Urban Programme Manager HEO - Pretoria, South Africa - Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office

Description

The British Government is an inclusive and diversity-friendly employer. We value difference, promote equality and challenge discrimination, enhancing our organisational capability. We welcome and encourage applications from people of all backgrounds. We do not discriminate on the basis of disability, race, colour, ethnicity, gender identity, religion, sexual orientation, age, veteran status or other category protected by law. We promote family-friendly flexible working opportunities, where operational and security needs allow. Job Category 1 Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (Policy & Political roles) Job Subcategory 1 Economic and Prosperity Job Description (Roles and Responsibilities) 1

Main purpose of job:

Many countries, including middle-income countries - still face considerable challenges such as youth unemployment, climate change, high and persistent inequality (including gender inequality) and digital exclusion, which can lower long-term growth prospects.

The British High Commission (BHC) in South Africa delivers a portfolio of activities to support the broad-based and inclusive growth needed for poverty reduction. Our strategic priorities within the Resilient and Productive Economies Campaign team include supporting bilateral and regional trade and investment, improving business environment and economic reform, driving productivity in key sectors through education, employment and skills development, improving digital access, support for entrepreneurship and MSMEs and sustainable urban development.

The job encompasses programme management support for the BHC ODA portfolio and playing a critical role in delivering the abovementioned objectives. It is an exciting role in a fast-paced environment where the job holder will get the opportunity to learn more about the UK's International Development policy and to directly contribute towards building a strong and sustainable bilateral relationship between UK and South Africa.

Roles and responsibilities:

You will have responsibility for the day-to-day management and coordination of the UK government's Urban Resilience programme (£8m) in South Africa which is delivering technical assistance to municipalities (metros and secondary cities) to strengthen the resilience to climate and economic shocks, through projects that support township economies, build data and digital capabilities in municipalities, and enable sustainable growth in cities. The programme currently has 3 external delivery partners with an additional delivery partner to be appointed shortly. The role may expand over the year to absorb new programming on infrastructure investment pipeline development. You will report the the Head of Urban Economic Development, who is the Programme Responsible Owner (PRO).

This includes:

Programme and risk management

Work with FCDO PRO to support a successful delivery of urban portfolio (£8m) ensuring projects are delivered on time, with expected quality and within budget, in accordance with the project plan and the FCDO's programme operating framework.

Lead on due diligence assessments of potential partners including scoping, site visits and reporting; and support PRO in procurement and partner mobilisation activities.

Support the design and delivery of a robust programme monitoring, reporting, evaluation and learning framework. This will include critical appraisal of partner reports, climate mainstreaming/ICF KPI reporting, gender equity and social inclusion review, troubleshooting day-to-day project issues, maintaining, and monitoring risk registers and supporting FCDO annual and programme completions reviews as needed.

Coordinate FCDO relationships with programme delivery partners/ suppliers, key donors, and stakeholders to maintain excellent delivery quality for programme outcomes.

Work collaboratively with PRO and other programme managers across the FCDO South Africa to support the delivery of objectives, share lessons and best practice, and flex to provide cross-cutting programme management support as needed.

Manage programme documentation including file management on MS Teams, ensure compliance and maintain log of internal reporting milestones.

Financial management

Manage the urban resilience programme budget, monitor expenditure and costs against delivered and realised benefits/outputs throughout the project lifecycle.

Ensure all requisitions, purchase orders and receipting/payment of invoices meet FCDO's financial rules, and are linked to agreed project milestones and/or partner or supplier reporting obligations.

Ensure budgets are accurately recorded, forecast, and profiled throughout the life of projects and payments actively managed in line with FCDO benchmarks and quality standards.

Ensure that the programme team and delivery partners are consistently practising sound financial management, delivering Value for Money.

Communication and knowledge management

Develop an effective external communication plan by identifying impactful opportunities for sharing thematic learnings from the programme such as international conferences, media and publications.

Support the PRO to deliver the communication plan using internal FCDO resources and external delivery partner budgets.

Organise programme events with support from Programme Admin Officer and engage delivery partners and other stakeholders to ensure attendance

Coordinate proactive reporting on projects, emerging risks and lessons learned, for the programme.

Working with communications colleagues in the region, support team in developing and implementing a communications strategy to disseminate programme results, outputs and outcomes to internal and external audiences.

