Manager, Project Delivery, CATALYZE

About Palladium:

Palladium is a global company working to design, develop and deliver positive impact on the lives and livelihoods of people around the globe; broaden access to health, water, power, and infrastructure; build enduring, sustainable, and transformative institutions and market systems to address global challenges; and conserve the natural world. We operate in over 90 countries and have a workforce of 4,000 talented, motivated, and diverse staff of all religions, races, languages, and gender identities.

This Opportunity:

CATALYZE is a $250 million 8-year program, designed to mobilize $2 billion in private capital, especially to underfinanced social sectors (such as education) and higher risk countries (especially low-income and post-conflict countries) around the globe, complemented by a cross-cutting inclusion of gender-lens investing. CATALYZE serves as a “platform of platforms” that provides services to many missions and bureaus that “buy in” to tap the CATALYZE investment and pay-for-results project management expertise.  Our aim is for investors to explore and find commercially viable opportunities and approaches to creating jobs, developing sustainable social services, tightening, and rationalizing supply chains, and advancing inclusive growth – ultimately, reducing the need for development institutions to provide donor funding.

Global CATALYZE teams and USAID missions have spent the last two years co-designing and implementing a series of activities to significantly mobilize private capital for development that make up the CATALYZE portfolio, including the following Activities (also known as Buy-Ins):

1. Asia Social Protection: Improving access to financial and social protection for vulnerable women in Asia. Focus countries: Bangladesh, Indonesia, Philippines. Partners: TBD.

2. CATALYZE Peru: Catalyzing investment and access to finance for SMEs in the Peruvian Amazon. Focus country:    Partners:  Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs), Business Advisory Service Providers (BASPs), Financial Intermediaries, Private Sector Anchor Firms.

3. EduFinance: Mobilizing capital for non-state education, early child care development, training and workforce development, and improving and sustaining learning outcomes for children and youth, particularly those who are the most marginalized and vulnerable. Focus countries:  Democratic Republic of Congo, Rwanda, South Africa, Tanzania, Zambia, Kenya, Latin America and the Caribbean.  Partners:  Kaizenvest, UBS Optimus Foundation, PEAS, EPG, Opportunity International.
   

4. Ethiopia Market Systems for Growth (MS4G): Fostering private enterprise growth primarily in agricultural markets to boost food security, make improvements to water, hygiene and sanitation and support COVID relief.  Focus country:    Partners:  Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs), Business Advisory Service Providers (BASPs), Transaction Advisory Service Providers (TASPs), Consultants, Associations.

5. Sahel Finance for Resilience (F4R): Increasing financing to support capital investment in the agricultural sector and in youth-led enterprises.  Focus countries:  Burkina Faso, Niger.  Partners:  ICDE (Burkina Faso) and SINERGI SA (Niger). Financial Facilitators/Business Advisory Service Providers (BASPs), Financial Intermediaries, USAID Implementing Partners Yalwa, Yidgiri, Bridge Youth Connect, Sahel Collaboration and Communication Activity.

6. Sri Lanka Private Sector Development (PSD): Promoting economic diversification and employment opportunities for SMEs, principally women.  Focus country:  Sri Lanka.  Partners:  Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs), Business Advisory Service Providers (BASPs), Financial Intermediaries, Consultants, Business Associations.

7. Western Balkans Engine of Growth: Increasing SME access to private capital and using finance to drive enterprise growth.  Focus countries:  Albania, Bosnia & Herzegovina, Kosovo, Montenegro, North Macedonia, Serbia.  Partners:  Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs), Business Advisory Service Providers (BASPs), Financial Intermediaries.

8. Women’s Economic Empowerment: Mobilizing private capital to create economic opportunities for women.  Global focus.  Partners:  S. Development Finance Corporation, BAC El Salvador, Banco LAFISE Dominican Republic.

Location:

The position is based in Palladium’s Washington, D.C. office.

Washington D.C. 

You and Your Career:

If you are a problem-solver, collaborator, and doer, and you have expertise in verbal/written communication, organization, and attention to detail, we are interested in hearing from you.

We are a learning organization and provide growth opportunities from the start. We pride ourselves on giving you the freedom, resources, and guidance to chart a fulfilling career!

We are a learning organization and provide growth opportunities from the start.  We pride ourselves on giving you the freedom, resources, and guidance to chart a fulfilling career!

Reporting and Supervision:

The role reports to the Project Director. For multiple projects, the role has dual reporting requirements to the various relevant Project Directors. Reporting requirements include:

• Attendance at all regular management team meetings,
• Provision of regular updates to the line manager, including updates on Key Result Areas (KRAs) and any other material matters and/or areas of concern,
• Monthly submission of financials and forecasts, and contributions to Practice and corporate reporting;
• Other reporting as requested by the line manager.

Primary Duties and Responsibilities: 

Project Management

• Plan and manage project start-up and closeout, supporting in-country corporate registration as needed;
• Serve as the project’s primary liaison with corporate services, Senior Managers, Project Delivery, and Compliance and Project Excellence Hub;
• Prepare and maintain project specific components of the project management manual;
• In collaboration with the Compliance and Project Excellence Hub and corporate services, provide training and guidance to project staff on, and ensure compliance with, company policies and client rules and regulations (covering as required risk management, project planning, human resource management, monitoring, reporting, finance, procurement, logistics, IT, communications, audit support and all other project managements matters);
• Establish project offices and office infrastructure; facilitate field office leases;
• Participate in the development, implementation, and monitoring of project work plans, tracking project deliverables and monitoring project delivery against spending forecasts;
• Support development and presentation of internal and external reporting (for example: quarterly Internal Project Reviews, CPARs, project risk assessments, annual reviews, and client deliverables);
• Ensure project issues and risks are logged, reported on, managed and mitigated; and escalate risks and issues to Practice and Project Excellence and Compliance Hub leadership, as required;
• In collaboration with Risk Management, conduct spot checks on processes and internal controls including asset management procedures;
• Ensure all corrective actions for assigned projects are implemented and report back to confirm their completion via the risk register;
• Serve as a point of contact with service providers and address contractual matters as required;
• Support development of project subcontractor, grant management, and procurement procedures compliant with internal and client’s rules and regulations;
• Report monthly on the status of partner budgets/invoicing and grants;
• Manage planning and coordination of inputs from the company’s security team as needed;
• Contribute to technical assistance through reviews, engaging in work planning and discussions with the field team, etc. to build skills with the goal of taking on a more senior role, such as director of project delivery or a functional area.

