Project Management Specialist at Islamic Development Bank

Job Purpose

• Under the supervision of the Country Operations Manager, to conduct Bank’s technical-assistance operations due-diligence, monitor day-to-day technical-assistance operations management activities, and carry out day-to-day development-project operations management activities under the guidance of Project Team within approved costs, timeliness and quality, to ensure efficient execution of the bank’s mandate to support economic development in the associated member and non-member countries.
• Responsible for day-to-day communication, monitoring and implementation support to the project management units and executing agencies; supervision of project contract management and resources; preparation of implementation reports to the bank management, and proactive mitigation of project implementation issues. In addition, provide support in project preparation and appraisal, portfolio quality review, procurement review, and disbursement processes. Contribute to knowledge management agenda by identifying lessons learned from the projects.

Key Accountabilities

Project Appraisal:

• Provide technical and professional support to the Operations Team Leader in the preparation of project appraisals and comprehensive due diligence of the technical, financial, procurement, institutional, economic, social and environmental aspects of the project proposals ensuring the same are in line with the operations manual and applicable policies/procedures of the Bank.
• Liaise with the respective Sector Teams in CPO to further refine and enhance the project appraisal documents prior to submission for the Board approval.

Project Implementation And Monitoring

• Coordinate with the respective Operations Team Leader, in all aspects the project implementation to ensure projects are completed as per the project charter/plan.
• Lead the preparation of periodic project implementation assessment and support reports for each project under the portfolio to ensure implementation issues and proposed actions are documented as a reference and for smooth execution.
• Maintain adequate, up-to-date, and accurate project information and key records in the bank’s operations management system.
• Assess implementation progress of Bank’s approved operations and provide feedback/recommendations on bank’s position to relevant authorities/stakeholders.
• Contribute to maintenance of project implementation plans to ensure ongoing monitoring of project progress, pro-active identification of issues, recommendation and implementation of action plans to resolve issues promptly.
• Review implementation quality and progress of Bank’s approved operations and provide recommendations for improvements to the relevant authorities/stakeholders.
• Provide inputs to the Procurement and Financial Management staff to ensure procurement of materials and disbursal of funds for the projects are in line with the policies of the Bank.
• Monitor contracts and financial management activities of the projects and provide recommendations on bank’s position to relevant authorities/stakeholders.

Project Closure And Review

• Provide inputs to the Task Team Leader in the development of project completion reports, at the completion of each project.
• Compile inputs for the Sectoral Teams in CPO ensuring lessons learnt during the project implementation are recorded as reference for the future projects.

General Project Management

• Provide inputs to Operations Team Leader during the operational cycle of the projects to ensure necessary operational policies and procedures are followed and improvements suggested are being implemented.
• Support Operations Team Leader in engaging external expertise according to the bank’s procurement policy, to complement internal resources, ensuring quality project due diligence, implementation and lessons mining.

Academic And Professional Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in Economics, Agriculture, or other relevant subjects. Masters degree is preferred.
• Additional qualification or certification in Project Management like PMP would be desirable.
• Minimum 5 years of experience in project management, preferably in the development sector. Working experience in MDBs or International Organization is preferred.
• Languages: English: Mandatory | French: Preferred

Skills & Necessary Knowledge

• Project Management skills.
• People Management skills.
• Quality Management.
• Results Orientation.
• Time and resource management.
• Building Relationships
• Passion for Excellence
• Problem Solving skills
• Vendor Management
• Global Trends and Challenges in the specific sector.
• IT skills, especially in project management.