Head of Impact Labs

WAYS YOU CAN CONTRIBUTE

• As Head of Impact Labs (Consultant), you will advance the Foundation’s impact-driven innovation agenda by:
• Leading Innovation Initiatives: Manage projects across the Impact Labs innovation cycle, from opportunity discovery to solution scaling, ensuring disciplined execution, relevance, and timely delivery.
• Driving Co-Creation and Adoption: Design and lead collaborative processes with Foundation teams and partners to ensure solutions are user-centred, adopted, and scalable.
• Developing and Scaling Solutions: Oversee the incubation, roll-out, and scale-up of innovations aligned with the Foundation’s Young Africa Works and EleV strategies.
• Strengthening Operational Models: Contribute to the evolution of the Labs’ service delivery model to ensure solutions and processes are standardized, scalable, and sustainable.
• Leading Thematic and Technical Work: Serve as lead in selected innovation domains, shaping methodologies and applying user-centred approaches.
• Fostering Strategic Relationships: Build trusted relationships across the Foundation and with partners to cultivate a strong innovation community of practice.
• Representing the Labs: Contribute to thought leadership and represent Impact Labs in internal and external forums to enhance visibility and strategic alignment.
• Managing and Developing Talent: Lead and support team members, fostering alignment with the Foundation’s mission, culture, and growth objectives.
• Contributing Across the Foundation: Engage in cross-functional initiatives that strengthen the broader Impact, Research & Learning function and organization-wide priorities.

WHO YOU ARE

• Advanced degree or equivalent experience, preferably in innovation-related fields. Additional background in International Development, Economics, Research, or Social Sciences is an asset.
• Deep experience in international development and/or market-based initiatives relevant to African contexts.
• Proven ability to lead complex, multi-stakeholder, impact-driven projects, including operational and financial oversight.
• Skilled in participatory design, youth-led and community-based approaches, and knowledge generation.
• Strong grasp of innovation, technology, and science trends, particularly within Africa.
• Foundational knowledge of impact measurement and learning, with deep expertise in one or more related domains considered a plus.
• Proficient in facilitation, project and product management, and team leadership in innovation-driven environments.
• Experienced in budget development and financial management.
• Fluency in English is required. Proficiency in French is desirable.
• Able to frame, adapt, and execute plans creatively and pragmatically.
• Thrives amid change, emergence, and evolving priorities, balancing action and structure.
• Curious, humble, willing to interrogate conventional wisdom and bridge diverse fields of knowledge.
• Thrives in feedback-driven, co-creative environments with a strong growth mindset.
• Builds lasting, impactful partnerships based on fairness, respect, and trust.
• Demystifies complex ideas and inspires diverse audiences to act.
• Professional maturity and sensitivity to working within different cultures.
• Flexible, adaptable, and able to execute a range of job duties and changing priorities.
• Possess professional maturity, sensitivity with different cultures, and impeccable integrity that exemplify the Foundation’s values.
• You have a commitment to Mastercard Foundation’s values and vision.