The Lead, Agrifood Systems is responsible for overseeing and driving the transformation of agrifood systems, ensuring the integration of sustainable agricultural practices and innovative solutions that address systemic constraints. In this role, you will engage with partner organizations and ecosystem stakeholders to drive the development and execution of the Foundation’s country strategy and agrifood systems roadmap.

The role involves support to ecosystem strengthening, stakeholder engagement, project and partnership management for sustainable and transformative creation of dignified and fulfilling work opportunities for young people in the agrifoods sector.

The ideal candidate will have extensive experience in agriculture, food security, and sustainable development, with a passion for fostering collaboration and achieving lasting, impactful change in agrifood systems. In addition, experience in program development and management, partnership management, systems transformation, policy and stakeholder engagement aimed at transforming food systems at local, national, and regional levels.

WAYS YOU CAN CONTRIBUTE

• Collaboration with stakeholders, including governments and private sector actors, to develop evidence-based recommendations on program implementation to enhance sustainable agrifood systems for youth employment.
• Track and analyze existing and emerging policy trends, regulatory frameworks, and market dynamics impacting the agrifood sector nationally and regionally to adjust program strategies and ensure alignment with evolving agrifood sector conditions.
• Provide thought leadership and regular policy updates to the Foundation team, partners and other stakeholders to ensure alignment of programs with evolving economic landscapes.
• Lead the development and implementation of strategic initiatives that address ecosystem barriers to young people’s economic participation in the agrifoods sector and sustainable, equitable, and inclusive food systems.
• Provide policy and other systems-level analysis and technical input for the design and implementation of agrifoods programs, ensuring alignment with national, regional, and other relevant frameworks.
• Contribute to the monitoring and evaluation of system-level impacts, offering insights to improve program effectiveness and sustainability.
• Coordinate multi-stakeholder platforms to facilitate concerted efforts aimed at improving the enabling environment for meaningful youth participation in the agrifoods sector.
• Lead the design, implementation, and management of agrifood systems programs and projects, ensuring alignment with organizational goals and sustainable practices.
• Collaborate with the Country Program team to leverage synergistic opportunities in developing ecosystem strategies and interventions relevant to Young Africa Works in Uganda and their interlinkages to agricultural, agri-business, and agri-finance programs.
• Represent the Foundation’s interest in programming governance activities, such as investment committees, advisory committees, or other stakeholders to provide oversight or elevate and leverage learnings.
• Working closely with implementing partners and participants to contribute towards systematic learning and reflection processes to enable continuous adaptive management of programs.
• Provide perspective and expertise on emerging issues and trends in the agricultural, agribusiness and agri-finance sector at the ecosystem level.
• Identify ecosystem challenges and opportunities in Uganda that can be unlocked through education, labour and financial systems to drive job growth.
• Build and maintain strong relationships with key stakeholders, including Government, Ministries, and Agencies, industry leaders, civil society organizations, development partners, and other stakeholders critical to shaping the country’s agricultural landscape.
• Stay abreast of developments in the agriculture sector in Uganda, such as new concepts, key partners, new information being generated, policy movements, important upcoming events, etc.
• Lead matrixed and cross-functional team in a myriad of activities related to co-design and implementation phase.
• Establish and lead a community of practice for ecosystem actors to enhance sustainable and scalable youth participation in the agrifoods sector.

Who You Are

• Master’s degree in agriculture, development economics, and/or financial inclusion and a relevant professional qualification.
• Minimum of 10 years of relevant field-based experience in coordinating or managing complex agribusiness and MSME development projects with agriculture orientation in Uganda.
• Minimum of 5 years’ experience in leadership and management roles within the private sector.
• Strong understanding of agripreneurship and agri-focused enterprises, including the systemic challenges in Uganda and Africa.
• Experience with entrepreneurs and enterprises in various agriculture, manufacturing value chains, and supply chain/logistics.
• Understanding the role of rural MSMEs and agripreneurship in economic transformation and job creation for rural youth.
• Strong budgeting skills with experience in managing an extensive portfolio of assets, including grant-making, project management, partner/stakeholder management, M&E, strategy development, and/or gender approaches to development.
• Strong analytical skills, thinking strategically, and contributing as a thought partner in the Foundation’s strategy development.
• Strong understanding of the Ugandan economy and political economy, particularly in job creation, agriculture-focused investments, enterprises, and financial inclusion, with knowledge of global best practices as a plus.
• Strong management skills and experience with market systems development approaches.
• Strong interpersonal skills with the ability to work transparently and constructively with various actors independently and as part of a team.
• Strong communication skills, with the ability to communicate progress and lessons learned from projects to colleagues and the wider development community.
• Demonstrates professional maturity, cultural sensitivity, and integrity, aligning with the 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.