Senior Program Manager - CALA at African Management Institute (AMI)

Job Description

AMI is seeking an experienced and strategic Senior Programme Manager with a background in the agriculture sector in Africa. This individual will be responsible for the project management of a flagship, highly visible pan-African programme for AMI and for our client. This is a leadership development programme for senior leaders implementing agriculture priority programmes in eight different African countries. The programme is run from Kenya and the individual will ideally be based in Kenya, with other African locations possible for an exceptional candidate.  The role will report to the Lead: Partner Programmes, who is based in Rwanda.

The Senior Programme Manager must be a driven, organized, tech-savvy professional with great people and project-management skills, the ability to lead complex programmes with very senior management participants, and to interface with experienced and influential client partners.In addition, this individual must collaborate with and influence internal teams to ensure exceptional delivery.

The Senior Programme Manager will play a key role in joining the dots between our world-class content and their client on the ground. 

Programme Management

• Lead project implementation end to end, from planning, budget monitoring, monitoring programme outcomes, and reporting.
• Manage stakeholders and participants in complex programmes and ensure that programme deliverables are met within stringent timelines while identifying stakeholders' and participants' pain points and proactively communicating resolutions.
• Lead the project team, co-ordinating team member activities to ensure a world class client and delegate experience
• Ensure on time delivery of all project milestones
• Problem solve challenges and proactively identify resolutions
• In collaboration with the M&E team, capture project outcomes/impact and lessons learned and share with internal and external programme stakeholders
• Maintain accurate programme data and analyse programme data and feedback to ensure core programme metrics and targets are being met (adapt as necessary)
• Identify programme risks at the start of the programme, and ensure programme risks are effectively managed.
• Liaise with clients throughout learning programs to ensure programs run smoothly and issues are dealt with in a timely manner
• Hold the responsibility of managing programme budget and reporting on the programme's financials- with support of the finance team, prepare monthly, quarterly, and annual project budgets and align project budget with stakeholders.

Stakeholder management

• Own the relationship with key client contacts
• Liaise with participants, who are senior government officials and other senior managers from the agriculture sector, to ensure programme engagement (along with the dedicated Learner Success Manager on the AMI team)
• Lead in project activity delivery and ensure relevant stakeholders are updated and notified of all project activities.
• Manage external consultants who provide specific expertise or logistical support on various programme components to support programme delivery
• Support the learning team in facilitator management
• Collaborate highly effectively with all internal stakeholders who contribute to project delivery - keeping them informed of requirements, key context, and changes, and problem solving collaborative

Strategic oversight and business development

• Make connections between programmatic activities and outcomes and the strategic objectives of this initiative - for the client, the agriculture sector, and AMI

Monitoring and Evaluation

• Ensure programmes have impact and are valued by clients: Evaluate core learning outcomes and metrics within learning programmes and work with internal teams to advise on the adaptation of design and delivery to resolve issues in real-time.
• Co-write, edit and sign off on client reporting, ensuring alignment to developed M&E framework
• Contribute to M&E framework iterations
• Hold responsibility for ongoing client satisfaction and programme renewal

Logistical management

• Liaise with client’s technology partner for bi-annual virtual leadership forums
• Liaise with external travel resource agents to plan workshop logistics for participants (there are team members to support logistics, but SPM holds accountability)
• Arrange project team meetings with different programme stakeholders

Requirements

• 8+ years work experience required
• Undergraduate degree required
• Education and/or experience in African agriculture sector required
• Experience in leadership development programmes/ skills programmes preferred
• Masters degree preferred
• French speaking a benefit but not required.
• Strong project planning ability, including experience in relevant tools and/or  systems for project planning
• Exceptional attention to detail
• Strong gravitas and relationship management ability - highly relational
• Ability to spot risks and challenges in advance and problem solve and plan accordingly
• Understanding of key challenges to African food security and sustainability