Program Manager, Agriculture Technical Expertise Group (Africa)

About Mastercard Foundation

Mastercard Foundation is a global foundation based in Toronto, Canada. Our programs promote financial inclusion and advance youth learning in Africa. 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. By enabling young women and men from disadvantaged communities to secure and sustain decent work, we will enable tangible and intrinsic improvements to their well-being. By 2030, we want to see an Africa where young people, particularly young women, have decent and fulfilling work. Where everyone can acquire the education and skills they need to find meaningful work and contribute to their societies. Where everyone is financially included and has access to relevant, affordable, and local financial services that they need to manage their daily lives, grow their businesses, and achieve their dreams. Most importantly, we want to see an Africa with a thriving private sector and where governments address the needs of their populations through well-designed and implemented policies and programs, and where the continent is self-reliant and driving its own development.

The Foundation values innovative and fresh thinking as it strives to become a global thought leader. Its work is achieved by a strategic, nimble and highly entrepreneurial team with a proactive and results-oriented approach to its philanthropic activities. The organization’s culture is shaped by people who are driven and passionate about the Foundation’s mission.

AGRICULTURE

Agri-food and rural SMEs are often a critical link in the economic transformation of a country as they allow farmers to commercialize their activities and lift themselves out of subsistence farming.  The majority of the population across Africa depends on the agricultural sector for livelihoods and employment and agri-food and rural SMEs can help to provide a route out of poverty for smallholder farmers and rural communities while spurring economic diversification, sustainable development, creation of jobs and trade.

To ensure that the Foundation leverages the great opportunity for youth employment that the agricultural sector offers, an Agriculture Technical Expertise Group has formed to provide technical expertise that supports the development of country strategies and programs. The Agriculture Technical Expertise Group supports the development of country strategies, provides technical support in the development of country-led programs, helps colleagues build a shared understanding of key issues and opportunities related to inclusive agricultural economies in Africa, and contributes to the Foundation’s learning agenda.

Africa remains a continent where most people, and a large majority of disadvantaged people, live in rural areas and rely on subsistence agriculture for their livelihoods. Under the Rural and Agricultural Finance (RAF) initiative, the Foundation has committed over $175 million in funding to programs that provide financial services to smallholder farmers, provides access to essential inputs, and strengthens their capability to apply tested farming practices to improve the productivity of their farms. The initiative supports MFIs, banks, agribusinesses, MNOs, investment funds, and technology companies to provide these services to farmers. As a learning institution, the Foundation continues to generate and disseminate evaluation analysis to guide its future programming under its new Young Africa Works strategy and to benefit the wider financial inclusion industry.

THE POSITION

The Program Manager will report to the Associate Director, Programs. The Program Manager will work collaboratively with the Agriculture Technical Expertise Group Lead and other Foundation staff including Program country team members who are developing country strategies and Strategy and Learning colleagues.

The Program Manager will also be responsible for a portfolio of existing Rural and Agricultural Finance programs and partnerships. This individual will be expected to interact effectively with senior levels of partner organizations to advance the current work of the Foundation, while concurrently contributing to the Foundation’s country strategy development and new programs.

The Program Manager will be expected to provide expertise to identify constraints that prevent agricultural systems from functioning effectively at the country level. This work includes identifying constraints that prevent young people from developing skills relevant for work in the sector and that prevent agribusinesses from accessing the finance, capacity and markets needed to grow; the development and design of programs in the agricultural sector and incorporating the agricultural sector’s needs into country strategies.

Specific Responsibilities

• Identify challenges and opportunities in the agricultural sector that can be unlocked through education, labour and financial systems, to drive job growth.
• Provide agricultural sector expertise to support Foundation country teams in the design and management of agricultural and agri-finance programs to scale country-level inclusive education, financial and labour systems in Africa.
• Work closely with the Agriculture Technical Expertise Group Lead and other team members to achieve team goals.
• Provide perspective and expertise on emerging issues and trends in the agricultural and agri-finance sector.
• Manage current programs, distilling learnings for Foundation staff and country teams.  Includes oversight of day-to-day activities of particular programs or processes, conducting field visits, and reviewing project budgets.
• Support Country Teams in the development or implementation of new programs, including co-creation of programs and due diligence of potential partners and projects.
• May supervise Associate Program Managers, providing them with coaching and support necessary for success and growth.
• Communicate progress and learnings from projects to foundation colleagues and the wider development community.
• Work closely with the program and country teams to leverage synergies across programs and across geographies.
• Build relationships with partner organizations, communities of practice, and global stakeholders.
• Represent the Foundation and collaborate with key internal and external audiences.
• Identify and help overcome challenges and other barriers to team effectiveness.
• Share knowledge and learning and offer insights and solutions.
• Contribute insights to the Foundation’s thought leadership on youth employment in Africa.

Qualifications

• Master’s degree or equivalent experience in Finance, Business, Agricultural Economics and/or Financial Inclusion.
• Six (6) plus years of experience in agricultural financial inclusion is required. This experience could include project management and/or field experience working in developing countries.
• Experience with commercial agricultural companies operational in Africa.
• Experience living and working in Africa.
• Demonstrates a strong understanding of the role of financial inclusion in economic growth and development, particularly in Africa, and as it relates to small holder farmers.
• Understands market and systemic challenges to financial inclusion for rural and agricultural economics in Africa and best practices for addressing them, including M4P (Markets for the Poor) and facilitating market systems.
• Experience with global grant making, especially in designing market systems development programs. This experience may come from working in another funding organization, corporation or an NGO.
• Demonstrates strong understanding of agricultural markets in Africa and the systemic challenges leading to stagnant growth.
• Understanding of the role agri-food and rural SMEs can play in economic transformation and job creation.
• Demonstrates strong analytical skills, the ability to think strategically and contribute as a thought partner in the Foundation’s strategy development
• Experience and understanding in a variety of value chains (cash and food crops), the small businesses and SMEs along the value chain, and supply chain / logistics in agriculture.
• Possess understanding and knowledge of current trends and innovations in agri-finance for value chains, agri SMEs and smallholder farmers.
• Demonstrates strong budgeting skills with the ability to manage a large portfolio of assets.
• Demonstrates the ability to communicate progress and learnings from projects to colleagues and the wider development community.
• Demonstrates experience in providing expert technical advice to program managers and implementers.
• Command of quantitative and qualitative business analytics.
• Excellent project management skills, including multi-stakeholder projects.
• Excellent presentation and listening skills.
• Strong interpersonal skills with the ability to be flexible and adaptable.
• Proactive, engaged and a self-starter.
• Ability to work both independently and as part of a team.
• Bilingual English and French oral and written language skills preferred.
• Is willing to travel up to 40% of the time.

TO APPLY

Please email your resume along with a cover letter explaining your interest in the position to humanresources@mastercardfdn.org, indicating “Program Manager, Agriculture Technical Expertise Group” in the subject line of your email. We appreciate your interest and advise that only candidates selected for an interview will be contacted directly.

The Mastercard Foundation values the unique skills and experiences each individual brings to the Foundation and are committed to creating and maintaining an inclusive and accessible environment for everyone. We appreciate your interest and advise that only candidates selected for an interview will be contacted directly.

Completion of satisfactory business references, background checks (criminal and credit) and proof of education are essential conditions of employment.

If you require accommodation during the recruitment and selection process, please contact the People and Culture Department. We will work with you to provide a positive recruitment experience in a confidential manner.