Associate Engagement Lead, Mastercard Foundation Associate Program - Shortlist Futures

Program: Mastercard Foundation Associate Program

Location: Full-time, Remote within Africa (Preference for East Africa)

Compensation: Shared during the first interview

Reports To: Program Lead at Shortlist Futures — East Africa Placement Partner

Contract Type: Two Years with possibility of extension

About Shortlist Futures

Welcome to Shortlist Futures! We are a workforce innovation lab working to address twin challenges – driving economic growth and employment opportunities in Africa. Our programs have worked with 1,000+ impact-led organizations, engaged 2M+ job candidates, created 8k+jobs, and are on track to generate $500M+ in income increases. Headquartered in Nairobi, our team sits across the continent.

About the Role

The Mastercard Foundation Associate Program (MFAP) is a transformative work-based learning initiative designed to address unemployment. Shortlist will support the Mastercard Foundation, as the East African placement partner, in seeking to place (Associates) into dignified, 12-month employment opportunities over two years.

The Associate Engagement Lead is responsible for the overall Associate experience once an associate is placed with a Host Organisation (Employer). You will lead the iteration, implementation, and continuous refinement of the Associate Engagement strategy, working directly with the Associate Engagement Coordinator and managing multiple Engagement Associates supporting this function. You will work closely with other program teams to ensure issues are identified early, escalated appropriately, and resolved in a way that protects Associate dignity and program integrity.

Key Responsibilities

Associate Experience & Engagement

● Lead onboarding for all Associates, ensuring clarity on expectations, support structures, and program guidelines.

● Design and continuously improve the Associate engagement model, ensuring consistency and quality across touchpoints.

● Ensure production of quality materials such as newsletters, presentations, community platform & mentorship guides, and anything else that supports associate development.

● Ensure timely delivery of Associate training across key modules, handling everything from planning to execution and follow-up, working closely with our learning partner.

● Spot, assess, and escalate Associate-related risks or incidents to program leadership in a timely and responsible manner.

● Lead planning and execution of periodic program events involving stakeholders such as the funder, associates, and employers.

Coordination & Collaboration

● Lead and manage Engagement Associates (Talent Corps) working within the Associate Engagement function, ensuring clear tasking, follow-through, and quality output.

● Develop and maintain strong systems within your function, including relevant SOPs, trackers, reporting templates, and documentation practices related to Associate engagement.

● Run recurring team meetings and update shared notes to ensure program leadership is informed on department activities, risks, and progress against targets.

● Work closely with Talent Sourcing, Partnerships, Admin, MEL, and Finance teams to ensure a cohesive Associate journey.

Program Outcomes

● Own engagement-related outcomes, including but not limited to:

○ Associate satisfaction rates

○ Webinar attendance and participation rates

○ Check-in survey completion rates

○ Newsletter open rates

○ Timely resolution of Associate queries and issues reported

● Monitor engagement data in partnership with the MEL team and proactively adjust strategies where performance gaps are identified.

● Empower team members in this function to own specific tasks that lead to overall outcomes, ensuring resources are used efficiently, and impact is measurable.

What We’re Looking For

Experience & Skills

● 3-5+ years of experience in program delivery, community management, talent programs, or workforce development.

● Experience working in/managing cross-functional teams and running complex programs.

● Experience or interest in delivering webinars, workshops, and organising events.

● Strong judgment, communication, and problem-solving skills.

● Strong content and/or copywriting skills with evidence of previous work.

● Comfort working across multiple stakeholders and navigating ambiguity.

● Ability to work independently in a remote, fast-paced environment.

Key Competencies

● Strong communication and interpersonal skills – able to clearly communicate instructions, feedback, and requests to internal teams.

● Integrity and accountability – demonstrate ethical conduct, confidentiality, and commitment to safeguarding and reporting standards, especially when engaging with associates.

● Teamwork and collaboration – work effectively within the team and with technical partners to achieve program objectives.

● Proactive and self-driven – takes initiative, demonstrates ownership of tasks, and follows through on commitments.

● Attention to detail – ensures accuracy in data collection and up-to-date program documentation.

● Engagement and empathy – enjoys sharing knowledge/teaching and engaging with different types of stakeholders.