World Vision International recruits 01 Regional Project Manager
Job Description
Regional Project Manager II, VisionFund – Africa
12780-15R32048
Africa Ghana
Project Management
Fixed term, Full-time
Accra
08-Mar-19
International Role – No – Only National applicants will be considered.
2+ Years
Preferred location: Accra, Ghana or Nairobi, Kenya. Other locations to be determined by home country of successful candidate within the Africa Region where WVI/VF is registered to operate.
PURPOSE OF POSITION:
This Regional Project Manager (RPM) II position will ensure the efficient and effective use of technology within the business, through advice, influence, scrutiny and membership of steering committees. The technology is primarily banking and accounting systems, and derivative Management Information Systems. Reporting into the Regional Programme Manager, this new position requires a person with both technical capability and a strong understanding of the business model and processes (operational and financial) who can bring the two aspects together and strengthen the IT capacity in our Microfinance Institutions (MFIs).
The purpose of this Regional Project Manager II position is to assist the RPM in providing support to the eleven country IT and project teams in the Africa region to help them achieve their objectives of timely and accurate reporting and sound IT and project management of each MFI’s portfolio of projects in each country.
The Regional Project Manager II position, while mostly assigned to IT related projects, is an independent and focused role, that will have oversight of various projects being implemented by VFI affiliated MFIs in Africa. This position will coordinate with the various functional departments of the organization in training and providing technical advice, overseeing, advising and mentoring the project managers and IT managers in the MFIs, and ensuring high quality of project management. Projects can include, but are not limited to: information technology, change management, organizational development and management information systems projects.
The IT and projects staff in MFIs are matrix-managed by the RPM. The RPM will assign specific pieces of work to the Regional Project Manager II, and specific projects to oversee. The Regional Project Manager II role requires a candidate with knowledge of the use of technology in finance/microfinance operations, experience of project management, a commitment to developing staff and an ability to influence.
MAJOR RESPONSIBILITIES:
Project Management – directly at VFI level and indirectly through MFI staff:
This role builds the capacity of the MFI project team leads that will be directly assigned to him/her by the RPM, to enable them to do the following:
-Develops, and continually updates, the project plans and schedules.
-Develops product breakdown structures.
-Identifies project dependencies prior to the start of the project.
-Works with Business Analysts and the client to define/refine the project scope.
-Facilitates the gathering of information required to estimate project cost, resources, time and deliverables.
-Prepares all project management baseline products.
-Prioritizes sub projects under a program.
-Ensures that the project outcome reflects the goals of the client.
-Negotiates conflicts and resolves issues that arise.
-Acts as a mediator between stakeholders and team members.
-Resolves any issues and solves problems throughout the project life cycle.
-Determines staffing requirements and forms project teams including as necessary recruiting and managing staff.
-Develops budget requests for resources.
-Works with resource managers in order to effectively align resources across projects.
-Provides work direction and leadership to assigned projects, including scheduling, assignment of work and review of project efforts.
-Evaluates project performance and makes recommendations for personnel actions.
-Assists with identifying which resources need to be procured outside the organization.
-Describes technical or other issues that need to be considered and assists in the development of Statement of Work (SOWs).
-Determines if external consultants or contractors will be required to complete project plan.
-Provides advice and counsel to the vendor relationship decision-making and contract development processes.
-Evaluates service provider performance.
-Approves invoices, for payment.
-Provides an issue escalation path and resolves vendor performance disputes.
-Identifies the elements of risk in a project.
-Analyzes project risks and assesses potential impact to the client.
-Develops and maintains risk plans, processes and systems in order to mitigate risk.
-Creates action plan for risks that occur and follows through on plan.
-Maintains issue list, proactively escalating issues to project and departmental leadership to mitigate risk.
-Recommends and takes action to direct analysis and solution of problems.
-Coaches, mentors, motivates and supervises MFI project team leads that will be directly assigned to him/her by the RPM. Influences them to take positive action and accountability for their assigned work. Recommends corrective action if necessary.
-A member of project steering committees as designated by the RPM. Supports the MFI team leads to plan and facilitate effective steering committee meetings.
-Assists the RPM in providing periodical project reporting, which includes narrative reports and progress update reports to stakeholders inside and outside the MFI.
Change Management:
-As designated by the RPM, oversees and makes recommendations on people / business process changes that impact technology platforms.
-As designated by the RPM, assists MFI IT and Project Managers with planning, tracking and delivering successful changes that impact technology platforms / projects.
-In case of changes of scope and requirements and as designated by the RPM, ensures a “change management” process is in place at the MFI to track system and business changes.
