Lead, Entrepreneurship, Kenya
| Location | NAIROBI, Kenya |
| Date Posted | June 19, 2025 |
| Category |
Economics
|
| Job Type |
Contract
|
| Currency | KES |
Description
THE OPPORTUNITY
The Lead, Entrepreneurship will support the implementation of entrepreneurship-related programs in Kenya, working closely with the Head, Entrepreneurship. This role will apply deep technical expertise in entrepreneurship to help shape, manage, and adapt the Foundation's programmatic work, ensuring alignment with the Foundation's strategy and the unique context of Kenya. The role will contribute to partnerships that unlock dignified and fulfilling work for young people and support innovations that strengthen the entrepreneurial ecosystem.
Responsibilities
- Support the development of the country strategy through technical insights on entrepreneurship and employment systems.
- Manage assigned programs related to entrepreneurship and financial inclusion, particularly those focused on rural and agricultural finance.
- Support the adaptation and implementation of program strategies to the country context, ensuring responsiveness to local needs and opportunities.
- Collaborate with implementation partners to ensure effective delivery of program activities, providing technical input where required.
- Maintain and strengthen relationships with partner organizations and stakeholders to support successful program outcomes.
- Support the design and execution of initiatives that drive innovation and scale in entrepreneurship.
- Contribute to learning and evidence-building by capturing lessons learned, documenting success stories, and participating in internal reviews.
- Share insights and learnings with internal teams and external stakeholders to inform thought leadership on youth employment in Africa.
- Participate in due diligence and review processes for potential new programs and partnerships.
- Monitor program performance and report on key metrics and progress toward outcomes.
- Support the coordination of internal working groups and cross-functional collaboration related to entrepreneurship.
- Engage in activities to continuously build subject matter expertise in entrepreneurship and the broader ecosystem.
WHO YOU ARE
- Bachelor's or Master's degree or equivalent experience in Finance, Business
- Minimum 10 years' experience with MFIs, banks or investment companies operational in Africa to finance SMEs, with special focus on Kenya, with five (5) years of management experience.
- Deep understanding of the Kenyan entrepreneurship landscape, including rural, agricultural, and informal sectors.
- Experience working with or managing implementation partners.
- Demonstrated Knowledge of systems change approaches and an adaptive learning mindset.
- Excellent analytical skills, the ability to think strategically and contribute as a thought partner in the Foundation's strategy development.
- Excellent budgeting skills with the ability to manage a large portfolio of assets.
- Excellent command of quantitative and qualitative business analytics.
- Excellent verbal, written, and presentation skills with the ability to articulate information to a variety of constituents across cultures.
- Excellent project management skills, including multi-stakeholder projects.
- Excellent knowledge of digital inclusion policy is an asset.
The Mastercard Foundation values the unique skills and experiences each individual brings to the organization and we are committed to creating and maintaining an inclusive and accessible environment for everyone.
Completion of satisfactory business references and background checks are essential conditions of employment.
For more information and to sign up for the Foundation's newsletter, please visit http://www.mastercardfdn.org/ Follow the Foundation on Twitter at @MastercardFdn
Applying Instructions
Lead, Entrepreneurship
THE OPPORTUNITY
The Lead, Entrepreneurship will support the implementation of entrepreneurship-related programs in Kenya, working closely with the Head, Entrepreneurship. This role will apply deep technical expertise in entrepreneurship to help shape, manage, and adapt the Foundation's programmatic work, ensuring alignment with the Foundation's strategy and the unique context of Kenya. The role will contribute to partnerships that unlock dignified and fulfilling work for young people and support innovations that strengthen the entrepreneurial ecosystem.
WAYS YOU CAN CONTRIBUTE
- Support the development of the country strategy through technical insights on entrepreneurship and employment systems.
- Manage assigned programs related to entrepreneurship and financial inclusion, particularly those focused on rural and agricultural finance.
- Support the adaptation and implementation of program strategies to the country context, ensuring responsiveness to local needs and opportunities.
