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 professional 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 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.
The role involves leading 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.
(This role is open to candidates in any of our country offices in Africa (Kenya, Rwanda, Ethiopia, Uganda, Ghana, Nigeria and Senegal).
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 Impact Strategy is operationalized across Africa and Canada.
Developing and implementing strategies and operational workplans to deliver the E&I workstream activities, managing, mentoring and coaching staff, and engaging innovative partners across Africa and indigenous Canada to nurture the co-creation of indigenous knowledge and data.
Managing the timely provision of essential impact reports and narratives to the Impact Reporting workstream.
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 strategic plans and associated portfolios and programs.
Lead the development of An Approach to Evaluations and Reviews in Mastercard Foundation (policy equivalent) that sets out the types of evaluations and reviews that will be undertaken at Program, Portfolio and Country systems level, and how they will be conducted to ensure insights into the lives of young women and men, their families, institutions, and systems.
Lead the development of an Annual Evaluation Plan and Guidelines for evaluating, reviewing, assessing outcomes and impact at the Partner, Program, Strategy and Mission levels.
Socialize the guidelines across the Foundation and embed in program planning efforts to ensure the production of independent, credible evidence that meets high professional standards.
Develop mechanisms and standards for commissioning high quality independent Evaluation and evaluation specialists, including deploying a transparent EOI and RFP process.
Ensure the engagement of stakeholder groups, particularly young women, and men (both internal and external to MCF), appropriately in the evaluation process.
Impact Labs and Narratives of change
Lead the 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).
Work closely with the Impact Partner Organizations in ensuring that Impact Lab and IPO data collection and the role of Youth Associates are closely aligned.
Provide support to indigenous Canadian and African thought and practice leaders in generating indigenous knowledge and data.
Promote MCF’s evidence and insights culture of accountability and learning through analyzing and narrating impact evidence and insights through youth lenses and perspectives informed by indigenous knowledge.
Manage the preparation of syntheses and summaries of evidence and insights in ways that empower voices and agencies of youth; and, working closely with the Impact Reporting workstream, and MCF Communications prepare presentations of these, tailoring messages to specific audiences and platforms.
Professional networking and representation
Participate and represent the Impact Unit of MCF in external professional forums and networks relating to Evaluation and Insights as may be authorized by the Head of Impact.
Participate in MCF internal evidence and evaluation expertise groups to enable sharing of experience and development of good practice.
WHO YOU ARE
Advanced University degree in International Development, Economics, Social Science or other relevant field, or First University degree with an additional years of related work experience and training.
Minimum 10 years of relevant professional experience with majority of career focused on evaluation-related work, with preference for experience with programmatic and participatory impact assessment both in the field and in a managerial position overseeing several staff and evaluation specialists.
Minimum 5 years’ experience in managing and/or conducting country strategy and program evaluations in diverse development and or private sector managed initiatives.
Extensive experience using participatory techniques for facilitating inclusive evaluations, evidence and insights.
Strong networks and work with youth groups, including youth in vulnerable circumstances.
Exceptional understanding of data systems and insights for triangulating evidence for Impact measurement and decision-making.
Strong understanding and commitment to the use of indigenous knowledge and techniques of enquiry to enrich evidence with communities and citizens.
Support for evaluation and evidence fields of practice that encourage thought leadership in the use of mixed methods, and the harvesting of outcome and impact narratives that are qualitative as well as quantitative.
Strong training, skills and competencies in economics, and in the handling and management of big data, as well as tech-enabled data collection and analysis.
Extensive experience in market-based MEL work with enterprises, investors, corporations.
Familiarity with policy and practice debates on evidence and insights, particularly arising from evaluation.
Experience in youth-targeted development investments, including the private sector.
Professional experience in multiple countries in Africa.
Experience leading and managing evaluation team(s) and/or supervised professional staff.
Demonstrated ability to communicate knowledge and skills effectively, design and conduct training, especially for young evaluators, and ability to conduct remote coaching.
Excellent research and analytical as well as writing and communication skills.
Membership in professional evaluation associations, notably in emerging African and Indigenous Evaluation networks; and/or professional certificate in evaluation is highly desired.
Strategic communications experience to present Evaluation, Evidence and Insights to high-level Boards, Governments and other relevant stakeholders to promote evidence and insights utilization.
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.
French language and/or local language skills are an asset.
You have a commitment to Mastercard Foundation’s values and vision.
Deadline for Applications is May 10, 2021.
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.
Apply via :
boards.greenhouse.io
