DRS - DevelopmentAid Recruitment Solutions

Programme Manager

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Last update: Jun 27, 2022 Last update: Jun 27, 2022

Details

Deadline: Jul 30, 2022 Deadline for applications has passed
Location: Pakistan Pakistan
Job type:Contract, 12 months +
Languages:
EnglishEnglish
Work experience: Min 15 years
Date posted:Jun 24, 2022
Expected starting date:Jul 31, 2022

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Description

Job Title: Programme Manager

Location: Islamabad, Pakistan (on sight, remote work not possible)

Eligibility: Pakistani citizens, or residents with valid residence and work permit

Contract duration: 30 months fixed contract

Reports to: Portfolio Contracts Manager

Starting date: 31st of July

DRS is looking, on behalf of our client, and Global Publishing Organization, for a skilled Programme Manager to manage the successful delivery of complex and multi-strand or multi-disciplinary Education Reform projects, managing resources and ensuring that deliverables are completed to quality, cost and time standards as specified in the contract, aiming to delight the customer throughout the project lifecycle in Pakistan.

Key Areas of Responsibility:

1. Manage contracts, scope and deliverables

- This role will manage large and/or complex donor-funded contracts and projects, with complex partnership arrangements

- Monitor and actively manage project scope, containing scope creep and negotiating variations as required

- Manage the completion and effective handover of deliverables as defined in the contract

- Manage the issuing and control of contractual documentation (e.g., the contract, variations, completion certificates or acts of rendered services) and ensure timely completion of any contract support activities

- Work collaboratively with the Account Manager (assigned from BD) to ensure join-up and agreement on approach towards all contractual or scope matters, ensuring strong client communications.

2. Plan the project and monitor and report delivery performance

The nature of the large and/or complex projects led by this role will require strategic planning that aligns plans from across all elements of the project

- Work with the Portfolio Development Manager to support BD by developing delivery options, timing, risks and cst estimates for new bids and proposals

- Actively contributing to contract negotiations and discussions, in collaboration with and as guided by the BD team

- Produce robust, achievable plans for the projects and ensure the commitment of all engaged parties to achieve them

- Monitor progress against plan and take corrective action and/or escalate to ensure plans are delivered

- Ensure timely, transparent reporting is provided to inform on all aspects of project performance and risks, to meet the need of the Project Steering Group, Client and CPE SMT

- Lead and chair project or programme working groups and meetings

3. Establish effective project governance and project organisation

This role will have a large focus on ensuring coherence across the project, and operating governance that will typically require high levels of formality, complexity and/or preparation, reflecting the bigger scale and multi-strand nature of the project

- Set up and facilitate both internal governance (Project Steering Group and Working Group) and external (with the client), to support effective decision making and proper use of escalation routes

- Ensure clarity of project organisation and roles

4. Operate robust project controls

Controls on the projects led by this role will typically be more complex and require greater formality than on smaller pro-jects. The project timeline, budgets, risks and issues managed or resolved by this role will typically be large or complex and with greater project or reputational impact, requiring high levels of proactivity and ownership before escalating fur-ther.

- Ensure controls are operated in accordance with good project practice and CPE project management methodology to ensure that delivery meets customer requirements

- Set and manage budgets (ensuring budgets are achieved), forecasts, control expenditure, contingencies and timely processing of purchase orders and invoices

- Establish and operate controls for managing quality, working with Technical teams to manage acceptance of all deliverables to ensure they achieve the specified standards

- Actively manage and report project risks throughout the project lifecycle. Promote focus of the project team (including account managers, for any communications to the client) to address these risks, ensuring mitigation and contingency arrangement are defined and provisioned for and escalating to Portfolio Contract Manager or Project Sponsor as required

- Actively manage project/programme issues and corresponding resolution actions, escalating to Portfolio Contract Manager and/or Project Sponsor as required

- Ensure project documentation is organised and controlled, in line with standards

- Identify, record and act on lessons learned throughout the project lifecycle and formalise them in the Project Closure report

5. Manage resources

This role will manage projects with large numbers of resources and large project teams. There will be a strong focus on providing leadership, direction, guidance and performance management, and maximise efficiency and effectiveness of the resources and team members. This may include management of resources across a matrix model or outsource Pro-ject Manager resources

- Work with the CPE Resource Manager to arrange the supply of resources for the project in line with project plans Manage procurement of external resources including timely processing of procurement deliverables and approvals

- Work with the Technical team(s) to ensure all projects resources have clear terms of reference and are clear on the requirements and best delivery approach

- Actively monitor and manage delivery performance of resources

- Coordinate and communicate with project team to ensure they are engaged and kept up to date of changing needs and priorities of the project

- Positively and actively lead and motivate the project team

- Liaise closely with the client to dovetail plans with their work to ensure resources are available for the joint activi-ties required

6. Manage communication and stakeholder engagement

This role will have a large focus on managing upwards, outwards and across from the project, and will include maintain-ing relationships with and influencing senior level stakeholder on topics with major project or reputational impact and re-quiring good sensitivity and judgement. The role will play a large role in the delivery of project communications

- Plan and manage project communications both internally and externally (with client and partners), in line with an actively maintained communication plan, and in collaboration with the Account Manager (BD) to ensure a joined-up CPE approach to any client interactions that may require multiple stakeholder input.