-Proactively oversees changes in project scope, ensures that any change to project scope is documented and approved by steering committee on projects and activities assigned by the RPM.
-In coordination with the RPM, ensures each technology project in the MFI has a steering committee.
-As designated by the RPM, supports MFIs in vendor management and advice on all contracts that are over the PMO threshold.
-In coordination with the RPM, recommends training for MFI IT and project managers. Selects trainers and performs and/or supervises training in coordination with the service provider.
-Develops a communication plan to convey project scope, goals, milestones, budget, risk, status, change requests and critical issues to the client and project team.
-Assesses the effectiveness of the interaction and communication with the client and project team.
Financial Planning and Reporting – IT and Projects:
-At any one time this role is responsible for the management of one or more medium to large-sized, moderate to high complex projects including the project budgets.
Assists the RPM on the following activities:
-Supports the MFIs to prepare the annual budget and revised forecasts on an accurate and timely basis.
-Assists the RPM to prepare any regional budgets and forecasts as required, including the mapping of phasing of the multi-country projects.
-Submits a monthly checklist to the RPM in line with the monthly reporting timetable.
-Assists the RPM to review donor reports in the region and ensure submissions to donors are completed on time and accurately.
Is responsible for building the capacity of the MFI staff and coaching and advising, to enable them to do the following:
-Estimates costs associated with a project including physical, financial and human capital costs.
-Develops a detailed cost baseline from cost estimations.
-Refines project cost estimates and confirms funding sources.
-Monitors and controls the actual cost of a project versus the budget.
-Reviews bills and evaluates factors that may potentially cause cost changes.
-Conducts in-depth root cause analysis of project budget discrepancies.
Monitoring, Security and Risk Management:
-As designated by the RPM, undertakes visits to MFIs to help ensure quality is maintained in all aspects of IT and Project management.
-Assists the RPM in reviewing the monthly checklists, with resolutions prepared by each MFI.
-Assists the RPM in preparation and resolution of audit findings.
-Provides a gap fill service for IT and Project management leadership roles in MFIs as required due to staff absence. This might require significant travel or a 3-6 month assignment in an MFI.
-Assists the RPM to conduct spot checks, regular and ad-hoc, in the MFIs to test the IT controls.
-Maintains and updates the regional IT asset register.
-Reviews, collate from MFI and makes recommendation to the Global IT policy.
-Ensures projects are managed in accordance with policy.
-Assists RPM in monitoring and following up MFI IT Managers’ submission of monthly reports.
-Utilizes established project standards, procedures.
-Contributes to the development of new quality metrics.
Strategic Input:
-In coordination with the RPM:
-Provide input into the strategic objectives of the DOC team and how it can achieve its plans.
-Industry trends and how they can influence the IT and project initiatives.
Miscellaneous:
-Perform any other work-related duties and responsibilities that may be assigned from time-to-time by the RPM.
-Contribute to the overall team environment.
-Self development and supporting the professional and spiritual development of others.
KNOWLDEGE, SKILLS & ABILITIES:
-Bachelor degree in a relevant subject, preferably majoring in project management, technology and/or finance (or equivalent level of strategic thinking and technical knowledge gained from work experience).
-MS Office suite including MS Projects and advanced Excel skills.
-Project & programme management: able to manage complex projects including concurrent projects.
-Delivering results: ability to plan and organize self and work to achieve objectives and targets.
-Excellent knowledge of project management with ability to give best practice advice. Capable of training, supervising and managing staff in project management environment.
-Excellent client-facing and internal communication skills.
-Excellent written and verbal communication skills.
-Solid organizational skills including attention to detail and multi-tasking skills.
-At least 5 years of IT work experience, including at least 3 years of project management or account management experience.
-At least 3 years of experience in the finance / micro finance industry.
-At least 1 year of team leadership and/or at least 2 years of supervising/coaching/mentoring experience.
-Prior work experience with Core banking systems, Mobile Banking and Digital Field Applications.
-Proven track record of delivering projects within defined timelines, budget and with quality under high pressure.
-Fluency in written and spoken English.
Preferred Skills, Knowledge and Experience:
-Spoken and written French language in addition to English.
-Project Management certification or equivalent (PMP / PRINCE II certification is a plus).
-Understanding or hands-on experience in software development and web technologies.
-Risk management: experience in identification, assessment and management of project risks.
-Large-scale project budgeting and reporting.
Work Environment/Travel:
-The position requires ability and willingness to travel domestically and internationally up to 30% of the time. There may be a need to be based in an MFI for a 3-6 month assignment when there are staffing gaps in IT/projects roles in
-MFIs.
-This position requires flexibility to work outside of office hours due to calls with colleagues in different time zones.