The programme manager (PM) will be responsible for the following key functions:

Programme Delivery: Day-to-day head office operational oversight of programme delivery, ensuring head contract compliance and adherence to Abt operational policies and procedures, financial and commercial management and reporting, risk management, management of sub-contractors and consultants, and quality programme delivery.

Business Growth: Supporting Abt Britain to scale its work in the UK, including developing systems, processes and contributions to opportunity capture and project tender preparation.

Specific Duties:

Programme Delivery Client Management

• Achieve a high level of client satisfaction with programme outcomes
• Act as the first point of contact on all operational (including contractual, financial and personnel-related) communications with the Client.
• Ensure that the programme has an executed head contract and monitor all aspects of the head contract to ensure compliance with the budget, scope of work and all terms and conditions
• Support all head contract negotiations and the preparation of contract amendments.

Contract Management

• Review and manage all contracting of personnel and organisations, ensuring that the scope of work, budget and terms and conditions comply with the head contract.
• Ensure compliance with client standards, e.g. Green Climate Fund, European Commission, FCDO, including due diligence and monitoring of downstream delivery partners and/or other Client compliance requirements.
• Supporting the management of contract requirements as necessary, in conjunction with the Programme Director
• Supporting the delivery of contractual deliverables within contracted time frames or per Client-approved extensions.

Financial Management ·

• Day-to-day financial and commercial oversight of the project
• Managing Client (e.g. GCF, European Commission, FCDO) and internal Abt reporting flows, including accurate programme forecasting
• Budget modelling for any prospective change, including for head contract amendments, personnel hiring decisions and subcontractor organisations
• Tracking and reporting on commercial performance on a monthly basis, including profit leakage, funds at risk, and reporting against programme life and annual budget targets
• Set up and manage project-specific Contract Input Code (CIC) structure, routine cost tracking and management, including transaction recoding and ensuring correct time and expense allocations to the project
• Review and submission of Client sales invoices and quarterly reporting, including value-for-money reporting and responding to Client questions
• Management and response to the audit, including preparation ahead of audit and coordinating Abt responses
• Approving expenditure and time where necessary

Communication

• Act as a point of coordination between Abt head office corporate services (Finance, ICT, HR, Legal and Risk, Security) and programme team
• Act as the first point of contact on all operational (including contractual, financial and personnel-related) communications with the Client
• Support Abt corporate staff to communicate project impact, across the Abt, as well as with external stakeholders and potential clients
• Identify and communicate risks and risk mitigation plans

Programme and Staff Management

• Developing and executing mobilisation work plans for new programmes and projects, including recruiting, contracting and onboarding staff/consultants/partner organisations and developing and utilising programme tools and documents
• Identify, manage and report programme risks and issues, including coordinating and supporting internal monthly project reviews
• Ensure operational compliance, including the development of operational procedures
• Supporting project planning, progress reporting and finalisation of documents and systems. For example annual work plan, quarterly reports, recruitment plan, procurement plan, VFM analysis, project deliverables and risk management strategies
• Supporting the Team Leader to manage any staff departures and transitions that may occur from time to time Backfilling or undertaking any additional programme management support or activities as reasonably required by the programme
• Supporting regular updates and contributing as appropriate to written reports as requested by the client

Technical Backstopping

• Utilise technical knowledge in the areas of Green Climate Fund work, climate change, health systems strengthening, governance, adaptive management, gender or MERL to supervise and backstop programme delivery
• Quality assurance of key deliverables
• Technical work planning, development of TORs and management of technical assistance inputs.

Business Development

• Identify and track potential business opportunities, including client meetings and in-country capture trips
• Develop and maintain strong external working relationships with clients, strategic partners, and technical advisers
• Undertaking pre-tender capture planning and activities
• Managing all aspects of the proposal process: Managing international proposal teams across different geographies and time zones
• Managing the development of proposal content, applying knowledge of FCDO or other client tendering requirements, compliance and guidelines
• Managing the recruitment of project staff
• Identifying partners and managing partner relationships and proposal inputs
• Writing technical sections
• Formatting and reviewing proposals
• Undertake management and administrative duties for business growth activities
• Contribute to the development and expansion of the centralised knowledge management repository
• Undertake market research to inform business growth strategy

Key Requirements:

The successful candidate will need to be versatile and solution-focused, with good business acumen and excellent interpersonal and organisational abilities.

Essential

• 7+ years of relevant professional experience
• Experience with UK Government clients
• Experience in supporting and supervising large technical assistance programmes, including project mobilisation /inception phase
• Track record of working effectively with remote teams in developing countries to ensure excellent programme delivery preferable, including managing relationships with subcontractors and consultants ·
• Demonstrated financial management capability and business acumen
• Ability to communicate persuasively and effectively verbally and in writing
• Ability to problem solve and manage risk and compliance
• Ability to handle a high volume of operational priorities and to supervise and coach junior staff
• Excellent interpersonal skills and a good-humoured approach to challenge
• Technical expertise or experience in a management capacity on programmes in climate, natural resources, health, governance, or MERL

Desirable ·

• Relevant post-graduate qualification
• Experience delivering on Green Climate Fund projects
• Demonstrated experience in business development, including capture, proposal writing and proposal management, preferably on winning proposals for commercial contracts.