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Join the industry’s most passionate, motivated and engaged global team – Our employees are encouraged to drive innovation every day in support of a more connected world – A World Beyond Cash.

Overview
The Middle East and Africa (MEA) region’s Communications area utilizes communications strategies and expertise to advance business priorities across the region. The main mandate of the MEA Communications team is to build and advance, as well as defend and protect, the reputation of MasterCard, its products, enterprise and brand.
The jobholder will join a highly driven African team focused on achieving rapid success and growth across the continent. He or she will have a track record at building competence and confidence in the strategic use of communications within the organization and will deliver impactful and credible communications to key external stakeholders, as well as the equally important employee base.
Based in Johannesburg, South Africa or Lagos, Nigeria, he or she will report to the Communications Manager: Africa. This individual will lead all communications functions across two divisions – South Africa and Sub-Saharan Africa – including: External and Media Communications, Social and Digital Communications, Internal Communications, Corporate Social Responsibility and Event Management.
The position will effectively act as deputy for the Communications Manager: Africa and will, as such, provide strategic counsel to the South African and Sub-Saharan African senior management teams and support strategic business initiatives. He or she will partner with Marketing on brand building with a sophisticated approach to, and execution of, issues and reputation management. He or she will have an established track record and experience in successfully managing media and corporate communications’ crises. He or she will be expected to draw on a robust corporate or agency experience to bring fresh, proactive strategic thinking to the enterprise.
Role
• Tell the MasterCard Africa story at a global level, both internally and externally. This includes writing error-free, on-message content tailored to a wide range of audiences and channels including blog posts, newsletters, media releases, speeches, briefing documents, internal employee stories, social media posts etc.
• Lead MasterCard’s communications strategy and media presence across Africa. Work with the Communications Manager: Africa, the MEA Communications Vice President, senior management, country mangers and business unit leads to devise and implement successful communications programs at local and pan-African levels, allocate resources and direct execution.
• Manage MasterCard’s PR Agencies in Africa including day to day management, development of strategy, overseeing contracts and budgets, continuously scope for better vendors, etc.
• Work with Marketing to put in place a solid social media communications platform to ensure optimized share of voice for MasterCard in social networks across Africa and effective two-way communication therein.
• Manage major South African, Sub-Saharan and African events especially those attended by the Region’s President or by senior visiting executives like the MasterCard Africa Knowledge Forum, World Economic Forum Africa, African Banker Awards, etc. This includes creating high-level briefing packs, scheduling senior executive meetings, managing PR agencies, etc.
• Lead and implement MasterCard MEA’s strategic and interactive employee communications and engagement programme in Africa, using all existing internal communications channels to ensure the company’s African story is well told within MasterCard.
• Conceptualize, plan and manage employee events including year-end functions, team off-sites, town halls etc.
• Lead employee volunteering efforts by identifying charitable causes, coordinating with NGOs and mobilizing employees.
• Support the Communications Manager: Africa and MEA Comms VP to ensure structures, personnel (internal and agency), resources, work flow, and communications processes are in place to deliver a solid pan-African strategic plan against the SA and Sub-Saharan African business objectives and the MEA Communications strategy.
All About You
• Distinguished track record as a high achieving communications executive with a demonstrated capacity to build and execute communications programmes that support business growth within a dynamic and changing corporation.
• Superb writing skills and the ability to simplify complex topics.
• Excellent project management skills and the ability to effectively collaborate across countries and business units.
• Team player who will work well with senior business and functional leaders of MasterCard South Africa and Sub-Saharan Africa.
• Keen understanding of the African scene beyond just media and into culture, economy, socio- politics and development agenda.
• Educated to degree level, with a minimum of six years’ experience in corporate communications – either in-house or at a public relations agency.
• Journalistic experience an advantage.