ABOUT THE MASTERCARD FOUNDATION
The MasterCard Foundation is an independent, global foundation based in Toronto, Canada, with over $6 billion in assets. It was established through the generosity of MasterCard Worldwide at the time of the company’s initial public offering in 2006. As an independent entity, The MasterCard Foundation’s policies, operations, and funding decisions are determined by its own Board of Directors and President and CEO.
The Foundation believes that every person has the potential to transform their lives and improve the lives of their families and communities. Through its programs in Financial Inclusion and Youth Learning, and collaboration with partner organizations in 50 countries, mostly in Africa, it is creating opportunities for all people to learn and prosper.
The Foundation is on a growth trajectory. To date, it has committed over $980 million in major initiatives which align with its Financial Inclusion and Youth Learning strategies. This will continue to grow. The Foundation works to broaden economic participation of the poor and to enable young people to realize their potential. Much of this work will be accomplished by building strong institutions in developing countries and investing in robust evaluation and learning agendas.
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. As programs expand, the Foundation seeks seasoned and dynamic professionals with expertise in evaluation and learning, financial inclusion and/or youth learning who enjoy a fast-paced and performance-based environment.
EVALUATION AND LEARNING AT THE FOUNDATION
Evaluation and learning is a critical function at The MasterCard Foundation, directly informing programming strategies and decisions at all levels. Evaluative inquiry is undertaken in a spirit of learning and continuous improvement for program impact, with strong support from and engagement with the Foundation’s senior leadership. The Foundation’s approach to evaluation is collaborative and highly contextualized to program learning needs and environments. It supports a range of evaluation approaches, seeking to employ the most rigorous and relevant methods as appropriate to specific learning questions and agendas at the project, program and Foundation levels.
Our evaluation approach is guided by three main principles:
In line with the Foundation’s growth, the breadth and depth of evaluation and learning activities continue to expand. The Foundation works with a network of world-class research and evaluation experts, and uses evidence both for internal strategy and to contribute to important debates in the fields of Financial Inclusion and Youth Learning. The Foundation is committed to resourcing evaluation and learning robustly within projects and programs, and works closely with evaluation firms and researchers as ongoing learning partners for larger or more significant initiatives.
ABOUT THE POSITION
The Manager, Evaluation and Learning, helps to guide the evaluation and learning function at the Foundation and provides strategic advice and technical assistance to programs. S/he will leverage evaluation and learning expertise as well as sector-specific expertise in the areas of Financial Inclusion and/or Youth Learning (see below).
The Manager, Evaluation and Learning will work closely and collaboratively with the evaluation and learning team to promote and support an organizational culture that values evaluation and learning in a way that is both practical and useful for improving program and Foundation effectiveness. S/he will provide strategic advice to programs and assistance with evaluation planning, design, and implementation for a range of evaluation and learning activities across the Foundation’s program areas. S/he will also promote several learning-oriented initiatives, both internal to the Foundation and externally as the Foundation leverages and strengthens its role as an international thought contributor.
The Manager, Evaluation and Learning will report to the Foundation’s Director, Evaluation and Learning. In addition, s/he will work in partnership with all program staff and Foundation partners.
Specific responsibilities include:
Program Evaluation Design and Implementation:
Foundation Level Evaluation and Learning:
Other Duties:
KNOWLEDGE, SKILLS AND EXPERTISE
Financial Inclusion - e.g., scaling access to financial services particularly for disadvantaged populations, youth financial services, rural and agricultural finance and development, savings groups, financial education, and/or microfinance capacity building.
Economic Opportunities for Youth – e.g., youth employability and workforce readiness, entrepreneurship, asset-building, and/or connecting youth to jobs.
EDUCATION AND EXPERIENCE
The successful applicant will have an advanced degree or equivalent experience in evaluation or a related field such as international development, economics, psychology, sociology, behavioral sciences, or public policy. He or she will also have a minimum of 10 years professional experience with at least six years hands-on experience managing and/or conducting evaluation, research, public policy analysis and/or working with a variety of qualitative and quantitative evaluation techniques.
BENEFITS AND COMPENSATION
The Foundation offers an excellent benefits package and a salary that is commensurate with experience.
TO APPLY
To pursue this exciting opportunity, please contact Eric Lathrop or Andrew Dumont at (613) 749-9909 or andrew.dumont@odgersberndtson.ca. To apply online, please submit your resume and related information at www.odgersberndtson.ca/en/careers/11779.
The MasterCard Foundation is an open, collegial organization which honours the principles of equality of opportunity for all.