Administrative Support Assistant - Mastercard Foundation

Mastercard Foundation is a global foundation based in Toronto, Canada with several offices in Africa. Our programs promote financial inclusion and advance education and learning in Africa, primarily for young people, and in Canada for Indigenous youth. The Foundation was established in 2006 through the generosity of Mastercard when it became a public company. From inception, the Foundation was designed to be a separate entity and independent from Mastercard. Our policies, operations, and funding decisions are made by our President and Board of Directors.

The Foundation believes that youth employment is key to unlocking prosperity, both for youth and their societies. Enabling young women and men from disadvantaged communities to secure dignified and fulfilling work will ensure inclusive development and economic growth in Africa.

Values are timeless, they transcend and rise above all. They guide everything we do, as employees of the Foundation.  We share a common vision of a world where everyone has the opportunity to learn and prosper. We make mistakes, we reflect, and we grow so that we can impact our world – it’s why we are here. We are ambitious and driven. 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.

THE WORK AT THE FOUNDATION

Mastercard Foundation’s country offices support several program areas around youth employment under the Foundation’s Young Africa Works Strategy.

An office in Ghana provides an opportunity to oversee the management and implementation of the Foundation’s initiatives, drive the country-level coordination of all Foundation interventions and represent the Foundation at a country level in close liaison with senior management and other staff in Toronto, Canada

THE OPPORTUNITY

Reporting to the Regional Director, West, Central & North Africa, the Administrative Support Assistant will play a key role in maintaining the country offices. This position will have frequent interactions with other Foundation staff in other Africa based offices and Toronto, Canada.

WAYS YOU CAN CONTRIBUTE

• Act as the office’s first point of contact for any queries and answer internal and external calls promptly and politely.
• Build, liaise and sustain relationships with employees, external stakeholders and general public on behalf of the Country Office.
• Provide administrative support to all Ethiopia office staff.
• Manage office calendars including prioritizing and resolving scheduling conflicts as required.
• Coordinate logistics of project meetings and events including room bookings, catering, refreshments etc. Prepare meeting materials as appropriate.
• Coordinate and/or support global travel arrangements including hotel bookings, ground/air transportation, travel itineraries and meeting briefs in advance of all trips. This could also include visas, expense reports etc.
• Manage agenda and take minutes at team meetings. Create, maintain and update the organization of files and records for teams.
• Maintain organization of the database, shared network drives and SharePoint sites.
• Assist with budget preparation and forecasting.
• Assist with special projects.
• Facilitate internal communication within the Country Office.
• Other duties as assigned.

WHO YOU ARE

• A College diploma or University degree is required
• Minimum 3 – 5 years of experience in an Administrative Assistant role in a fast-paced environment. Local experience preferred.
• Detail-oriented with a demonstrated ability to consistently and effectively produce high quality work.
• Excellent prioritization and time management skills.
• Excellent interpersonal skills, exhibiting grace under pressure.
• Excellent initiative and possess a “take charge” attitude and sense of ownership.
• Strong communication skills in English; written and spoken; French language skills preferred
• Service oriented with a willingness to take on a variety of tasks/activities.
• Able to work independently with little direction or supervision and possess ability to coordinate and manage multiple projects.
• Flexible and adaptable to changing priorities.
• Proficient in MS Office applications (PowerPoint, Word, Excel, Office 365 and SharePoint).
• Professional maturity, sensitivity with different cultures and impeccable integrity.
• Ability to set and achieve clear objectives.
• Complete other duties as assigned.
• You are flexible, adaptable, and able to execute a range of job duties and changing priorities.
• You possess excellent verbal, written, and presentation skills with the ability to articulate information to a variety of constituents across cultures.
• You possess professional maturity, sensitivity with different cultures, and impeccable integrity that exemplify the Foundation’s values.

The Mastercard Foundation values the unique skills and experiences each individual brings to the Foundation and are committed to creating and maintaining an inclusive and accessible environment for everyone. We appreciate your interest, and advise that only candidates selected for an interview will be contacted directly.