Reporting to the Head, Workforce Development, the Lead, Education & Skills will lead the team in designing and developing education and skills programs that align with nationally identified priorities and the Foundation strategies, with a focus on supporting youth employment, particularly in the agriculture sector.

WAYS YOU CAN CONTRIBUTE

• Identify issues and trends affecting the quality of secondary education as part of the Foundation’s country strategy and program development processes.
• Identify skills and workforce development gaps relevant to education and economic development during strategy and program development.
• Lead the development of new education and skills programming under Young Africa Works Ghana, engaging potential implementing partners for Secondary Education interventions.
• Participate in local Secondary Education partner coordination working groups, task forces, and relevant meetings.
• Lead the Education and Skills team, providing guidance and support to Program Partners, Analysts, and Interns to achieve team objectives.
• Manage Ghana’s Education and Skills program portfolio, ensuring objectives are met, facilitating partner coordination, reviewing reports, conducting site visits, and distilling program learning.
• Adapt the Foundation’s programming and learning related to secondary education for specific country contexts using diagnostics and partner portfolio insights.
• Design and deliver mechanisms to monitor the effectiveness and impact of education and skills development interventions.
• Provide education and workforce development expertise to support program design and management in Ghana and other priority countries.
• Build and maintain relationships with partners, senior government representatives, and key stakeholders while contributing to knowledge sharing at the global level.

WHO YOU ARE

• Bachelor’s degree in education, economics, or a youth development-related field is required.
• Minimum 7-10 years of relevant experience leading program interventions with partner organizations or grantees, focusing on education and skills development in Africa.
• Strong understanding of challenges, trends, and players in developing and implementing education programs in Sub-Saharan Africa, particularly at the secondary level.
• Demonstrated experience in program development and execution in the non-profit or public sectors, focusing on Secondary Education and workforce development training for low-income youth.
• Proven ability to lead diagnostic and analytic work, including project design, partner identification, and implementation.
• Experience managing teams and working with multi-stakeholder projects involving senior government and private sector partners.
• Solid understanding of skills and workforce development issues, particularly in agriculture and adjacent sectors, and for vulnerable groups (e.g., rural young women, refugee or displaced youth, youth with disabilities).
• Command of both quantitative and qualitative education and labour market analysis techniques.
• Strong partnership development and management skills.
• 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.