Consultant, Head, Impact, Agriculture And Agrifood Systems

THE OPPORTUNITY

Reporting to the Director, Agriculture and Agrifood Systems, the Head, Impact, Agriculture and Agrifood Systems plays a key role in translating the Foundation’s Impact strategy into tangible results at the partner level. You will work closely with the Director, country impact leads, program teams, and implementation partners to ensure strategic alignment and measurable outcomes.

In this role, you will lead the development and execution of the partner-level Impact Measurement Framework, ensuring that program outcomes contribute meaningfully to the Foundation’s broader goals.

As Head, you will champion rigorous impact measurement by identifying reliable secondary data sources and collaborating with Program teams and partners to track and evaluate the Foundation’s investments in Agriculture and Agrifood Systems. You will also support the Director in onboarding and aligning program partners with the Foundation’s Impact strategy by identifying opportunities for review, assessment, and evaluation to ensure the thematic strategy drives measurable progress toward national and continental development goals.

The contract duration is 1 year.

The successful candidate will be based in any of our offices in Africa (Ethiopia, Nigeria, Senegal, Ghana, Rwanda, Kenya, or Uganda).

WAYS YOU CAN CONTRIBUTE

Business Partner to Program Teams and Partners

• Collaborates closely with program teams to define strategic and measurable outcomes for specific programs and partnerships.
• Supports the development of data collection and analysis tools tailored to program objectives.
• Guides the design and implementation of impact assessment processes that inform program design and strategic decision-making.
• Ensures that partner-level measurement approaches are aligned with the Foundation’s overall impact and program strategies.

Operationalizing the Impact Measurement Framework

• Leads the development of a knowledge mobilization strategy to ensure that evidence is used to support adaptive management, strategic alignment, and accountability.
• Ensures evaluations and reviews extract strategic lessons across thematic areas to facilitate timely and relevant learning.
• Builds capacity across the organization and among partners to apply evaluative thinking—especially through lenses such as equity, systems change, and resilience—to assess potential transformational impact.
• Supports program and partner teams in analyzing root causes and systemic barriers to dignified and fulfilling work for youth in the Agriculture and Agrifood Systems space.
• Advice on setting intentional goals and strategies that unlock opportunities for young people.
• Helps translate these goals into measurable, scalable outcomes aligned with national roadmaps and continental strategies for youth employment.
• Leads the design and implementation of holistic, culturally grounded methodologies and tools for assessments, measurement, and research activities.
• Ensure youth-focused lenses are applied to define, measure, and communicate impact.
• Oversee quarterly impact monitoring, partner data quality accompaniment, and synthesis of findings into annual Impact Reviews that feed into program-level adaptive management.
• Brings an evaluative and impact-oriented perspective to the creation of insights and narratives that resonate with local and indigenous contexts.
• Manages external Impact Partner Organizations (IPOs) supporting program-level impact monitoring and verification.

Impact Data Capture and Reporting

• Supports the development and implementation of tools, strategies, and convenings that strengthen engagement with key government and private sector stakeholders.
• Leads the production of policy briefs that demonstrate the Foundation’s alignment with and contribution to national and continental Agrifood system strategies focused on youth employment and empowerment.
• Partners with the Foundation’s Communications team to lead knowledge translation efforts including mapping audiences and designing strategies that elevate the Foundation’s voice in impact measurement and youth-centered impact storytelling.

WHO YOU ARE

• A Master’s degree or Ph.D. in International Development, Economics/Agricultural Economics, Measurement and Evaluation, Population Studies, Sociology, or a related field.
• Minimum 13–15 years of experience in research, project management, M&E, and gender equity/governance initiatives, preferably within the international development sector, including collaboration with governments, mandated institutions, and private sector actors.
• Proven leadership and management experience in building institutions focused on accountability and learning.
• Demonstrated expertise in social impact measurement using both quantitative and qualitative research methods and tools.
• Strong understanding of systems thinking, with experience developing Theories of Change to support knowledge uptake, policy influence, and systems-level change.
• Skilled in effective facilitation, participatory approaches, and stakeholder engagement, with a demonstrated commitment to gender inclusion and youth engagement.
• Deep curiosity and a learning mindset, with the ability to translate insights including from failure into actionable strategies.
• Innovative and entrepreneurial, with the ability to navigate ambiguity, prototype solutions, and think broadly and creatively.
• Strong problem-solving skills and a track record of adapting to shifting contexts and challenges.
• 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 exemplifies the Foundation’s values.
• Demonstrate a 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.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