Country: United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland
Closing date: 05 Jan 2020
Contract: Fixed Term Contract (maternity cover) until 22 March 2021
Part-time, 3 days per week
Salary: £20,992.20 - £24,944.40 per annum (pro rata of£34,987 - £41,574per annum)
Location: London
Ref: DS/04/19
An independent, global think tank, working for a sustainable
and peaceful world in which every person thrives.
About us
ODI is an independent, global think tank, working for a sustainable and peaceful world in which every person thrives. We harness the power of evidence and ideas through research and partnership to confront challenges, develop solutions and create change. (odi.org)
We are looking for a Programme Manager to oversee the day-to-day development and management of the Digital Societies Research Programme and the DFID-ESRC Growth Research (DEGRP) Project.
The Digital Societies Programme researches the growing influence of digital technologies and their implications for policy decision-making, monitoring, evaluation and learning (MEL). One of the projects included in this is the DEGRP project, which funds world-class scientific research on inclusive economic growth in low-income countries (LICs). The Digital Societies team manages the Evidence and Policy Group (EPG) within this project, which aims to promote effective communication of the research to key policy decision-makers around the world, supporting both the programme and individual projects to maximise the profile, uptake and impact of DEGRP research.
The Programme Manager will be responsible for the day-to-day management of the programme and will play a key role in delivering arrangements for programme implementation. They will ensure the smooth management of work plans, budgets, reporting and external partnerships. This will include maintaining and developing management tools for tracking project objectives and supporting the Head of Programme and associated team in the delivery of project outputs and outcomes.
Other key responsibilities include:
Financial management and reporting: tracking and coordinating financial information flows; managing quarterly expenditure tracking and invoicing to tight donor deadlines, and ensuring compliance with the donor’s Financial Principles, value for money and key performance indicators.
Governance: designing and managing the reporting process; responsibility for ensuring regular reporting on performance and compliance to the funder is delivered according to an agreed timetable.
Planning and performance support: providing guidance and support to project teams within ODI for planning, delivery and reporting; co-ordinating with key internal support teams; maintaining an overview of output delivery and flagging any risks to the Head of Programme.
Manage all business development processes: identification of new opportunities/donors; securing additional funding; leading the process of the preparation of bids and proposals; developing budgets and tailoring technical documentation.
Strategic communications and knowledge management: coordinating the development and functioning of internal and external communications systems, networks, intranet, website, etc. to ensure strong internal and external relationships for the project; managing activities and supporting teams to promote project output dissemination and uptake, with input from colleagues in the Communications team.
Partnerships and external relations: working with the team on formalising key partnerships and relationships for project implementation; facilitating external relations with relevant stakeholders; convening high-level project and stakeholder meetings as required.
Line management of one Project Officer.
Please note that this maternity cover and the long-term role are subject to the current restructure of the Project Management Unit.
About you
· Significant programme management experience and proven ability to manage multiple project-level inputs within a high-level programme framework.
· A strong track record of reporting on complex donor-funded (e.g. multi-sector or multi-country) projects or programmes, monitoring performance standards through task-management structures, and delivering convincing and quality reports.
· Extensive budget administration and reporting experience, ideally including devolved budgets.
· Proven track record of effective co-ordination with key internal support functions, in support of project/programme output planning, delivery, reporting and dissemination.
· Excellent time management skills and proven ability to organise inputs from other individuals and teams in order to meet key project or programme deadlines.
- Experience of managing staff to tight deadlines in a team environment, including line management of project officer(s).
· Demonstrable ability to form strong and productive working relationships with external stakeholders and partners for learning and knowledge sharing.
· Proven ability to influence and negotiate with staff and stakeholders in relation to project and programme management and delivery, often without direct authority.
· Ability to anticipate and manage risk and take active steps to mitigate them, and act quickly to deal with emerging challenges.
· Ability to manage and develop financial information systems to support timely donor reporting and business planning.
· Ability to work on own initiative with minimum supervision.
· Ability to maintain a high-level overview of programme performance and progress, and provide more hands-on support to project teams if necessary.
· Excellent attention to detail, especially in ensuring consistency across multiple reports and project documents.
- Advanced IT skills including Excel, Word, Outlook, PowerPoint and databases.
· Knowledge and understanding of development issues and a personal commitment to international development and poverty reduction would be desirable.
- Experience working in a developing country or with developing country partner organisations is desirable.
Closing date: 5th January 2020
Interview Date: 15th January 2020
How to apply:
For more information, please download an application pack from our website. If you are experiencing difficulties downloading, please telephone 020 79220351 or email humanresources@odi.org.uk.**
ODI is an equal opportunities employer Charity Reg. No.228248