaluation market.
• Ensure the engagement of hard to reach stakeholder groups, particularly vulnerable young women, and men  in the evaluation process.

Impact Labs and Narratives of Change:

• Working closely with the Impact Partner Organizations, lead the scoping and establishment of a network of evaluative Impact Labs in Africa and Canada capable of deepening innovations & foresight around youth-focused impact (existing or new Labs).
• Manage the alignment of  Impact Partner Organizations and associated data collection, Impact Labs  and the role of Youth Associates .
• Ensure that indigenous Canadian and African thought and practice leaders are central to the Foundation’s support for  indigenous knowledge and data.
• Ensure that narrative impact evidence and insights through youth lenses and perspectives informed by indigenous knowledge are central to the evaluation work of the Foundation.
• Ensure that  evaluations, syntheses and summaries of evidence and insights are commissioned and managed in ways that empower voice and agency of youth and that messages are tailored to specific audiences and platforms.

Professional networking and representation:

• Participate and represent the Impact Unit of the Foundation  in external professional forums and networks relating to Evaluation and Insights as may be authorized by the Head of Impact.
• Participate in Foundation  internal meetings and forums as relevant for the evaluation and insights agenda of the Impact team.

Who You Are
Educational and professional qualifications:

• Advanced University Degree in International Development, Economics, Evaluation, Data Science, Social Science, Social Innovation or other relevant field.
• Minimum 8 years of evaluation management experience including managing evaluation teams, specialists and partnerships, and reporting to senior management and Boards.
• Minimum 8 years of experience as an evaluation practitioner conducting country strategy and program evaluations in diverse development and private sector initiatives.

Sector and Stakeholder Experience:

• Substantial experience in development, market-based organizations, philanthropic organizations or investors working in sectors such as agriculture, labor, finance, tourism, technology, social development, health, social enterprise.
• Strong understanding of socio-economic analysis, systems change, foresight analysis, data systems, and tech-enabled data collection and analysis.
• Familiarity with policy and practice debates on evidence, equity, inclusion, decolonization, post COVID economic reform among others.
• Support for evaluation and evidence practice that encourage thought leadership and innovation in the use of mixed methods, qualitative and quantitative data, narratives, systems change, participatory techniques for facilitating inclusive evaluations, evidence and insights.
• Strong understanding and commitment to the use of indigenous knowledge and techniques of enquiry to enrich evidence with communities and citizens.
• Strong networks and work experience with youth groups, including youth in vulnerable circumstances, youth-targeted development investments, including the private sector.

Geographic Experience:

• Professional experience in multiple countries in Africa, and ideal, experience with global initiatives.

Communication, professional networks, values:

• Demonstrated ability to communicate and engage effectively with a range of stakeholders including senior managers, Boards, team members, private and public sector partners and young evaluators.
• Excellent research, analytical and writing skills.
• Membership in professional evaluation associations, notably in emerging African and Indigenous Evaluation networks; and/or professional certificate in evaluation is highly desired.
• Flexible, adaptable, and able to execute a range of job duties and changing priorities.
• Professional maturity, sensitivity with different cultures, and impeccable integrity that exemplify the Foundation’s values.
• French language and/or local language skills are an asset.
• You have a commitment to Mastercard Foundation’s values and vision.

Application Closing Date
14th June, 2021.