- Collaborate with implementation partners to ensure effective delivery of program activities, providing technical input where required.
- Maintain and strengthen relationships with partner organizations and stakeholders to support successful program outcomes.
- Support the design and execution of initiatives that drive innovation and scale in entrepreneurship.
- Contribute to learning and evidence-building by capturing lessons learned, documenting success stories, and participating in internal reviews.
- Share insights and learnings with internal teams and external stakeholders to inform thought leadership on youth employment in Africa.
- Participate in due diligence and review processes for potential new programs and partnerships.
- Monitor program performance and report on key metrics and progress toward outcomes.
- Ensure alignment of programs with the Foundation’s values, principles, and country-level objectives.
- Support the coordination of internal working groups and cross-functional collaboration related to entrepreneurship.
- Engage in activities to continuously build subject matter expertise in entrepreneurship and the broader ecosystem.
WHO YOU ARE
- Bachelor’s or Master’s degree or equivalent experience in Finance, Business
- Minimum 10 years’ experience with MFIs, banks or investment companies operational in Africa to finance SMEs, with special focus on Kenya, with five (5) years of management experience.
- Deep understanding of the Kenyan entrepreneurship landscape, including rural, agricultural, and informal sectors.
- Experience working with or managing implementation partners.
- Demonstrated Knowledge of systems change approaches and an adaptive learning mindset.
- Excellent analytical skills, the ability to think strategically and contribute as a thought partner in the Foundation’s strategy development.
- Excellent budgeting skills with the ability to manage a large portfolio of assets.
- Excellent command of quantitative and qualitative business analytics.
- Excellent verbal, written, and presentation skills with the ability to articulate information to a variety of constituents across cultures.
- Excellent project management skills, including multi-stakeholder projects.
- Excellent knowledge of digital inclusion policy is an asset.
The Mastercard Foundation values the unique skills and experiences each individual brings to the organization and we are committed to creating and maintaining an inclusive and accessible environment for everyone.
Completion of satisfactory business references and background checks are essential conditions of employment.
For more information and to sign up for the Foundation’s newsletter, please visit http://www.mastercardfdn.org/
Follow the Foundation on Twitter at @MastercardFdn
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ABOUT MASTERCARD FOUNDATION
The Mastercard Foundation is a registered Canadian charity and one of the largest foundations in the world. It works with visionary organizations to advance education and financial inclusion to enable young people in Africa and Indigenous youth in Canada to access dignified and fulfilling work. Established in 2006 through the generosity of Mastercard when it became a public company, the Foundation is an independent organization separate from the company, with offices in Toronto, Kigali, Accra, Nairobi, Kampala, Lagos, Dakar, and Addis Ababa. Its policies, operations, and program decisions are determined by the Foundation’s Board of Directors and leadership.
THE WORK AT THE FOUNDATION IN CANADA AND AFRICA
The Foundation operates within the Indigenous communities in Canada to deliver on our EleV strategy and bold goal of enabling 100,000 Indigenous youth to complete their education, access economic opportunities and drive meaningful change in their communities by 2030.
Across Africa, the Foundation’s Young Africa Works strategy aims to spur systemic change to enable young people the opportunity to find meaningful work that is dignified and fulfilling. The Young Africa Works strategy sets out an ambitious goal for the next decade: by 2030, our work will enable 30 million young people in Africa, especially young women, to secure employment they see as dignified and fulfilling.
These programs are in partnership with the relevant government entities, communities, institutions, and individuals – ensuring that the Foundation delivers on its mission of collaboration and co-creation with those whose voices need to be heard the most, and can be change agents for themselves, their families, and communities.
Mastercard Foundation seeks a world where everyone has the opportunity to learn and prosper. We are ambitious and driven. Our values transcend and rise above everything else as our guide. We encourage you to bring your bold ideas, curiosity, and expertise to your work. We laugh at ourselves and with each other. We are a team. Our journey together makes our impact even more meaningful.