Senior Manager, Operations at Palladium Group

Project Overview and Role

• Palladium is searching for a Senior Manager, Operations to perform a crucial role in West and Central Africa as part of the corporate Operations management team within the EMEA Business Partnership.
• We work on an exciting portfolio of projects delivering positive social impact across Nigeria. Our programmes span a wide range of sectors, including: agriculture, economic policy, trade, market development, impact investment, maternal health, health policy, local governance, voice and accountability, gender and social development.
• We work for and with a range of clients including bilateral aid donors, foundations, government and the private sector. We never sit still, we are seeking further growth in a range of sectors, and we are committed to continuous improvement in delivery of best-in-class positive impact programmes.
• Under the leadership of the Director, Project Operations, this position is responsible for the management and delivery of projects as operational representative in Nigeria and Ghana while providing overall support to the corporate operations functions in West and Central Africa.

Responsibilities
Corporate Operations Support:

• In collaboration with the Director, Project Operations, serve as a focal point for training and guidance to operations staff and ensure compliance with company policies, guidelines, business processes and SOPs and client rules and regulations (covering security, occupational health and safety, risk management, planning, human resource management, monitoring, reporting, finance, procurement, logistics, IT, communications, audit support and all other operational matters);
• Coordinate the development and presentation of internal and external reporting, project risk assessments, annual reviews, and client deliverables, coordinate action plans as required, and ensure outputs are fit for purpose and actioned in a timely manner;

Regional Coordination:

• In collaboration with the Director, Project Operations, develop country-specific or regional operational plans to support the implementation of the Company's strategic plan;
• Serve as the operational representative in Nigeria and Ghana and lead on corporate implementation projects in West and Central Africa as required;
• Support corporate registrations in the region and coordinate activities to ensure all statutory and financial requirements are met and maintained for the entities and all projects in the region;
• Serve as chair of regional operational coordination meetings and identify programme synergies and operational efficiencies across the portfolio, including opportunities to achieve better value for money for clients;
• Oversee facilities management in the region, to include field office leasesand support co-location and integration of company projects;
• Ensure corporate operational issues and risks are logged and managed as required.
• Liaise with and respond to requests from in-country or regional clients regarding corporate operations;
• Oversee all corporate administration activities and staff in designated countries in the region

Project Operations:

• Plan and manage the operational aspects of project start-up and closeout to ensure delivery of required inputs to these processes from corporate services, service providers and stakeholders;
• Supervise Project Operations, Managers and Associates executing similar functions;
• For assigned projects, serve as the primary liaison between corporate services and the project;
• Participate in the development and maintenance of operations group and project work plans;

Head Contract and Client Relationship Management:

• Monitor and maintain compliance with head/prime contracts and report on overall progress against agreed targets and activities;
• Develop, manage and support contract amendments as required;
• Liaise with and respond to requests from clients and provide regular or ad hoc reporting;

Financial Management:

• Ensure company policies, SOPs and Guidelines for financial management are implemented and are compliant with the client's rules and regulations;
• Monitor expenditure against budgets and forecasts, including staff costs, operating expenses and procurements;
• Manage project financial and cash-flow planning for Nigeria, and other countries as required and review coordinate approvals for funding requests from the field for monthly Funds Transfer Requests;
• Manage approvals for contract action requests such as travel, personnel additions/changes, partner, grant, budget realignment;
• Support the planning and coordination of inputs from the company's Security, Risk and Internal Audit/System Review teams;
• Manage the external audit process and ensure retention of project records is compliant with company policy and in-country statutory requirements.

Human Resource Management:

• In collaboration with HR support project human resource planning, performance management, recruitment and contracting;
• In collaboration with Security, ensure safety and security procedures, including Occupational Health and Safety (OHS) requirements, are in place and adhered to across the region;
• Maintain project data on relevant HR systems for short-term and long-term staff and consultants;
• Lead the mobilisation and demobilisation of international staff (short-term and long-term) including contracting, travel management, payments and induction;

Procurement, Sub-Contractor and Grant Management:

• Serve as a point of contact with service providers and address contractual matters as required;
• Support development of project subcontractor / grant management procedures compliant with the company's SOPs and Guidelines and client's rules and regulations;
• Monitor and ensure the quality of field procurement; ensuring compliance with company anti-corruptions and due diligence processes;
• Report monthly on the status of partner budgets/invoicing and grants;
• Ensure asset management procedures are undertaken and conduct spot checks, including on corporate assets in the designated countries.

Business Development:

• Coordinate participation of the operations team in capture planning of all opportunities in the region, providing inputs on operational requirements;
• Provide input and support business development of the company as required;
• Other duties as assigned.

Requirements
Education and experience required:

• A relevant Bachelor's Degree (with a Master's Degree preferred).
• A minimum of 10 years relevant work experience.
• A minimum of 6 years project management experience with DFID, DFAT, USAID or other donor clients.
• Experience managing large and complex projects.
• A minimum of 6 years of people management experience, including setting performance objectives, managing for results, giving and receiving feedback, performance evaluation and mentoring and coaching.
• A minimum of 2 years of work experience in a developing country or similar environment.

Key competencies and expertise required:

• Formal Project Management training and expertise.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills.
• Financial acumen and the ability to interpret and analyse financial reports.
• Sound problem solving and decision making skills.
• Strong management skills with ability to mentor, coach, lead, develop and evaluate staff.
• Willingness to travel and work abroad in developing countries and elsewhere for significant periods of time.
• Ability to work with a low level of supervision and as a part of a team when required.