THE OPPORTUNITY

Reporting to the Country Director, the Head of Strategy & Planning serves as a trusted strategic adviser and execution partner to the Country Director. The role leads the development, implementation, monitoring, and periodic review of the Ethiopia Country Program’s strategy and annual operating plans. It drives organizational performance, strategic alignment, cross-functional coordination, and operational rigour to enhance the quality and impact of programming.

The role supports the Country Director in setting and managing leadership priorities, facilitating effective decision-making, coordinating the Country Leadership Team, and ensuring timely execution of critical decisions and strategic initiatives. The position also leads high-priority, cross-functional, and transformational projects while strengthening information flow, organizational accountability, and follow-through across the Country Program.

WAYS YOU CAN CONTRIBUTE

Strategy and Planning

• Lead the development, review, and implementation of the Ethiopia Country Program strategy; translate it into annual operating plans, priorities, targets, measurable outcomes, and short-, medium-, and long-term roadmaps.
• Coordinate planning across functions and align programmatic, operational, financial, and people priorities.
• Provide strategic analysis, research, scenarios, and recommendations; monitor the external environment and assess implications for the Country Program.

Strategy Execution and Performance Management

• Establish and manage a framework for monitoring strategic priorities, Country Program performance, key results, and quarterly performance reviews.
• Track leadership decisions and strategic initiatives, escalate risks and delays, prepare concise reports, dashboards, and decision papers, and facilitate corrective action where performance is below target.

Chief of Staff Support

• Serve as a trusted adviser and thought partner to the Country Director; help establish leadership priorities and manage the flow, prioritization, delegation, and escalation of strategic information and decisions.
• Prepare the Country Director for critical engagements; attend selected meetings with or on behalf of the Country Director; and ensure decisions and actions are documented and implemented.

Leadership Governance and Coordination

• Coordinate the Country Leadership Team’s annual agenda, meetings, retreats, and strategic discussions, with a clear focus on decisions, priorities, performance, risks, and accountability.
• Maintain a consolidated record of leadership decisions, commitments, and actions; identify organizational bottlenecks; and strengthen communication and coordination across the Country Program.

Strategic Initiatives and Transformation

• Lead high-priority, cross-functional, and transformational initiatives by establishing clear objectives, governance, milestones, resources, reporting mechanisms, and risk-mitigation actions.
• Ensure strategic projects achieve intended results within agreed timelines, while promoting innovation, organizational learning, and effective change management.

Program Quality and Organizational Effectiveness

• Support leadership oversight of program quality, impact, and strategic alignment; facilitate portfolio reviews; identify systemic delivery challenges; and escalate major risks, interdependencies, and resource constraints for resolution.

WHO YOU ARE

• A master’s degree in International Development, Public Policy, Economics, or another relevant field is preferred.
• Professional certification in strategy, project or programme management, change management, performance management, or organizational development is an added advantage; continuous professional development in strategic leadership, executive advisory, or organizational performance is desirable.
• Minimum of 12 years of progressively responsible professional experience, including at least five years in a senior strategy, planning, management consulting, programme leadership, executive advisory, or general management role.
• Demonstrated experience leading strategy development, annual planning, execution, performance reviews, and the translation of strategy into practical priorities, indicators, and accountability mechanisms.
• Experience serving as a strategic adviser or thought partner to a Chief Executive, Country Director, senior executive, or leadership team.
• Proven ability to lead complex, high-profile, cross-functional initiatives from conception through implementation and evaluation.
• Experience coordinating leadership forums, management reviews, strategic retreats, and executive decision-making processes, and producing high-quality briefings, analyses, business cases, presentations, reports, and decision papers.
• Strong experience in stakeholder engagement, organizational performance monitoring, financial planning, budgeting, resource allocation, risk management, and corrective action.
• Experience working in complex, multicultural, and matrixed organizations, preferably within international development, philanthropy, the public sector, consulting, or another mission-driven organization.
• Significant knowledge of Ethiopia’s development context, with broader exposure to social and economic development issues in Africa, is highly desirable.
• Demonstrates strategic thinking and systems analysis, strategy development and planning, strategy execution and performance management, data analysis and management reporting, executive advisory and decision support, programme, project, and governance management, financial, operational, and risk management, and strategic communication and stakeholder influence.
• Demonstrates strategic leadership and results orientation, sound judgment, adaptability, and problem-solving, influence, collaboration, and clear communication, inclusive people leadership and teamwork, and integrity, discretion, fairness, respect, humility, and responsible leadership.
• Strong commitment to Mastercard Foundation’s values and vision.

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.

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