The Mastercard Foundation is one of the largest private foundations in the world with a strong presence across Africa. Established in 2006, the foundation is driven by a bold mission: to advance education, promote financial inclusion, and create access to dignified and fulfilling work for young people, especially women. With programs like Young Africa Works and initiatives that support entrepreneurship, skills development, and job creation, the Mastercard Foundation has become a key player in shaping Africa’s future workforce. Headquartered in Toronto, Canada, and working in partnership with governments, private sector, and non-profits, the foundation is not just offering jobs—it is offering an opportunity to be part of a mission that changes lives and communities.
Director Corporate Communications and Brand
Locations: Nigeria, Senegal and Ghana
Roles:
- Develop and implement unified corporate communications and brand strategy that advances the Foundation’s mission and priorities.
- Oversee brand management, ensuring alignment with the Foundation’s values, purpose, and desired impact.
- Guide the Foundation’s digital presence—including strategy, content, and audience engagement across all channels—to build meaningful connections with key audiences.
- Lead employee communications that strengthen connection, trust, and shared purpose—helping colleagues feel informed, engaged, and inspired by the Foundation’s mission and values-led culture.
Content and Storytelling
- Champion powerful, authentic storytelling that reflects the voices of young people, partners, and communities.
- Drive creative campaigns that inform, inspire, and influence, using digital, media, and other channels.
- Oversee content development that ensures the Foundation’s voice is consistent, clear, and compelling.
- Strategic Influence
- Use communications as a lever for influence—helping to shape conversations, elevate ideas, and catalyze change across the development ecosystem.
- Collaborate with colleagues in Thought Leadership to connect communications and influence strategies.
Team Leadership and Collaboration
- Lead, mentor, and develop a high-performing team across brand, digital, and employee communications functions.
Experience:
- A strategic communications leader with at least 15 years of experience in development, philanthropy, or related fields in Africa.
- Experienced in digital strategy and audience engagement, with a deep understanding of channels, platforms, and analytics.
- Skilled in campaign design and storytelling that drives engagement and influence.
- Strong writer and editor, with a proven ability to convey complex ideas clearly and compellingly.
- Experienced in employee communications and fostering organizational engagement.
- Demonstrated experience in brand strategy and management.
- People management experience, with a collaborative, inclusive, and empowering leadership style.
- Adept at working across cultures, geographies, and diverse stakeholder groups.
- 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.
Investment Intern
Location: Kenya
Roles:
- Analyzing investment opportunities by building financial models, assessing historical performance and contributing to investment memorandums
- Developing valuations under the guidance of Investment Officers and Investment Managers; refining investment cases, forecasts and sensitivity analyses
- Creating quarterly reports on the performance of funds and portfolio investments
- Conducting desktop research on macroeconomic conditions in the markets in which ACIF invests, on priority investment sectors and specific to investment opportunities identified by the team
- Participating in meetings with financial, legal, tax, and impact advisors in conducting due diligence of investment opportunities
- Supporting the execution of transaction processes, including overseeing meeting of conditions precedent, and closing
- Working with management teams to develop and complete reporting requirements
- Ensuring appropriate reporting by portfolio funds or companies
Experiences:
- Bachelor’s degree in finance, accounting, business, actuarial science, economics, engineering, statistics, data analytics or an associated field from a recognized institution
- Mastercard Foundation Scholar Alumni
- Understanding of investment fundamentals, key drivers of major African markets, and risks of operating in complex markets
- Skills
- Excellent quantitative analytical skills (financial modeling, financial analysis, etc.) and strong written English communication and presentation skills (including power point, memo writing, etc.)
- Demonstrated ability to effectively research and assess investment opportunities
- Analytical skills to interpret complex financial data
- Flexible, adaptable, and able to manage changing priorities in a fast-paced environment.
- Comfort with ambiguity and uncertainty
Program Lead, Disability Inclusion
Location: Africa
Roles:
- Contribute to the implementation of the Disability Inclusion strategy, including designing sector interventions, seeking new ideas, and using evidence to inform strategic framing.
- Build and co-create partnerships aligned to the Disability Inclusion strategy, providing thorough guidance and analysis during program design, partnership development, implementation, monitoring, and learning.
- Ensure programmatic and thematic priorities are understood and coordinated across geographies, thematic teams, and external stakeholders.
