DAI

Job title: Senior Manager, Implementation

Unit: EU Implementation

Reports to: Portfolio Leader

Main purpose of role: To fulfil DAI’s development and business objectives through support to winning proposals (win); manage a portfolio of projects ensuring that the client receives excellent services and projects exceed technical and financial performance expectations (manage); and deliver assistance as appropriate (deliver); whilst also contributing to building our capacity to meet evolving development and business challenges (build).

Key tasks, duties and responsibilities

The proportion of time allocated to each of the below activities will vary depending on workload and, priorities.

Manage & Deliver:

• Take lead on day-day management of designated projects
• Serve as Project Director on selected projects, supervising project managers
• Manage the project mobilisation and start-up processes including the development of appropriate project specific manuals and management processes
• Monitor project implementation and oversee in-country teams. Resolve project management issues independently and escalate issues as needed.
• Provide support to review, edit, strengthen, and format project reports before client submission, including: establishing reporting timeframes, reviewing processes and team inputs, collating previous client feedback and ensuring requirements are understood and reflected
• Work with project teams and Project Finance Specialists to establish and maintain robust financial management and tracking systems, including managing designated project budgets, ensuring adherence to project profitability targets, monitoring project expenditure and compiling accurate expenditure forecasts internally and to clients
• With the assigned Project Director (or independently when serving as Project Director on a project) manage consortia partners and sub-contractors; tracking labour, contracts and performance and escalating issues as they are identified as appropriate
• Support technical direction for project delivery
• Provide support and guidance to the in-country technical team(s) to deliver against project outputs

In collaboration with BD, Win through:

• Networking at the appropriate level with clients, partners and external consultants to enhance client awareness of DAI services and capabilities
• Assisting with the recruitment of high-quality technical personnel in collaboration with the Recruitment Team
• Cultivating client relationships and gain a better understanding of upcoming needs of our clients and beneficiaries, positioning for upcoming bids, complying with all DAI ethics and business development policies and representing DAI’s experience and capabilities

Build

• Build own professional knowledge and stay up-to-date with relevant developments in the field
• Co-ordinate with other DAI Global teams and technical practices on priority areas for knowledge management in order to understand how particular projects align with the wider DAI project portfolio.
• Following donor-led initiatives and where DAI could position itself in the future.

Objectives and measurement criteria:

• As defined in the performance review

Qualifications, Skills, Knowledge and Experience

Essential

• Degree in relevant field or equivalent
• Project management experience preferably gained from managing disparate or remote teams
• Work experience in a development environment (either in a developing country or with a development consultancy/ organisation) alongside experience of working with European Union funded projects
• Commercially astute with demonstrable aptitude in client service and management
• Good understanding of proposal development, programme management systems and standards
• Excellent level of written and verbal English (able to write technically, and to write client reports; along with excellent communication skills. Also, the ability to negotiate in contexts with complex, cross cultural, multi-lingual teams).
• Driven and motivated combined with the ability to establish and maintain positive working relationships both internally and externally to deliver against programme and business targets
• Flexibility, versatile and tolerant in a changing work environment with the ability to work effectively under pressure and to tight deadlines
• Willingness to travel to any of DAI’s countries of operation

Desirable:

• Post-graduate degree in relevant field or equivalent
• Fluency in French is a strong advantage
• Experience in or knowledge of relevant technical areas (climate/environment, and/or private sector development, and/or governance)
• Fluency in another language, especially Spanish and/or Portuguese