Programme Manager, Africa At Montrose

As the Montrose Programme Manager based in Uganda you will support the successful delivery of Montrose global programmes. You will represent Montrose, support the company’s delivery of high-quality international development programmes and nurture the growth of the company’s portfolio within the sector. You will champion the Montrose Vision, Mission and Values, have a willingness to learn, great attention to detail, communicate well with all stakeholders and be responsive and eager to grow with the company, demonstrating flexibility, creativity and initiative.

Montrose:

Montrose is an international development project management and consultancy company providing support to clients operating in the developing world. Specialised in the sectors of health, education, rural livelihoods and private sector development, our clients include bilateral and multilateral development agencies, the private sector, Non-Governmental Organisations (NGOs) and other development stakeholders.

Montrose Vision:

Creating pragmatic solutions which make lives better

Montrose Mission:

Montrose creates bespoke solutions which make lives better in Africa and Asia. We strive to add value to international development and corporate sustainability. Through our commitment to quality, responsiveness, and pragmatism, we aim to exceed expectations. We work with talented and passionate people who share our enthusiasm for our vision and style.

Montrose Values:

Montrose has four company values which guides our work and company culture. These are quality, responsiveness, people and innovation which are defined below.

• Quality – We strive to ensure not only the quality of what we deliver, but the certainty that we will consistently deliver high quality with respect to both our products and the way in which we operate.
• Responsiveness – Our responsiveness and flexibility reflect the value of working with a small and agile company. This goes beyond the minimum standard of a rapid response, but also considers how we respond to needs, contexts and challenges through the design of bespoke solutions delivered for, and with, our beneficiaries, partners and clients.
• People – From finding and effectively deploying the best consultants, to developing and growing with our teams, we reflect and value how the organisation can learn and improve by engaging and listening to our people whether they are beneficiaries, our personnel or our clients.
• Being innovative and forward-thinking in our approach to designing and implementing programmed helps us to understand potential initiatives which will ensure additional impact or improved delivery.

Montrose is a UK company with an Africa Regional Office in Kampala, Uganda and an Asia-Pacific Regional Office in Yangon, Myanmar. Montrose implements projects in over 20 countries globally

Purpose of the position: To support the successful delivery of Montrose global programmes.

Grade level: 4

Direct reports: Programme Officer(s)

Location: This position will ideally be based in the Montrose Uganda office although we are open to distance working if the applicant is based in the correct time zone to manage projects in both Africa and Asia.

Core responsibilities of the role

The Programme Manager will support the successful delivery of Montrose global programmes. This includes:

A. Technical Areas Specific to the Role

The Programme Manager will be actively involved in direct project management of specific projects and day-to-day implementation of contracts. This includes:

• Oversight and quality assurance of work plans, ensuring they are up-to-date, comprehensive and logical
• Ensuring deliverables are of high quality and on time
• Managing personnel and technical teams
• Monthly review of working budgets against expenditure including re-forecasting
• Coordinating writing of reports, proofreading and editing
• Managing procurement of equipment and supplies
• Oversight and management of Progamme Officer(s) to implement travel and other logistical arrangements and procedures
• Identify gaps and potential issues in project delivery and propose solutions and/or improvements
• Support the development of project strategy, direction and theory of change
• Oversee (and at times draft), coordinate and monitor implementation of project management tools
• Undertake research on technical components of existing or new contracts where appropriate
• Day-to-day management of consultants, ensuring compliance with Montrose and client deliverables and expectations
• Ensuring compliance to contracts and standards
• First review of Terms of References (ToRs) developed by Programme Officer
• Developing ToRs where appropriate or in more complex cases where they cannot be drafted by the Programme Officer
• Ensuring the consultant level of effort in the ToR is logical and fits within the budget
• Taking responsibility for ensuring the programmes managed are compliant with all contractual obligations and that internal policies are implemented
• Approving flights and logistics when costs are sourced by another employee and within agreed, updated budget
• Approving expenditure within agreed, updated budget
• Meeting and communicating with clients but not negotiating contractual terms and whilst ensuring the appropriate member of the Senior Management Team are in the loop on these discussions

B. Grade-Level Roles and Responsibilities

1. Research

• Lead technical planning relating to projects and proposals to ensure appropriate resourcing and project delivery
• Understand the key technical areas of the project delivery
• QA and review project reports and proposal inputs, giving technical feedback where appropriate
• Lead technical research (with guidance), for instance during proposal development, project delivery or project audits
• Oversee data collection and carry out analysis of data collected, drawing conclusions from the findings of the analysis

