Senior Officer, Project Management at African Wildlife Foundation

Responsibilities

Under the supervision of  Senior Director ,Program Operations, and in close collaboration the Senior Officer – project implementation will be expected to take on the following specific roles and responsibilities;

Assure implementation of project activities to achieve project results:

• Lead preparation and instituting of various project management tools including: Workplans, reporting templates, budget templates, critical path and due diligence for assuring project compliance to donor guidelines and AWF’s policies;
• Support line manager in planning, budgeting, implementation and monitoring of all project at AWF;
• Participate in project management meetings as will be requested by the project managers;
• Work with the line manager to guide and oversee initiation of projects, entering projects into envisio, support required revisions;
• Participate in budget re-phasing exercises, closure of projects and other related elements;
• Collaborate closely with the project managers in execution of project plans and activities;
• Work with Project Managers to ensure efficient and effective delivery of project activities in line with AWF and donor standards.
• Work with the Monitoring and Evaluation and Learning team to build staff capacity on Envisio and roll it out to support management of AWF projects by developing a standardized framework for managing and implementing AWF projects.
• Implement a repeatable project delivery process for project teams to manage and deliver projects in a harmonized manner.
• Support country programs and projects to maintain best project management practices while ensuring a constant quality improvement.
• Conduct or coordinate orientation of new project leads to get up to speed on AWF project management methodology, project management system, tools, and processes.
• Support Project Managers in planning, implementation and quality control of the project activities implemented in various landscapes/project sites.
• Provide required feedback on overall project progress reporting and delivery to the Senior Director Project Management and Partnerships, project staff and relevant donor contact.
• Work with implementing partners and ensure that they adhere to AWF and donor standards and regulations in the implementation of project activities.
• Ensure AWF is delivering on project activity obligations and complies with partner guidelines for projects which AWF is a sub-grantee on a timely basis.
• Ensure that the responsibilities and accountabilities as articulated in the RACI are followed and inform supervisor when there are challenges.

Monitoring, Evaluation, Reporting and Learning

In collaboration with the MEL team,

• Monitor all project quality indicators and undertaking periodic assurance tasks on behalf of the Project Manager;
• deliver quarterly project status reviews and reports to ensure consistent and continuous status reporting on AWF interventions.
• Contribute to internal donor reporting cycle process ensuring critical reviews are conducted by key teams to produce high quality reports.
• incorporate learning aspects in all projects by having key learning questions embedded during design stage and evaluations are conducted in line with the project requirements.
• Coordinate and participate in project progress reporting meetings with the Project Managers, the implementation team and implementing partners.
• Support data collection and maintenance of tools for result reporting and contribute to drafting and review of reports to donors.
• Monitor the project status to assure of delivering on timeline by working closely with project managers, finance teams and Analytics report team
• facilitate and promote efforts to share and manage knowledge across the organization.

Communication and learning

• In collaboration with the field communication manager, develop and maintain database and other central repositories of AWF projects, including project management documents and key deliverables.
• Draft and disseminate lessons learned reports to provide decision making insights for Project Managers and Senior Director Project Management and Partnerships.
• Develop a mechanism to ensure quarterly reporting on technical and financials to provide real time progress and contribute to program literature.
• Work with the communication and marketing teams to develop content for informational tools and materials to broadcast the projects progress.

Risk and compliance

• Ensure that project risks are identified, monitored and actions taken to address risks. Escalate risks to the Director – Program Operations as appropriate.
• Ensure that AWF projects meet all relevant internal and external compliance and requirements (financial, HR, quality management, procurement, etc.) including managing transitions during instances of staff changes and end of projects.

Financial management and budget planning

• Support project and finance teams in planning for project activities in line with approved project budgets.
• Keep track of the project financial and operational performance and ensure project activities are within assigned budgets, identify problems and suggests corrective actions;
• Liaise with finance team to ensure actual spending of project budgets align with activity implementation and identify gaps.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in Business, project management, sustainable development, or related field. A Master’s degree in relevant fields is an added advantage.
• Project Management Certification is an advantage
• Experience with project management software/systems. Experience with Envisio is an added advantage.
• 6 years’ experience in nonprofit program management, coupled with a strong familiarity/affinity for AWF’s landscape level approach to conversation.
• Highly productive and organized, with the ability to work independently. Must be able to thrive under remote supervision.
• Analytical mindset with strong technology skills, including databases, MS Excel, MS Project, Outlook, and reporting writing software.
• Personable, with the ability to get results without unnecessary interpersonal conflict or drama.
• Excellent written and presentation skills.
• Ability to work in a multicultural environment
• Willingness to undertake occasional travel sometimes to remote and physically challenging locations