THE OPPORTUNITY

Join the Mastercard Foundation’s Secondary Education and Transitions (SET) platform and play a pivotal role in shaping the future of education and youth employment across Africa. This is a unique opportunity for a seasoned education and development leader to provide high-level strategic and technical advice that influences large-scale education initiatives, strengthens education systems, and improves pathways for young people to transition from learning into dignified and fulfilling work.

Reporting to the Director, Transitions, the Consultant, Senior Transitions will be working closely with governments, ministries, development partners, education institutions, and Foundation teams, to help drive innovative, scalable, and sustainable solutions that advance educational access, quality, inclusion, and employment outcomes for Africa’s youth.

Contract duration: 1 Year.

If you are a Senior Transitions professional looking to increase your impact with bold ambitions to do to do large-scale programs to address the challenge of youth unemployment and want this to be part of your legacy, read on!

WAYS YOU CAN CONTRIBUTE

As a trusted advisor and ecosystem connector, you will:

• Provide strategic and technical guidance to inform education strategies, program design, and implementation across the SET portfolio.
• Shape innovative initiatives that strengthen secondary education systems and improve transitions into employment and entrepreneurship.
• Advise on partnerships, stakeholder engagement, and government relations to support impact at scale.
• Contribute to monitoring, evaluation, governance, and learning frameworks that strengthen program effectiveness and sustainability.
• Support thought leadership, research, evidence generation, and policy engagement that influence the education ecosystem.

Success in this role will be measured through:

• Delivery of high-quality strategic advice and programmatic recommendations.
• Timely completion of agreed deliverables and stakeholder engagement activities.
• Strong relationships with government and ecosystem partners.
• Contributions that advance systems-level impact, sustainability, and improved outcomes for young people.

WHO YOU ARE

You are a mission-driven education and development expert with a passion for transforming opportunities for young people across Africa. You thrive in complex environments, bring credible influence with senior stakeholders, and combine strategic thinking with practical execution.

Qualifications & Experience

• Minimum 15 years of experience in education, international development, or related sectors.
• Deep understanding of education systems, policy reform, and youth transitions to work.
• Demonstrated experience working with Ministries of Education, governments, development partners, NGOs, and other key stakeholders.
• Strong track record in strategy development, program design, proposal development, and project leadership.

Key Competencies

• Strategic and systems thinking.
• Exceptional stakeholder engagement and relationship-building skills.
• Strong communication, facilitation, and influencing capability.
• Sound judgment, diplomacy, and political acumen.
• Ability to navigate complex, multi-stakeholder environments and drive alignment toward shared impact

Location Flexibility We are open to exceptional candidates based anywhere in Africa, reflecting our commitment to attracting the best talent to advance impact across the continent.

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.

• Provide strategic and technical guidance to inform education strategies, program design, and implementation across the SET portfolio.
• Shape innovative initiatives that strengthen secondary education systems and improve transitions into employment and entrepreneurship.
• Advise on partnerships, stakeholder engagement, and government relations to support impact at scale.
• Contribute to monitoring, evaluation, governance, and learning frameworks that strengthen program effectiveness and sustainability.
• Support thought leadership, research, evidence generation, and policy engagement that influence the education ecosystem.

• Strategic and systems thinking.
• Exceptional stakeholder engagement and relationship-building skills.
• Strong communication, facilitation, and influencing capability.
• Sound judgment, diplomacy, and political acumen.
• Ability to navigate complex, multi-stakeholder environments and drive alignment toward shared impact

• Minimum 15 years of experience in education, international development, or related sectors.
• Deep understanding of education systems, policy reform, and youth transitions to work.
• Demonstrated experience working with Ministries of Education, governments, development partners, NGOs, and other key stakeholders.
• Strong track record in strategy development, program design, proposal development, and project leadership.