Seed Manager

Female candidates are strongly encouraged to apply

TEAM: South Asia

REPORTS TO: Senior Programme Manager, Sustainable Energy and Economic Development

LOCATION: Peshawar

JOB CONTEXT & PURPOSE

(Brief summary of the position, i.e. why does the role exist?)

About the Sustainable Energy and Economic Development (SEED) Programme

SEED will support the province of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KPK) to plan and finance the infrastructure and investment it needs for growth, jobs and prosperity. The programme will also address Pakistan’s energy crisis by providing innovative financial solutions to industry for the adoption of sustainable energy practices.

About the role

Project Managers perform a key role in Adam Smith International’s consulting model and play a central part in managing project implementation, risk and financial reporting. The SEED KP project manager (PM) works as part of the SEED Project Management Unit to manage the overall technical delivery of SEED and adherence to the contractual terms. She/he will report to and work closely with the Senior Programme Manager and Country and Technical Directors. Whilst being Peshawar based, the PM is expected to spend time working from Islamabad on occasions too.

KEY RELATIONSHIPS

(e.g. internal and external relationships)

Internal:

• South Asia team management (particularly the SEED Senior Manager and Head of Pakistan)
• ASI Peshawar and Islamabad Office management team
• ASI Pakistan Operations and Security team
• ASI technical teams in the context of best practices and lessons learned
• ASI Finance Team (Islamabad and London)

External:

• SEED clients (DFID, Govt of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa)
• SEED provincial associate team
• Other donors, consultants, NGOs operating in Pakistan
• Other KP government representatives

KEY TASKS

(What does this role do, e.g. ‘responsible for identifying new business opportunities’)

List a minimum of 10 and a maximum of 20)

• Support the Senior Manager in ensuring ASI is responsive to SEED clients within DFID (particularly programmatic staff) with regards to delivery of the programme in KP.
• Gather and develop inputs from KP delivery for monthly, quarterly and annual reports for DFID, ensuring they reflect client priorities, and accurately and comprehensively present programme results.
• Monitor SEED progress through the workplan, M&E and VfM frameworks, to support the programme to remain focused on results and identify underperforming activities for course corrections.
• Manage the SEED budget for specific interventions, so that the programme delivers VfM for DFID, achieves ASI’s commercial criteria, and meets both ASI and DFID requirements for accurate invoicing and financial forecasting and reporting.
• Develop, update and implement business processes and management mechanisms in coordination with the Senior Manager to ensure that the programme team is working as efficiently as possible, with clear role descriptions and a shared set of values.
• Run recruitment processes for KP advisers to ensure the programme team is optimally structured and staffed with high quality advisers on time to deliver results at pace.
• Monitor relations between advisers and their counterparts to ensure that those counterparts remain engaged with, and fully supportive of the programme and its objectives.
• Ensure that the programme’s identification, analysis and management of risks is proactive, comprehensive and controlled. The PM must actively manage risks; developing mitigation strategies with the programme team and ensure that these mitigation strategies are communicated to stakeholders and implemented.
• Ensure that SEED advisers understand ASI’s Duty of Care policies and procedures, and comply with them by liaising with ASI Pakistan’s Security and Operations staff.

KEY ACCOUNTABILITIES

(What is this role responsible for achieving? These should be described in terms of the results the employee is tasked with achieving, not the activities undertaken in order to achieve the result (covered above).  For example, “deliver a comprehensive and accurate quarterly budget report”

List a minimum of 5 and a maximum of 10)

• Donor client satisfaction (in the assigned workstreams and the project’s financial management)
• Timely, accurate and high quality programme reporting
• Timely, accurate financial reporting
• Maintain a stable and competent project team
• Effective management and coordination with ASI Operations in Peshawar

MINIMUM

QUALIFICATIONS:

• Desirable – Masters in a relevant subject
• Good undergraduate degree in a relevant subject

EXPERIENCE REQUIRED:

• Relevant project management experience is essential
• Experience working in Pakistan, preferably in KP

COMPETENCIES:

• Planning and delivering results
• Managing complexity
• Innovation and change management
• Communication and knowledge management
• Leadership and direction
• Collaboration and teamwork
• Personal impact and effectiveness

KNOWLEDGE:

• Some political, social and cultural understanding of the contexts they work in.
• A good understanding of their client. Including: 
• priorities and aims
• funding structures and agencies
• Corporate structures
• Ability to research and put together information needed for proposals.
• Some understanding of monitoring and evaluation.
• Understanding of how to design an accurate budget for a small project or contribute to a larger/more complex project, taking into account burn rates.
• Knowledge of how to do financial forecasting, coordination and risk management for a small project or contribute to a larger or more complex project.
• Some technical understanding of project subject matter.
• Some understanding of how to balance operational needs with budgets.
• Urdu and/or Pashto language required

SKILLS:

• Ability to write in a clear and concise manner.
• Budget, finance and forecasting skills (inc. Microsoft Excel).
• Ability to build effective, credible client relationships and networks.

ATTITUDE:

• High level of emotional intelligence in the following areas:  self-awareness, social awareness, self-management, relationship management.
• Excellent relationship building skills.
• Proactive, self-starter, resourceful.
• Open-minded, flexible approach to problem-solving.
• Resilient to changing circumstances and challenges.
• Achievement oriented.
• Determination to complete work.
• Trustworthy, reliable, professional and accountable.