Femi Akindele
Program Lead, Refugees & Displaced Persons
location: Africa
time type: Full time
posted on
End Date: June 16, 2025
job requisition id: JR-0000000177
THE OPPORTUNITY
Reporting to the Head, Refugees & Displaced Persons and Disability & Inclusion, the Program Lead, Refugees & Displaced Persons leads portfolio development and engages partners for successful program design and implementation. In this role, you are responsible for supporting the execution of the Mastercard Foundation’s goals, specifically the development of initiatives and interventions that advance the delivery of the Refugees & Displaced Persons (RDP) strategy. You will work on the Foundation’s RDP Enterprise Program team to deliver the RDP strategy, build synergies and learning across interventions.
The preferred candidate can be based in Ethiopia, Ghana, Kenya, Nigeria, Rwanda, Senegal or Uganda.
WAYS YOU CAN CONTRIBUTE
Contribute to the implementation of the RDP strategy and design of sector interventions.
Contribute and seek new ideas and evidence on the strategic framing of the RDP strategy implementation.
Build-out, co-create and manage partnerships aligned to the RDP strategy and provide thorough guidance and analysis during program design, partnership development, implementation and monitoring and learning.
Ensure the programmatic and thematic priorities of the programs are understood and coordinated across geographies and thematic teams, including external stakeholders.
Manage workshops and meetings through agenda development, logistics and delivery.
Support the RDP team on day-to-day inquiries, calls and meetings.
Organize periodic meetings with partners and other relevant stakeholders to discuss and track program progress against the plan, record, and follow up on action points.
Identify and make connections to RDP intersections across the Foundation and manage the mobilization of focal point team members.
Regularly update the Mastercard Foundation on the status of program implementation and make recommendations based on findings.
Collaborate with team members in various functional areas, including Program, Impact and Measurement, Research and Communications, to ensure integration of RDP approaches.
Support Foundation team members and partners to feature RDP at events, either as participants or speakers.
Engage with external partners to review opportunities, challenges and advance interventions through collaboration, learning, exchange and strategic partnerships.
Develop and lead new partnerships, including identifying and working with prospective partners to design proposals and undertaking due diligence on potential partners and projects.
Manage, monitor and coordinate a portfolio of partners, including reviewing financial and narrative reporting from partners.
Perform due diligence, monitoring and manage annual planning workshops and/or visits to programs.
Support communication, progress and lessons learned from RDP projects to colleagues and partners within and beyond the Foundation.
Recommend and participate in evaluation and learning activities to guide the evolution of RDP programmatic work.
Capture and document insights and learnings to ensure that we consistently adapt to create sustainable and guided RDP programs and approaches.
Provide perspective on emerging issues and trends in the refugee and displaced context.
Manage research projects that are building evidence for RDP interventions or partnerships.
Build networks with RDP youth and African-based organizations to advance the interventions.
Collaborate with leads and partners in various functional areas including Program, Impact and Measurement, Research and Communications to ensure integration.
Manage and/or provide mentorship to junior staff.
Work collaboratively and provide guidance to RDP focal points at the Foundation.
WHO YOU ARE
Bachelor’s degree in Business Administration, Public Policy, International Development, Social Sciences, or a related field.
7+ years of experience engaging with senior staff in government, private sector, UN bodies and humanitarian agencies, etc., as well as young people.
Contributing to new initiatives or transforming an existing one into something more impactful, in a multi-cultural environment.
Building and managing teams, coaching, and mentoring colleagues.
Strong understanding of global, national, and local contexts that influence and inform opportunities for refugees, displaced youth, and young people with disabilities.
Exceptional analytical skills, the ability to think strategically and contribute as a thought partner in the Foundation’s strategy development.
Exceptional interpersonal and listening skills with the ability to build effective partnerships across all levels of the Foundation.
Passionate about youth education and employment in Africa.
Commitment to engaging and empowering young people, particularly women, and other marginalized groups such as refugees and displaced youth, and young people with disabilities.
Ability to plan and act strategically over long timeframes, patience, and persistence to achieve goals; and ability to balance immediate executional needs with longer-term visioning.
A team player with a high degree of emotional intelligence.
Entrepreneurial mindset to build a new function in a dynamic environment.
Service Mindset and striving towards becoming a trusted business partner to drive common Foundation goals.
Results-driven and motivated by a high sense of performance excellence and urgency.
Drive to continually experiment and innovate, building and leveraging best-in-class expertise and learnings.
Experience living and working in Africa is required.
Flexible, adaptable, and able to execute a range of job duties and changing priorities.
Excellent communication skills, both verbal and written, and presentation skills. Fluency in English and French is required, and other languages relevant to the work are an asset.
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.
Candidates who are refugees are encouraged to apply.
