Project Manager at Water & Sanitation for the Urban Poor (WSUP)

Overall purpose

The overall purpose of the Project Manager is to effectively work with the CM to support the overall strategic development and business plan delivery of the WSUP country programme and work with the Programme Coordinator (PC) to ensure effective management and efficient delivery of assigned WSUP project(s).

Main responsibilities & tasks

Strategic Direction, Planning

• Support the CM and the country team, on the longer-term vision, strategic direction and appropriate planning which align well with those for the organisation in the country and globally and provide a strong basis for achievement against the five Strategic Goals in the Business Plan for 2020 – 2025.
• Continuously identify feasible leverage/partnership opportunities within planned activities by government ministries, county government(s), IFIs, CSOs and MSMEs, and in consultation with the CM, build synergy around such prospects.
• Roll out of WSUP’s Learning & Development strategy at the location, helping to role model and embed a culture of reflection and learning in the team.
• Proactively identify and assess policy and political risks that could impact our programmes and work closely with programme leadership in developing mitigation plans.
• Coordinate capacity building initiatives to key internal and mandated institutions staff to effectively drive and to collaboratively set and execute on long-term vision for all sector influencing work in the location(s).
• Support the WSUP Kenya vision and strategies to ensure the long-term sustainability of WASH service delivery to low-income consumers (LICs).

Staff & Office Management

• Coordinate and manage the project(s) team in a structured, supportive style adhering to the practices and policies within WSUP.
• Ensure that work is appropriately delegated, and staff members are resourced/ empowered to carry out tasks independently in line with their skills and capacity.
• Work with the Programme Coordinator to develop Professional Development Plans (PDPs) for the project(s) team to enable the team to be more self-standing in the future.
• Under guidance from the CM, contribute to staff recruitment, induction & probation; coaching, performance, motivation, cohesion and retention according to WSUP policies including annual staff appraisals.
• Support effective communications and joint working within the team and with other teams across the organisation.
• Take full responsibility for WSUP assets including and not limited to vehicles, equipment, and electronics, and ensure their good maintenance and usage adhere to WSUP corporate and in-country policies.
• Ensure provision of suitable office and work environment for project(s) team in the location(s) and compliance with local legal, HR, Health & Safety & Security standards, and with WSUP’s standard operating policies and procedures.

Management of the Assigned Project(s)

• Act as the Project Lead for projects, from planning to close-out, and as the point of contact for the Project Controllers.
• Proactively manage projects, in line with WSUP policies and procedures, including governance, financial management, and procurement, using basic project management tools including; gantt charts, financial forecasts and risk registers. Manage and monitor risks to successful project completion, highlight potential risks to Programme Coordinator and Project Controllers and engage in identification of mitigation measures.
• Be responsible for managing expenditures and disbursements which fall within the PM’s area of responsibility and for the provision of reliable information to enable approvals to be implemented for expenditures and disbursements at the appropriate level of authority.
• Support the timely and accurate reporting of project information, including impact data, necessary for monitoring of projects and for accurate reporting of progress to funders, Secretariat, Board and in-country staff, in line with WSUP’s Monitoring & Evaluation Framework
• Retain an entrepreneurial approach to delivery of WSUP projects, proposing creative solutions, reducing inhibiting business factors and looking for market-based solutions in coordination with the Innovation & Consumer Needs (ICON) team.
• Support effective liaison with the PC, other PMs in-country and the wider country team, in pursuit of achieving highly integrated project management and timely delivery to achieve the programme outputs and outcomes.
• Ensure strict adherence to WSUP’s ethics policy and pro-actively encourage transparency and openness in all activities.
• Ensure that all visits to the assigned project(s) are coordinated efficiently and conducted in the best interests of the project(s) and country programme.
• Be cognisant of the wider implications of the assigned project(s), working effectively with other WSUP functions in-country and sometimes at Secretariat: Finance, Support Services, WSUP Advisory and ICON, as appropriate.
• Ensure that staff and consultants executing project(s) activities and related tasks on the assigned project(s) are facilitated to enable them to deliver those tasks effectively.
• In programme implementation, take into account environmental, institutional, and organisational impact, carefully consider safeguarding issues and promote the rights of children, young people and vulnerable adults.

Representation and liaison

• Contribute to public communication, strong and positive WSUP brand visibility and recognition, working closely with the CM, country team and Communications Lead based in the UK.
• Represent WSUP, building and maintaining relationships with relevant service providers, county and national governments, national and international development partners, private sector and funder representatives.
• Identify and discuss with the CM (and sometimes with the WSUP Partnership and Development team) any potential future funding opportunities which present themselves in-country / location and provide advice on their suitability and potential alignment with the WSUP strategic direction.
• Support communications and visibility to embed WSUP vision, values, and priorities, while managing key external relationships which have country-wide significance.