Schools Project Manager at British Council

Role Purpose

Implementation of projects with a high level of complexity in the School's portfolio in Kenya funded by the British Council and other partners or clients in compliance with British Council policies and procedures. Leads the successful delivery of a range of projects from design to closure including managing the contract, project plan, client (s), partners, internal and external stakeholders (Government of Kenya Institutions, policymakers and other development partners), successful delivery against targets, reporting and meeting compliance standards. The post holder will also play a leadership role on a specific component of a larger project or programme within the wider Education portfolio.

Main accountabilities but not limited to the following:

Leadership & Management

• Oversees the delivery of new Schools projects in Kenya in line with our global programme
• Ensures successful transition from Connecting Classrooms and any legacy work in Kenya under this programme to Schools Connect
• Manages delivery teams and/or project team
• Manages EDI processes and ensures comprehensive use of internal tools in programme design and delivery. Maintains oversight of the action plan developed through the use of internal EDI tools

Relationship & Stakeholder management

• Leads relationships with delivery partners and stakeholders within the country and is able to procure services and contract partners.
• Holds suppliers to account including supply chain management where applicable.
• Builds strong internal and external relationships and networks and communicates effectively internally and externally to project successes, challenges and lessons
• Contributes to business development (identifies opportunities, brings partners on board, establishes partnerships)

Commercial and Financial Management  

• Manages and controls the agreed budget, expenditure and income against plans, accurate and timely planning and (re)forecasting, working closely with finance teams.
• Ensures sound financial management and analysis across the portfolio through regular reviews, timely reporting of risks, and mitigating measures.
• Delivers British Council, partner or client reporting (including, with Finance Manager, financial reporting) and ensures reports are prepared on time, to budget and to a high standard.

Project Management

• Develops, owns and delivers Project Management Plans from design, inception, implementation to closure
• Manages project and programme risks and puts together mitigation strategies with SRO
• Follows agreed corporate risk management processes and procedures and ensures that projects are compliant with all internal policies (e.g. financial, safeguarding, child protection, security policies, financial protocols, and anti-fraud measures) to protect the interests of the British Council and its customers at all times. Responsible for programme compliance reporting.
• Responsible for internal and client procurement, contracting, compliance and reporting monthly
• Supports development of basic M & E plans and results frameworks. Responsible for data management  including timely data collection, entry, quality assurance, basic analysis, and progress reports. This includes working with colleagues to identify indicators and tools for data collection.
• Undertakes after-action reviews, draws up lessons and shares them for future design.

Role-specific knowledge and experience:

Essential requirements:

• Experience in managing large successful projects from start to finish.
• Knowledge/ and.or experience of working with at least two types of funding sources within a structured compliance regime.
• Experience in client management, partner management and/or contract management.
• Understanding of procurement, evaluation and reporting requirements of projects.
• Proven experience in managing project finances.
• Experience in managing, and communicating with, a wide range of stakeholders 
• Experience in managing teams
• Experience in spotting risk in a project or programme and putting together successful risk mitigation with SRO
• Good understanding and experience of supporting monitoring, evaluation and learning.
• Experience in conducting lessons learned reviews/After action reviews to inform future programme design and management.

Desirable:

• Significant experience in managing complex projects that involve several types of delivery partners
• Experience in managing dispersed teams
• Experience in using technology in project delivery.