2. Finance

• Draft, manage, review and update budgets as appropriate
• Ensure financial accountability for all expenditure (within delegated authority)
• Complete monthly reviews of expenditure against pre-approved budget (compiling, reforecasting, oversight) where appropriate
• Take responsibility for justifying and reporting on changes to budget expenditure, including flagging anticipated expenditure issues such as over- or underspend
• Review cashflow as required
• Take the lead in cost saving and ensuring Value for Money (VfM) (economy and efficiency)
• Approve financial spend up to pre-agreed delegated authority
• Demonstrate a more complex understanding of cost savings, overheads, company profit

3. Consultant Management

• Interview consultants and potential employees where appropriate
• Set ToR expectations and reviewing ToRs
• Where appropriate, negotiate rates with consultants under supervision
• Ensure no consultant or employee works off contract
• Train consultants on internal policies and company expectations
• Manage consultants’ deliverables and timelines where appropriate
• Enforce quality standards for consultants’ work (behaviour, technical output, engagement)
• Ensure two-way feedback happens and is used
• Work with consultants to identify follow on (or other) work
• Anticipate and judge when and how to flag consultant management problems to higher levels

4. Key Documents

• Write and quality assure relevant sections of project reports (narrative and/or financial) and proposals
• Set and review report structures
• Manage, review and approve workplans

5. Risk Management

• Have advanced understanding of risk management and its importance in Montrose
• Research, review, quality assure and manage risk registers for projects and/or offices, including context
• Anticipate and flag changes to risk in good time
• Manage personal risk (e.g. draft a journey management plan before travel)
• Conduct training on risk management for lower grade employees, consultants and partners
• Lead and oversee duty of care of consultants, partners and lower grade employees including acting as journey manager; management of field teams’ risk (partners/consultants), health etc.

6. Administration

• Demonstrate compliance with all Montrose policies and take the lead to ensure all lower-grade employees are trained and also adhering to Montrose policies
• Ensure all consultant management processes are followed and compliant with Montrose policies

7. Strategy and Leadership

• Lead the delivery of projects and proposals, coordinating inputs and ensuring efficient, quality delivery on all aspects of implementation and financial management
• Support the implementation and review of department strategies
• Mentor and support Grade 2 staff to anticipate and avoid potential issues with delivery

8. Representation

• Draft, update and implement stakeholder management plans for projects, proposals and offices as appropriate
• Represent Montrose with partners and on occasion the client
• Ensure good preparation and clarity on meeting objectives and strategies
• Understand and be in a position to talk clearly about any project or proposal managed
• Have a fair understanding of all Montrose projects

9. Internal HR

• Demonstrate peer support of other Grade 4 employees
• Line manage Grade 2 employees as appropriate
• Identify potential gaps in the team and make suggestions for improvement
• Set, review and meet personal KPIs
• Identify and undertake Continuous Professional Development opportunities
• Show understanding of and potential for internal career progression

10. Company Culture

• Promote the Montrose work ethic and values (People, Quality, Innovation & Responsiveness)
• Act as a Montrose professional at all times and follow the Montrose Code of Conduct

Personal Specification

1. Essential

• Masters degree or equivalent in a relevant field e.g. International Development, Public Health, Education, Statistics, Programme Management etc.
• A minimum of 5 years Programme Management experience working in the development sector
• A passion for doing development work better, working with all types of stakeholders, partners, clients, consultants, government counterparts, and community members to improve people’s lives
• Exceptional drive, and a willingness to work hard to deliver high quality outcomes
• Strong time management, organisational and communication skills, and exceptional attention to detail
• Ability to work well within a team
• Excellent written and spoken English, with the ability to write accurate, and relevant reports
• Excellent problem-solving skills, with the experience of seeking creative ways to overcome complex problems
• Willingness to learn and adapt with the growing Montrose Programme Team
• Ambition, drive and determination to succeed
• Microsoft Office proficiency (Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook, SharePoint)
• Ability and willingness to travel to other countries in Africa and Asia

2. Desirable

• Knowledge of French, Spanish or another African or Asian language
• Knowledge of the research, monitoring and evaluation, enterprise, environment, education and health sectors