Project Manager At Overseas Development Institute

Contract: 2 years fixed term

Salary: £34,987 – £41,574 per annum

Location: London

Ref: PMU 09 21

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An independent, global think tank, working for a sustainable** and peaceful world in which every person thrives.

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About us**

ODI (odi.org) is an independent, global think tank. We work to inspire people to act on injustice and inequality. Through research, convening and influencing, we generate ideas that matter for people and planet.

We are looking for a Project Manager to oversee the day-to-day development and management of projects of medium to high complexity, supporting ODI’s Global Risk and Resilience (GRR) Programme.

The PM will be responsible for the project management cycle, coordinating the delivery of outputs to time and to budget, contributing to and taking ownership of the workplan, liaising with both internal and external stakeholders and maintaining up to date information on project finances, delivery, timeline and risks. They will work both independently and with the Technical Lead(s) to ensure the successful delivery of projects against milestones and budgets and in line with ODI’s policies and procedures.

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.

· 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.

· 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 Senior Project Manager and Director of Programme.

· Manage 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: 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 in close collaboration with from colleagues in the Communications team.

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About you**

Knowledge and qualifications

· Education to Bachelor’s degree level or equivalent level of experience

· Project Management qualification

· Level of relevant knowledge of project cycle management

· Thorough understanding of different costing models

· Solid understanding of financial management as part of the project cycle

Experience

· Experience managing medium to large sized projects throughout the full project cycle

· Experience of working within complex business models and of managing projects to maximise their contribution to the organisation’s financial and strategic objectives.

· Experience in donor compliance and administrative procedures, donor relationship management, including both financial and narrative reporting.

· Proven experience of conducting contract negotiations independently

· Successful experience of budget monitoring in multiple currencies including experience of creating accurate and timely financial reports.

· Experience of costing and budgeting according to different models and templates.

· Experience of participating in the development of proposals

· Experience of establishing systems and procedures to support project implementation

· Experience of coordinating project teams*
Skills/abilities*

· Ability to lead and coordinate complex project teams,

· Proven ability to understand the business environment and balance the requirements of the projects with the needs of the organisation.

· Ability to understand the needs of donors and partners and to make business- savvy decisions

· Ability to innovate in order to overcome problems

· Advanced IT skills including Excel, Word, Outlook, PowerPoint and databases

· Ability to write well and to prepare reports with minimum supervision

· Multitasking skills in a high-pressure environment

· Exceptional planning, organisation and execution skills

· Ability to work to own initiative with minimum supervision

· Excellent ability to build cross cultural relationships with partners and colleagues at various levels of seniority.

· Ability to learn new software quickly

· Effective communication skills