Director, Government Engagement – West Africa

Administration / Office
Lagos State
October 3, 2025
Full Time

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Job Description


Mastercard Foundation is a global foundation based across four hubs in Kigali, Rwanda, Nairobi, Kenya, Accra, Ghana and Toronto, Canada. 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.

Job Title: Director, Government Engagement – West Africa

Location: Lagos

Description

  • The Director, Government Engagement role will be responsible for all government relationships with the regulators, government entities, and related entities, across sales and/or solution design, business development, and program oversight.
  • Understanding of Government processes, strong analytical skills, a strategy or Business Development background, as well as a basic understanding of financial technology and payments solutions is paramount.
  • Strong strategic communications and presentation skills to engage internal and external stakeholders and gain buy-in for execution is key.
  • Ability to work cross functional in a matrix organization and proven delivery proof points have to be clearly showcased.

Major Accountabilities (The Role)

  • Identify, qualify, develop, and close market-wide or use-case based solutions for government clients on both a solicited an unsolicited basis
  • In partnership with the local Country Manager, Country BD Lead & local team, and in alignment with the regional GE team, develop a business opportunities pipeline in line with the local market strategy.
  • Accountable for the development and monitoring of the account plans and KPIs, as well as the program management of the partnership in all of its stages: Discover, Qualify, Prioritize, Plan, Execute, Codify (for new types of opportunities)
  • Support in developing Quarterly Business Reviews and Annual Budget Planning exercises for the local market
  • Engage the Government Centre of Excellence and other relevant global corporate units to identify or co-design relevant solutions including commercial and non-commercial assets to be deployed as part of the engagement program.
  • Participate actively, and lead if needed, in the design of strategic and commercial initiatives for the cluster, focusing on creating sustainable, scalable and repeatable business models.

Corporate Security Responsibility:
All Activities Involving Access To Mastercard Assets, Information, And Networks Comes With An Inherent Risk To The Organization And, Therefore, It Is Expected That Every Person Working For, Or On Behalf Of, Mastercard Is Responsible For Information Security And Must:

  • Abide by Mastercard’s security policies and practices;
  • Ensure the confidentiality and integrity of the information being accessed;
  • Report any suspected information security violation or breach, and
  • Complete all periodic mandatory security trainings in accordance with Mastercard’s guidelines.

Deliverables

  • Lead generation and management as well as development of a BD pipeline and account plans for key accounts
  • Development of pitch decks and customer-centric narratives, solutions and value propositions
  • Ongoing monitoring and reporting, in coordination with market and regional units, across country initiatives
  • On a regular basis, demand analysis for existing and future Mastercard solutions to be provided to the Government CoE
  • Communication to Country Managers, Regional Government Engagement head, and in-country teams on program status, risks & gaps, as well as escalation management.

Key Requirements (All About You)

  • Candidates should possess relevant qualifications.
  • Solid understanding of the payment ecosystem and digital economy infrastructure.
  • Understand the political structure and regulatory landscape of the local market and how it operates, key players and influencers.
  • Proven business development mindset to drive and build momentum and deliver results.
  • Well-connected with balanced and conducive relationships in the aforementioned Governments.
  • Nigerian National preferred.

Application Closing Date
Not Specified.

How to Apply
Interested and qualified candidates should:
Click here to apply online

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