Head, Entrepreneurship Development at MasterCard

THE OPPORTUNITY 

• Reporting to the Country Director, the Head of Entrepreneurship Development will lead and shape the Entrepreneurship Development unit, responsible for developing and executing a strategic roadmap to empower and enable young women and men in Nigeria to access dignified and fulfilling work.
• This role requires strategic vision, strong leadership, and the ability to build a high-performing team that will drive impactful entrepreneurship programs across various thematic areas, including access to markets, finance, financial inclusion, and capacity building.

WAYS YOU CAN CONTRIBUTE 

• Drive Nigeria office entrepreneurship development strategy and roadmap based on focus sectors, entrepreneur segments, and systems change.
• Formulate and implement a comprehensive entrepreneurship development strategy and roadmap for the Nigeria office, aligning it with focus sectors, entrepreneur segments, and systems change initiatives.
• Translate strategies into actionable plans, ensuring the Foundation's values and priorities are reflected.
• Promote a culture of innovation and agility, fostering the development of new programs delivered through our program partners.
• Providing strategic direction on the portfolio, ensuring entrepreneurship programming meets Foundation values and priorities, and positions the Foundation in Nigeria.
• Oversee Nigeria’s entrepreneurship programs design and delivery.
• Ensure strategic cohesion, coordination of programming efforts, and knowledge sharing within the entrepreneurship thematic area while collaborating with other entrepreneurship professionals in the Foundation.
• Manage risks related to the portfolio and propose respective mitigation plans for resolution.
• Ensure implementation enables dignified and fulfilling jobs for young men and women.
• Cultivate relationships and facilitate engagements (e.g., roundtables, forums) with external thought leaders to advance the Foundation’s reputation as a thought leader in this area in Nigeria.
• Build strong relationships with continental and global entrepreneurial communities that provide impact-oriented platforms for entrepreneurs in different sector portfolios to increase the participation and benefit of young African entrepreneurs.
• Serve as a focal point for the Foundation in local Entrepreneurship Development platforms that can scale and accelerate Mastercard Foundation programs.
• Facilitate sharing of expertise and lessons learned across theme teams formally and informally, convening theme teams and expertise from the rest of the organization as needed.
• Promote collaboration and information sharing within the thematic area both inside and outside of the organization.
• Build the Foundation’s presence at local platforms designed for advancing entrepreneurship excellence, including providing support as judges, advisors, and panelists during different entrepreneurship events across the continent.
• Strengthen multi-faceted efforts towards access to markets, capacity and ecosystem building, and finance by outlining compelling and clear guidelines to improve and enhance the interaction among teams driving these efforts.
• Interacting with counterparts from other program teams to ensure strategic cohesion; Keeping the Country Director apprised of entrepreneurship projects being incubated and sharing recommendations for new programs.
• Recruit and build a cohesive entrepreneurship development team in Nigeria. This will require leadership and support.
• Model and reinforce the Foundation’s values in team behaviors and interactions.
• Coach direct reports across the team to support their productivity in the consistently excellent delivery of program KPIs.

 WHO YOU ARE

• Advanced degree in finance, business, entrepreneurship, economics and financial inclusion or a related field.
• Relevant professional qualification and a member of a relevant professional body.
• A minimum of Fifteen (15+) years of experience driving strategy and program success with organizations across African countries.
• Ten (10+) years of leadership and management experience, of which at least five were gained in an African multi-country environment.
• Experience building large-scale initiatives in Nigeria and expertise in at least two of the Entrepreneurship thematic areas (i.e., Market Opportunities, Policy and Advocacy, Capacity development, Access to Finance, and Financial Inclusion).
• Deep knowledge of Nigeria’s employment, job creation, and innovation landscape.
• Proven track record of working with and mentoring successful entrepreneurship endeavors.
• Experience in public policy within nonprofit organizations, international NGO, and learning institutions is also helpful.
• Proven experience effectively engaging with senior government officials, key partners, media, business leaders and other influential individuals.
• Strong coordination and project management skills.
• Excellent organizational and prioritization skills; demonstrated attention to detail and ability to handle multiple tasks simultaneously.
• Exposure to systems thinking with an ability to understand and engage with stakeholders in different ecosystems and design programming that addresses root causes and critical needs.
• Substantive knowledge of critical issues, emerging trends, and barriers in youth and work across Africa.
• Excellent multi-stakeholder management skills with senior Foundation colleagues and senior levels of external stakeholders.
• Ability to build and directly manage small and agile teams of 2 – 4, but regularly engage with many more across the thematic areas and countries.
• Fosters a positive spirit of collaboration in a complex and rapidly evolving environment.
• Results Orientation, innovation and entrepreneurial.
• Progressive and creative thinker with innovative perspectives on entrepreneurship development across the various thematic areas.
• 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.