- Manage client interactions for the project, ensuring a positive experience for the client and collaborating closely with them on matters relating to delivery

- Work with the Project Sponsor and Portfolio Contract Manager to actively manage engagement, influencing and com-munication with internal and external stakeholders, in order to enable successful delivery of the project

7. Manage project closure

- Manage the project closure as per CPE Core Process framework, produce an internal closure report and carry out final handover to client ensuring all deliverables have been delivered as per contract

8. Support live opportunities work (as and when required)

- Provide project management structure and approach when putting together project plans/schedules and costings for proposals assigned by the Portfolio Development Manager

- Provide Business Development (BD) and Portfolio Development Manager any insight into customers or regions (in-cluding lessons learned, potential risks and mitigation strategies)

- Attend technical solution proposal kick-off meetings/workshops (as needed)

- Produce high-level project plans and send to Technical teams for review and agreement

- Agree on costing templates and approach with Portfolio Development Manager and Technical team colleagues

- Produce costings and run through them with the Technical teams for review (making necessary amends as needed)

- Run through proposed costings and project plans with Portfolio Development Manager for QA and sign-off

- Work with CPE Resource Manager to get and quality-assure quotes from suppliers (if technical, also involving tech-nical teams)

- Assist BD in preparing the proposal/bid for internal approval

- Attend Bids and Proposal Approval Meeting (BPAM) and make necessary amends to the costings (following scope changes/feedback)

- Following commercial sign-off of the price, prepare a table to meet client requirements for inclusion in the commercial proposal

- Support BD during negotiation phases of the Bid/Proposal (as required)

- Liaise closely with the BD team and Portfolio Development Manager to stay informed on progress of proposals sub-mitted (as required)

- Ensure that the necessary project information is completed and present in the Project Transition Checklist for all proposals submitted

- Start Delivery Project/Programme transition into Live Contracts Portfolio once contract is won (handing over the pro-ject/programme fully after the project initiation)

- Handover Project Transition Checklist to Project/Programme Manager assigned to each project/programme

- Work closely with other Delivery colleagues as needed (for information sharing, best practice etc. when working on proposals)

9. Functional development

- Coach and advise more junior members of the Delivery Team, as guided by the Portfolio Managers

- Actively contribute to continuous improvement of the function, in collaboration with other Programme and Project Managers

10. Line Management

- Potential pastoral and development-focussed line management of named Project Manager(s) and Assistant Project Manager(s).

- Flexible project-based direction of project team – these teams will be created and dissolved according to contract need

- Supporting the recruitment, on-boarding or exit process for internal team members, when required.

- Monitoring team members’ workload, ensuring reconfiguration or intervention when balance is disrupted and appro-priate escalation to Portfolio Contract Manager

- Leading and motivating line reports, through ongoing work and engaging goals.

- Managing the performance of named line reports and providing training where needed

- Pastoral care for named line reports, related to health and wellbeing

- Ensuring that behavioural expectations of team members are established and moderated, escalating to Portfolio Managers if/when additional support is required

11. Cover

- Provide interim cover for projects and/or programmes managed by direct line report(s) during periods of absence or when intervention and support is required The duties and responsibilities as set out above are not exhaustive and the role holder may be required to carry out additional duties within reasonableness of their level of skills and experience.

Qualifications and competencies:

Qualifications

· Educated to degree level or related experience

· Essential: Prince 2 project management certification (or equivalent)

Experience

· 15 years’ experience in (international) project and programme management;

· Proven track record of managing highly complex, large and/or international projects to demanding clients, on spe-cifically donor-funded contracts;

· Experience in medium or high-level management and/or ability to communicate effectively and persuasively with the highest level of management;

· Desired: Experience in the education sector.

Skills

· Good knowledge and experience of working with formal Project Management methodologies such as PRINCE2 and Agile;

· Highly proficient in project planning software (MS Project or similar);

· Highly-developed project management and organisation skills;

· Proactive strategic thinker, able to challenge constructively;

· Able to identify and manage risk, and operate a highly-skilled risk management approach;

· Strong presentation, communication and negotiation skills;

· Ability to find innovative ways of solving or pre-empting problems;

· Desired: Ability to articulate a good understanding of the international education reform market place;

· Desired: Experience of working with digital workflows, web technologies, mobile platforms and apps / digital plat-forms. Knowledge and understanding of digital learning and online education and/or education reforms;

Behaviors

· Excellent communicator;

· Self-sufficient;

· Intercultural sensitivity;

· Tenacity;

· Ability to recognize the often-divergent needs of individuals and groups;

· The ability to challenge and explore new ways of doing things;

· Able to work to tight deadlines and in a high-pressure environment;

· Positive ‘can do’ attitude and pragmatic approach when working in uncertainty;

· Highly collaborative;

· Strong focus on continually improving and seeking improved methods and approaches.

Applications and updated CV should be submitted to m.gordeladze@developmentaid.org, under the title: DRS 11296 (ref. number). Due to the high number of applications received via DevelopmentAid website, we can reply to shortlisted candidates only. Please note that the above requirements can be modified during the recruitment process according to client's procedures.