Project Management Systems Specialist at Plan International

Role Purpose

• As part of the Project and Funds team, the primary role of the Project Management Systems Specialist is to understand, maintain, advise on and troubleshoot the Salesforce, Vera, project and programme management system and the integration with D365.
• This role will be pivotal in ensuring utilisation, governance and application aligned to operating standards and procedures.
• This role will work closely with both the IT Project and operational teams who support the project management systems from an IT perspective as well as leading engagement with third-parties working to support the platform.

Dimensions of the Role

• This role has no Direct Reports, however it has an international reach acting as the key project management technical point of contact for many different stakeholder groups at all levels in the organisation including national offices, country offices, regional offices and the Global Hub.
• This role is line managed by the Director of Programme Delivery and Resources but is matrix managed by both the Director of MERL and Director of Programme Delivery and Resources as far as the execution of the accountabilities of the role is concerned.

Accountabilities

System Steward:

• Primary Project Management steward of Project Management system for Plan International with an ability to understand all functionality available and provide training and communication.
• Ensure Project Management systems interfaces effectively with related systems, e.g. ERP, ChildData, M&E and the data platforms (data warehouse, BI and analytics).
• Acts as subject matter expert for project management systems processes and maintains in-depth knowledge of available and emerging functionality of the project management system and Salesforce platform.
• Support CO teams in the use of Project Management system from a project management functionality perspective.
• Attend project management meetings and recommend any enhancements to project management system.
• Help define/ensure Plan International alignment with all agreed project management systems governance; including operating standards/processes/procedures.
• On-going delivery of training requirements to CO teams across Plan International in order to support the full utilisation of Project Management system including system changes/enhancements and on boarding new Project Management staff.
• Review on quarterly basis, with IT, support in line with Project Management system releases and agree which features should be enabled to support Project Management.
• Attending external meetings, workshops and conferences to ensure Plan is aware of trends and future roadmaps across the industry.
• Review issues reported providing functional support to resolve these and highlight any related training needs. NB: This role will also fully support the training requirements associated with the roll out of the Project Management system.

System Utilisation:

• Increase adoption of the Project Management systems by CO and GH staff, line managers and employees and provide continuous updated training and communication materials.
• Monitor use of the system and provide regular updates.
• Understand how Project Management systems can be used most effectively to support Project Management processes.

Project Management Data and Reporting/MI:

• Drive up the use of the Project Management system as the primary source of accurate data relating to Project Management.
• Partnering with Project Management leads, develop and maintain a consistent set of Project Management dashboards and reports for use by COs and business leaders.
• Manage new report requests – review requirements, assess against existing reporting and, if required, establish new reports.
• Ensure contractual obligates are met where reporting is required to be provided to Vendor(s)

Integrations:

• Working with Data teams, such as Data Warehousing and BI teams to integrate data extraction and utilisation within the broader reporting requirements.
• Working with ERP and M&E teams to integrate project data across the systems.

Ongoing Continuous Improvement:

• Review Project Management systems functionality regularly, implement/upgrade functionality to support Plan International globally.
• Regularly review and update training needs and materials for the Project Management System.
• Regularly review and update Project Management system reporting requirements.
• Supports in the creation and deployment of customer surveys/other forms of feedback on processes and systems from the organisation.
• Responsible for training employees across Plan International Inc. and National Offices on system usage & upgrades
• This role will also have an emphasis on determining how to innovate through automation, process improvement and system enhancement whilst focusing on continuous improvement.
• Ensures that Plan International’s global policies for Child Protection (CPP) and Gender Equality and Inclusion (GEI) are fully embedded in accordance with the principles and requirements of the policy including relevant Implementation Standards and Guidelines as applicable to their area of responsibility. This includes, but is not limited to, ensuring staff and associates are aware of and understand their responsibilities under these policies and Plan International’s Code of Conduct (CoC), their relevance to their area of work, and that concerns are reported and managed in accordance with the appropriate procedures.

Key Relationships:

• Regional, Country & National Office functional teams supporting PM and M&E
• Project Management Super users
• IT
• Leadership Teams
• Vendors & Suppliers
• Peer organisations
• No direct reports

Technical Expertise, Skills and Knowledge

Desirable:

• Bachelor’s Degree in Development, Business Administration, IT or other related field.
• Spanish and/or French verbal and written communication skills is an advantage
• Good project management skills and/or Project Management qualification
• Salesforce Certified Administrator.

Essential:

• Proven experience of supporting Project Management and/or Salesforce/Force.com systems in a large and matrix organisation.
• Knowledge of Project Management operations, principles, practices and processes.
• Experience of business process design and mapping.
• Ability to understand Project Management workflow and lateral processes, understanding where to probe for inefficiencies and clarity and to lead these discussions with the organisation.
• Experienced in the use of reporting tools to develop standard and ad hoc reports.
• Customer focused and strong influencing and stakeholder management skills.
• Excellent understanding and application of MS Excel, Visio
• Must be adaptable and able to work independently on multiple tasks, prioritise workload effectively and meet deadlines in a fast paced environment.
• Experience in setting metrics and analytics and the ability to analyse data for operational and strategic decision making.
• Strong analytical skills and robust problem solving skills.
• Attention to detail; accurate and observant.
• Fluent in English with strong verbal and written communication and interpersonal skills.