Lead, Program Communications, WAEMU

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. WAEMU (West African Economic and Monetary Union) context The Foundation is scaling its operations in Francophone Africa and evolving its programs from one country (Senegal) to 7 additional countries within the West Africa Economic and Monetary Union (WAEMU, UEMOA). The vision of the Foundation’s Young Africa Works strategy in the WAEMU cluster is that by 2030, young women and men within the Union will have equal and fair access to dignified and fulfilling work as a result of a modern, sustainable, competitive, industrialized, and integrated agricultural sector. The strategy aims to enable 6.2 million young people, 70% being women, to access dignified and fulfilling work in the WAEMU zone over the next decade. The countries of focus will include Senegal, Benin, Burkina Faso, Côte D'Ivoire, Mali, Niger, and Togo. The Foundation’s programs in these countries will focus on creating opportunities for young people through the agriculture value chain with particular focus on modernization, integration, value addition, industrialization, and innovation. These programs will target among others smallholder farmers and MSMEs (Micro Small and Medium Enterprises) operating in selected value chains, with a particular focus on women-owned businesses and with the majority of participants being female. If you are an experienced communications professional looking to increase your impact, read on! THE OPPORTUNITY As the WAEMU Lead for Programs Communication, you will be an integral part of the sub regional team with responsibility for strategic communications, stakeholder engagement, brand, and reputation management. You will be an advisor to the Country Head and Programs Team and drive collaborations with our partners’ communications point persons to ensure alignment in all related communications. Reporting to the Regional Head, Programs Communications, West, Central and North Africa, this role involves managing people, agencies and third parties. WAYS YOU CAN CONTRIBUTE Strategy development and execution to enable the Foundation’s operations within the WAEMU zone. Develop stakeholder engagement strategy and oversee its execution to build the Foundation’s reputation with relevant stakeholders including governments, regional bodies, young people, regional media, and the targeted groups. Contribute to reputation and brand positioning for the Foundation’s work, working closely with Programs colleagues and Programs Communication Team members to frame findings and insights from country programs into information that is consumed by decision-makers in Africa. Provide counsel and strategic advice to the Country Head, WAEMU. Work closely across functions to develop findings and insights from regional partnerships and curate information that is consumed by decision-makers in Africa and globally. Work with the Programs Team to develop and strengthen innovative communications models and channels, including the use of both traditional and new, emerging methods, in order to engage in more impactful ways with and within a range of constituencies. Build the capacity of Program partners and improve the quality of communications through the development of toolkits, training and upskilling partner’s communications teams and enabling the adoption of innovative communications methods with the goal of improving execution. Craft messages and program communications strategies that are thoughtful and positioned to reach priority audiences including governments, private sector, other funders, and youth. Cultivate relationships with top journalists, bloggers, and other influencers to enable the delivery of the Foundation’s strategy for the region. Work with youth ambassadors, young entrepreneurs and thought shapers to elevate the voices and views of young people across the region. Media mapping, planning and management in support of the Foundation’s work in the region. Develop and manage budget for program communications portfolio. Align with a culture of high performance, willingness to learn, perpetual curiosity, results orientation. Develop and implement internal communication strategies, plans and materials to communicate the Mastercard Foundation’s messages, stories, strategies and issues to employees and internal stakeholders. Other duties as required by business needs. WHO YOU ARE Strategic, a proven communications leader with experience working in Africa and with a range of Africa-led organizations. Experience working within the WAEMU region will be a plus. You have at least 15 years relevant experience in communications working in development programs, regional bodies, communications agency, news agencies and related sectors. Comfortable with ambiguity, receptive to new ideas, and willing to change when presented with best options. Possess strong leadership and people management skills. Strong ability to influence outcomes. A bi-lingual professional (French and English) and you possess the ability to navigate Francophone Africa. A superior communicator who is progressive, highly creative, and flexible. A compelling storyteller who is naturally curious. A strong team player who thrives on teamwork and collaboration. A Proven performer who leans towards execution. You are results and impact focused You have a degree in Communications and/or a related field. A Master’s degree in Communications and/or related field is a plus. Have a demonstrated ability to lead successful communications campaigns with a focus on development and human stories using both mainstream and social media. A compelling storyteller with demonstrated ability to frame compelling content for various audiences. You have demonstrated experience on brand positioning and management Demonstrated extensive and professional use of social media (Twitter, Facebook, YouTube, Instagram among others). Direct experience working with digital, print, radio, and television journalists with a strong network across the subregion. Proven ability to edit materials and review/adapt them to fast changing situations, exercising, and promoting creative thinking. A confident communicator with excellent interpersonal, analytical, presentation and editorial digital skills. Outstanding social and intercultural skills and proven ability to multitask and work to deadlines, sometimes under pressure. 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 August 12, 2022. 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/ Follow the Foundation on Twitter at @MastercardFdn

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