- Lead or support inclusive convenings, workshops, and events, ensuring accessibility and participation of all stakeholders.
- Support the Disability Inclusion team on day-to-day inquiries, calls, and meetings, and organize periodic meetings with partners and relevant stakeholders to track progress, record, and follow up on action points.
- Identify and connect Disability Inclusion intersections across the Foundation and mobilize focal point team members.
- Regularly update the Mastercard Foundation on program implementation status and make recommendations based on findings.
Experience:
- Master’s degree in Design for Social Innovation, Digital Transformation and Technology for innovation, Social Sciences or a related field.
- 10+ years of experience engaging with senior staff in government, private sector, UN bodies and humanitarian agencies, etc., as well as young people.
- Working with marginalized youth, in particular refugees, displaced youth and/or young people with disabilities.
- Contributing to a new initiative or transforming an existing one into something more impactful, in a multi-cultural environment.
- Building partnerships and managing multiple projects.
- Building and managing teams, coaching and mentoring colleagues.
- Presenting information to internal and external leadership teams/individuals.
- Delivering results in a fast-paced, fluid environment.
- Working across cultures and geographies.
Legal Counsel
Location: Nigeria, Senegal
Roles:
- Provide legal support on non-charitable projects and transactions related to the Foundation’s operations.
- Participate in various operational projects as legal support for the Foundation.
- Proactively identify, analyze and respond to legislative developments affecting the Foundation’s operations.
- Negotiate and review vendor contracts and communicate feedback appropriately.
- Collaborate with Legal and Compliance team members in providing support to country and functional teams on operational regulatory compliance, including privacy and data protection-related regulatory compliance requirements.
- Ensure contracts are in line with the Foundation policies, procedures and strategic objectives.
- Collaborate with Legal and Compliance Team members to maintain and upgrade vendor contract templates.
- Support the continuous improvement of legal processes and procedures.
- In partnership with the business leaders and external partners co-create the design and support the implementation of compliance programs.
- Build and maintain relationships with internal and external stakeholders.
Experiences:
- Degree in law (LLB or JD) is required.
- Member in good standing of a Law Society (Bar).
- Minimum of 5 years of experience working in a reputable firm or in-house position with a demonstrated record of success in Africa.
- Experience working in charitable and non-profit sectors is preferred.
- Experience working in a start-up or ‘build’ environment.
- Strong contract drafting and negotiation skills.
- Must be fluent in English.
- Ability to exercise appropriate and sound judgement and discretion in dealing with legal matters.
- Innovative and entrepreneurial; can formulate and develop new or creative approaches to problems and inspires others on the team to do so as well.
- 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.
Investment Fellow
Location: Kenya
Roles:
- Analyzing investment opportunities by building financial models, assessing historical performance and drafting investment memorandums
- Assessing fund managers by reviewing historical performance, pipelines and investment strategies
- Developing valuations, refining investment cases, forecasts and sensitivity analyses
- Creating quarterly reports on the performance of funds and portfolio investments
- Conducting desktop research on macroeconomic conditions in the markets in which ACIF invests, on priority investment sectors and specific to investment opportunities identified by the team
- Working with financial, legal, tax, and impact advisors in conducting due diligence of investment opportunities
Experiences:
- Bachelor’s degree in finance, accounting, business, actuarial science, economics, engineering, statistics, data analytics or an associated field from a recognized institution
- Mastercard Foundation Scholar Alumni
- At least 5 years’ experience in a related field
- Understanding of investment fundamentals, key drivers of major African markets, and risks of operating in complex markets
- Skills
- Excellent quantitative analytical skills (financial modeling, financial analysis, etc.) and strong written English communication and presentation skills (including power point, memo writing, etc.)
- Demonstrated ability to effectively research and assess investment opportunities
- Analytical skills to interpret complex financial data
Pro Tip:
When applying for a role at the Mastercard Foundation, don’t just highlight your technical skills, make sure your application reflects a passion for impact, inclusion, and youth empowerment. The foundation values people who not only excel in their professions but are also deeply aligned with its mission of creating transformative opportunities for young people. In other words, show both your competence and your commitment to making a difference.
If you’re ready to build a career with impact, explore the latest opportunities and see how you can be part of this transformative journey. Visit Mastercard Foundation Official Page and explore more opportunities.
