West Africa Project Director at Adam Smith International

Tracking Code: 214-140
Location: Abuja
Position Type: Full-Time/Regular

About the Role
The Project Director has three sets of responsibilities within the Africa team:

• Project Director of several programmes in Africa. The programmes to be assigned to this role or roles will be confirmed upon appointment but will include programmes in some of the following countries: Nigeria, Ghana, Sierra Leone, Liberia. The location of the position will be in proximity to the assigned programmes.
• Country Leadership responsibilities will be layered on top of Project Director responsibilities, principally ensuring that in the assigned country a coherent strategy is being followed across projects, that projects and operations are in compliance with all national, corporate and client regulations and laws, that all staff in the country are appropriately supported, satisfied and performing, that ASI has a healthy and mutually respectful professional network in the country.
• Business Development responsibilities will comprise opportunity scoping and lead generation, and sometimes bid management in collaboration with technical colleagues. This will principally be related to assigned leadership countries.

Tasks

• Project Direct assigned programmes & overall oversight of delivery to ensure maximum level of impact, quality, client satisfaction, staff job satisfaction and performance, lowest level of risks and issues, meeting financial requirements.
• Coordinate resources effectively to support high-impact delivery (knowledge groups, technical teams)
• Manage direct reports – typically project managers, team leaders, country coordinators, operations managers – to ensure high performance, job satisfaction, high-impact project delivery, successful implementation of country strategies including business development targets.
• Actively manage country risks, including reporting upwards via Country Level Risk Register, and follow documented risk processes including escalation.
• Oversee Country Operations, Compliance & Duty of Care
• Develop and maintain strong relationships with executive and senior clients, potential clients, government, partners and Associates.
• Strong country knowledge across sectors, including up to date political economy understanding.
• Develop simple country strategic plan and VfM platform.
• Develop and implement shared strategy across projects in country and value add for clients. Build support for the strategy amongst all country staff.
• Coordinate resources effectively to ensure suitable operations & compliance and risk levels
• Understand the market, development issues/solutions and potential opportunities
• Understand key problems facing country, government and potential clients – in the short, medium and long term
• Lead on marketing initiatives in coordination with knowledge groups & comms
• Tracking of new opportunities (with support of BD Coordinator) & strong decision-making on selection
• Involvement in staffing of projects, sourcing local Associates and ensuring suitably benchmarked rates.

About You
We are currently seeking the following skills and qualifications for this role:

• A postgraduate degree in Economics, Political Science, Business Management, International Development or another relevant field.
• Delivery – Successful track record in managing high quality delivery of at least 5 multi-million pound projects with more than one client, including at least 2 in parallel
• At least 15 years of relevant and successful professional experience
• At least 8 years residing and operating professionally in fragile or complex environments
• Staff management – Proven ability to manage and motivate over 30 staff across multiple locations at the same time
• Business Development – Several multi-million pound contracts with more than 1 client, management of a business unit to significant growth in turnover, several large extensions
• Business Development – Proven drive and ability to secure significant business in new client and geographic marketsNetwork – Strong reputation in specific technical or geographic field, evidenced by a strong network of clients, partners, influencers, associates assigned leadership countries.

What We Offer You

• We offer you a dynamic and friendly team environment and the opportunity to work on a highly successful portfolio of programmes. We have a strong commitment to our people and strive to live by our values.
• We’ve built a culture to reflect our values, full of likeminded professionals who are smart, passionate and great at what they do.