Lead, Qualitative Outcomes & Impact Measurement at Mastercard Foundation

Accra, Greater Accra Region, Ghana -

Full Time

Start Date

Immediate

Expiry Date

14 Mar, 26

Salary

0.0

Posted On

14 Dec, 25

Experience

10 year(s) or above

Remote Job

Yes

Telecommute

Yes

Sponsor Visa

Skills

Qualitative Research Methods, Study Design, Thematic Analysis, Participatory Inquiry, Youth Engagement, Impact Measurement, Analytical Skills, Storytelling, Capacity Building, Collaborative Guidance, Mixed-Methods Learning, Ethnography, Outcome Harvesting, Contribution Analysis, Developmental Evaluation, Contextual Insights

Industry

Non-profit Organization Management

Description

THE OPPORTUNITY Reporting to the Head of Outcome & Impact Measurement, the Lead, Qualitative Outcome & Impact Measurement will generate and interpret qualitative evidence that explains how and why change occurs for young people, highlighting experiences, mechanisms, and contextual factors behind observed outcomes. This role anchors the qualitative dimension of the Foundation’s impact measurement system, ensuring stories, narratives, and contextual insights are systematically gathered, synthesized, and used to deepen understanding of progress and learning across programs. Central to this work is ensuring that youth voices and lived experiences inform how evidence is designed, interpreted, and applied. As outcome monitoring, platform reviews, and cross-enterprise evaluations expand, this role provides methodological leadership in qualitative inquiry, participatory approaches, thematic analysis, and integration of contextual insights into evidence products. It strengthens our ability to complement quantitative metrics with in-depth explanations and narratives that enrich understanding of impact. WAYS YOU CAN CONTRIBUTE Translate the Foundation’s Impact and Measurement Frameworks into robust qualitative study designs and inquiry processes that capture change from young people’s perspectives. Lead qualitative and participatory inquiries aligned with the Impact Strategy, exploring how youth experience their journeys toward dignified and fulfilling work, what enables or hinders progress, and what impact means to them. Provide technical leadership on qualitative methods, coding frameworks, analytical approaches, and use of analysis software (e.g., NVivo, Dedoose, ATLAS.ti). Synthesize qualitative insights across platforms to surface youth narratives, patterns, and contextual explanations that enhance cross-Foundation learning. Ensure youth voices and lived experiences inform evidence generation, interpretation, and communication, shaping how impact is understood and strengthened. Offer collaborative guidance to Impact Partner Organizations in co-designing and executing qualitative studies, supporting reflection on methods and findings to improve quality and usefulness of insights. Build capacity across Foundation teams and partners in qualitative research, participatory inquiry, and storytelling for learning. Provide methodological guidance and quality assurance for qualitative studies, ensuring coherence and integration with quantitative findings. Design research questions and qualitative guides that address key learning and measurement priorities in the Impact and Measurement Framework. Translate qualitative findings into actionable insights for strategy, programming, and organizational learning. Collaborate with the Quantitative Lead to integrate findings into mixed-methods learning products. Curate, synthesize, and share qualitative evidence, including stories and narratives, to inform learning and reflection across programs. Represent the Foundation in technical and learning forums to share experiences and strengthen sector practice. WHO YOU ARE Advanced degree in social sciences, anthropology, development studies, or a related field. 8+ years of experience designing and managing qualitative or mixed-methods research and evaluation for large-scale programs, ideally within international development, donor, or foundation contexts. Expertise in qualitative research methods, including study design, validity, in-depth interviews, focus groups, participatory inquiry, ethnography, and thematic/content analysis. Proven experience applying qualitative evaluation approaches such as case studies, outcome harvesting, most significant change, contribution analysis, participatory or developmental evaluation to understand complex change processes. Skilled in designing research questions and qualitative guides aligned with impact frameworks and learning objectives. Ability to integrate youth, gender, and contextual perspectives into impact evaluation and learning. Strong analytical and synthesis skills, with the ability to communicate qualitative insights clearly for learning, strategy, and decision-making. Learning-oriented mindset grounded in humility, collaboration, and openness to context-driven, values-aligned approaches. Appreciates and applies adaptive, fit-for-purpose evaluation methods that emphasize understanding change, contribution, and learning in complex systems. Willingness to travel across African countries. Proficiency in English required, French an asset. 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 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. Learn More 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. Learn More

Responsibilities

The Lead will generate and interpret qualitative evidence to explain how and why change occurs for young people, ensuring that youth voices inform evidence generation. This role involves leading qualitative inquiries, synthesizing insights, and providing methodological leadership in qualitative research.