You may also be asked to provide high quality contributions to briefings and other parliamentary and ministerial deliverables

Effective adoption of practices to ensure sustainability of programme activity, assessing and capturing key learning from programme activity, including through completion of Programme Completion Review and any wider evaluation practices.

Contribute to the development of future project and programme proposals.

You will also be expected to act as a gender champion in your role, ensuring Gender Equality Act compliance and supporting the implementation of gender policy and guidance so that, at the least, no harm is done and gender inequality is not worsened. You will actively support Economic Growth team's ambitions on women's economic opportunities, inclusive growth and poverty reduction through your role.

All of this makes for an exciting, busy and varied job with travel opportunities. You will be a dynamic individual with good communication skills and able engage credibly with senior people, internally and externally. You will be good at delivering at pace, managing complex portfolio of projects, and be creative in solutions to challenging problems. You will have a proven ability to build good relationships with stakeholders and suppliers. You will be an exceptional team player, able to work closely with colleagues across the British High Commission to ensure activity is joined up and well represented across the One-HMG platform, and have the confidence to represent to interests of the SA economic growth team.

As all other staff in BHC, the job holder is expected to participate in wider BHC activities. These may include being active on various staff engagement committees and in other corporate roles.

South Africa is a culturally and racially diverse country, with a complex history. You will be skilled in navigating diverse social and cultural environments and committed to creating an inclusive workplace.

Resources managed (staff and expenditure):

The role will have responsibility for the programme management of the Urban Resilience Programme (£8m).

Essential qualifications, skills and experience 1

Minimum 3 years' of previous experience in programme management with at least 1 year spent in donor, international development agency or NGO/private-sector programme delivery team

Experience of working with government entities on projects and complex programmes

Track record of building effective relationships and networking with a range of stakeholders

Strong interpersonal and communication skills with the ability to work across teams and cultures to support the delivery of strategic priorities

Eager to learn and grow within a fast-paced organisation requiring high quality delivery

Strong project and financial management experience

Good IT skills including a thorough understanding of Microsoft 365 software products, particularly Teams, SharePoint, Excel, Word, and Outlook and ability to learn new skills for effective communication of programme data

Should be proactive with a focus on continuous improvement of self and service, and an appetite to work with others to simplify processes and improve programme efficiency

Excellent organisational and time management skills with attention to detail

Adaptability to flex across portfolio in delivering tasks and responsibilities for effective delivery

Resilience to manage multiple projects concurrently, with the ability to support project monitoring and ensure programme delivery to tight deadlines

Fluent in both written and spoken English

Desirable qualifications, skills and experience 1

Undergraduate degree in subjects like Development Studies, Urban Planning, Development Economics or, similar fields.

Qualification in programme/project management, including financial management, risk management, and monitoring and evaluation

Prior experience of designing and implementing communication strategies

Experience in working on economic development or urban issues in South Africa or similar contexts

Experience working on similar programmes and projects with partners, such as municipalities, NPOs, private sector

Experience in portfolio financial management

Required behaviours 1 Changing and Improving, Delivering at Pace, Making Effective Decisions, Working Together Application deadline 1 6 May 2024 Grade 1 Higher Executive Officer (HEO) Type of Position 1 Permanent Working hours per week hours Region 1 Africa Country/Territory 1 South Africa Location (City) 1 Pretoria Type of Post 1 British High Commission Number of vacancies 1 1 Salary 1 R 701, per annum) Start Date 1 1 July 2024 Other benefits and conditions of employment 1

Learning and development opportunities (and any specific training courses to be completed):

The British High Commission is committed to providing learning and development opportunities. The successful candidate will get access to a range of learning and development opportunities, including on the job training, courses and workshops. They will also be able to benefit from the wide range of training run by the British High Commission including on management and leadership, cross-cultural communication, and understanding the UK.

We also provide regular in-house learning opportunities and are committed to supporting further academic opportunities.

Our staff who demonstrate great leadership potential are encouraged to apply for the FCDO's pan-African Emerging Leadership Programme.

FCDO Programme Operating Framework and Programme Management training will be provided, with option to secure externally accredited project management qualifications.

Working patterns:

BHC policy requires you to work at least 3 days in the office. This includes external meetings and work related travel. Flexible working beyond this can be considered for the right candidate, but please note the following:

You may be required to work evenings if supporting events

You will be expected to travel to other cities in South Africa regularly. There may be occasional travel to the UK.