Contract and Client Relationship Management

• Monitor and maintain compliance with head/prime contracts including agreement action requests (i.e., travel, personnel changes, grant approvals, budget realignments, etc.);
• Liaise with C&C to communicate with contracting and agreement officers or other client representatives on any matters that make legal or financial commitments for Palladium;
• Monitor and report on overall progress against agreed targets, milestones, outputs and activities;
• Develop, manage and support contract amendments as required;
• Liaise with and respond to requests from clients in conjunction with the project’s director, including providing or giving inputs on reporting;
• Support project advocacy with internal and external stakeholders.

Financial Management

• Ensure company policies for financial management are implemented and are compliant with the client’s rules and regulations;
• Ensure that project levels of delegated authority issued are in accordance with Palladium’s Expenditure Approval and Signature Authority Policy and Guidelines and manage the process for higher-level approvals as required;
• Collaborating with Financial Management establish project charge codes, ensuring they meet client and project requirements for cost allocation, monitoring and evaluation, and reporting;
• In collaboration with Treasury, facilitate project bank accounts set-up with appropriate company and project signatories;
• Ensure the project financial calendar is adhered to including monitoring, reconciling, and reporting expense advances monthly;
• Leads monitoring budget progress against forecast as one metric to track project progress against its work plan; proactively seeks to solve shortages or overages against the frozen forecast as needed;
• Review monthly Funds Transfer Requests (FTRs) to ensure they reflect budget progress and forecasting and seek approval for them as needed;
• Review cashbooks / field vouchers and ensure supporting documentation is complete;
• Serve as a coordinator for service providers and approve (or obtain approval for) work orders and invoices; ensure the accuracy of client invoices (including monthly, milestone and performance based invoices);
• Monitor, reconcile and report expense advances monthly;
• Support the external audit process as needed and ensure retention of project records is compliant with company and client policy;

Human Resource Management and Recruitment

• Oversee project human resource planning, recruitment, contracting, with field teams and coordinate inputs from Compliance, HR, and Talent Acquisition teams (i.e. benefits, local labor law, etc.);
• Working with associate, maintain project data on relevant HR systems for short-term and long-term staff and consultants; is maintained accurately;
• Lead the mobilisation and demobilisation of all international staff (short-term and long-term) including contracting (in coordination with HR) and travel management;
• Serve as primary supervisor to one or more Associate(s), Project Delivery, or Senior Associate(s), Project Delivery;
• In conjunction with the PMU, and the Senior Manager, Project Delivery, engage in employee onboarding and training, educating new staff on policies, procedures, tools, and Palladium’s culture;
• Actively monitor, review, correct, and provide feedback on all supervisee’s work products, providing additional training and support where necessary;
• Take a proactive role in staff development, including working with supervisees to identify professional development opportunities, and holding monthly coaching sessions to advise them on project management best practices, core competencies, and general work skills and behaviors.

Business Development / Other

• Contribute to company growth by ensuring assigned projects are managed well, ensuring Palladium is seen positively by clients for consideration in future business development;
• Participate in capture planning, providing inputs on implementation requirements;
• Provide input and support business development of the company as required.
• Complete other duties as assigned.

Key Competencies Required:

• Works with respect and dignity for all colleagues and promotes a cooperative team working environment.
• Formal Project Management training and expertise is helpful.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills.
• Financial acumen and the ability to interpret and analyse financial reports.
• Sound problem solving and decision making skills.
• Strong management skills with ability to mentor, coach, lead, develop and evaluate staff.
• Ability to travel and work in developing countries for extended periods of time if needed.
• Adaptability to work with a low level of supervision and as a part of a team as needed.

Professional Expertise/Competencies Preferred:

• Experience working in the international development sector.
• Prior experience with USAID contracts and cooperative agreements is helpful.
• Excellent English language communication skills and fluency in international language.

Equity, Diversity & Inclusion - Palladium is committed to embedding equity, diversity, and inclusion into everything we do. We welcome applications from all sections of society and actively encourage diversity to drive innovation, creativity, success and good practice. We positively welcome and seek to ensure we achieve diversity in our workforce; and that all job applicants and employees receive equal and fair treatment regardless of their background or personal characteristics. These include: (but are not limited to) socio-economic background, age, race, gender identity and expression, religion, ethnicity, sexual orientation, disability, nationality, veteran, marital or Indigenous status. 

Should you require any adjustments or accommodations to be made due to a disability or you are a neurodivergent individual or for any other circumstance, please email our team at accessibility@thepalladiumgroup.com and we will be in touch to discuss.

Safeguarding - We define Safeguarding as “the preventative action taken by Palladium to protect our people, clients and the communities we work with from harm”. We are committed to ensuring that all children and adults who come into contact with Palladium are treated with respect and are free from abuse.  All successful candidates will be subject to an enhanced selection process including safeguarding-focused interviews and a rigorous due diligence process.