Director, Project Management and Coordination (GMG/SEG 4)

Job Purpose

Under the general direction of the Financial Secretary, the Director, Project Management and Coordination is responsible for establishing and operating the Project Portfolio Management Office with the objective of ensuring all projects are delivered according to project management principles and best-practices.  The Director must ensure that projects are delivered within the agreed scope, time, cost and quality. This role will oversee a portfolio of organizational projects, and provide expert knowledge, support, monitoring and reporting on the status of the portfolio. The Director, Project Portfolio Management Office is expected to provide strong leadership in a matrix environment to promote best practices in managing interrelated projects and programmes to ensure successful delivery. This role will also ensure project resources have the correct toolsets, adequate processes are in place, and that all relevant staff are trained and equipped to deliver successfully.

Key Responsibilities

Technical/Professional Responsibilities

• Develops, establishes and maintains Project Management standards and procedures in the Ministry of Finance and the Public Service;
• Leads and directs all the components of the project management life cycle to include the following: planning, scheduling, resourcing, risk assessment, cost/benefit analyses, change management, monitoring and evaluating, and establishing milestones/final deliverables and overall costs;
• Leads the implementation of  effective governance processes for acceptance of projects based on sound business cases;
• Employs the use of historical, political and broader contexts to inform project directions and mitigate risks;
• Develops mechanisms to obtain the commitment of key stakeholders in pursuing project strategies, including cross-organizational initiatives;
• Provides on-going communication to relevant target audiences in relation to project activities;
• Ensures the appropriate and relevant level of testing is in place for all projects e.g. system, regression, UAT with stakeholder sign-off;
• Ensures that project risks are managed effectively and appropriate strategies are in place to respond to variances;
• Implements systems for monitoring and evaluating project performance and outputs;
• Provides effective management of project budgets, expenditures and resources, to achieve organizational goals;
• Ensures that project plan goals are clear and appropriate, including contingency provisions;
• Anticipates and assesses the impact of changes, such as government policy/economic conditions, on project plans and initiatives, and responds appropriately;
• Tracks, monitors, and communicates project progress against the project plans, requirements, quality measures, standards, processes, and milestones;
• Considers the implications of a wide range of complex issues, and adjusts project priorities when necessary;
• Initiates and develops short, medium and longer-term goals and plans to guide the work of the project team in line with organizational objectives;
• Allocates resources to ensure achievement of business outcomes according to plan, and contributes to wider workforce planning;
• Devises systems, tools and techniques to ensure that all decisions are based on a sound understanding of business principles applied in a public sector context;
• Monitors performance against predetermined standards and take timely corrective actions accordingly;
• Keeps key stakeholders (sponsors, executive/senior management, staff, etc.) informed about project progress and performance outcomes;
• Develops plans to transition the organization through change initiatives and evaluates progress and outcomes to inform future planning;
• Represents the organization in negotiations, including those that are cross-ministerial and international, to achieve effective solutions in challenging relationships, ambiguous and conflicting positions;
• Practices conflict resolution techniques to diffuse tensions or misunderstandings with staff or other internal as well as external stakeholders, towards an effective resolution;
• Provides leadership and direction to the functional team so that tasks and activities are coordinated for project scope control, quality control, communication management, change control management, risk management and issue management;
• Oversees the PMC central repository of documentation and processes, including the Project Management Toolkit and other resources;
• Leads the development of professional Project Management Training initiatives for key MoFPS stakeholders;
• Establishes and maintains a Project Management Community that fosters the continuous development of the profession and practices;
• Keeps current with the latest tools/techniques in Project Management and determines what new solutions and implementations will meet MoFPS business requirements;
• Promotes a culture of integrity and professionalism within the organization.

Management/Administrative Responsibilities

• Oversees the development of the PMC’s Corporate/Operational Plans, Budget and Individual Work Plans;  
• Supervises preparation of reports to Deputy Financial Secretary – Corporate Planning & Administration and other relevant stakeholders;
• Recommends participation of relevant Divisional Representatives at meetings, conferences, seminars and workshops;
• Attends Committee meetings and executes directives as necessary;
• Represents Deputy Financial Secretary – Corporate Planning & Administration at meetings, conferences, workshops and seminars.

Human Resources Responsibilities

• Provides leadership and guidance through effective planning, delegation, communication, training, mentoring, coaching and discipline;
• Evaluates and monitors the performance of staff in the PPMO and implements appropriate strategies;
• Coordinates the development of individual work plans and recommends  performance targets for the staff assigned;
• Participates in the recruitment and training of staff of the PPMO;
• Recommends training, promotion and approves leave in accordance with established Human Resource Policies and Procedures;
• Identifies skills/competencies gaps and contributes to the development and succession planning for the PPMO to ensure adequate staff capacity;
• Monitors the performance of staff and facilitates the timely and accurate completion of the staff annual performance appraisals and other periodic reviews;
• Ensures the well-being of staff supervised;
• Effect disciplinary measures in keeping with established guidelines/practices.

Customer Service Responsibilities

• Establishes quality customer service principles, standards and measurements for the Project Management and Coordination Office (PMC); 
• Liaises with senior stakeholders on key issues and provides expert and influential advice; 
• Develops Service Level Agreements (SLAs) for all business processes; 
• Identifies and incorporates the interests and needs of customers in business process design; 
• Ensures that the organization’s systems, processes, policies and programmes respond to customer needs; 

Other Responsibilities

• Performs all other duties and functions as may be required from time to time.

Required Knowledge, Skills and Competencies

• Excellent leadership and team management skills 
• Excellent interpersonal and communication skills 
• Excellent conflict resolution and facilitation skills 
• Strong analytical and problem solving skills 
• Strong negotiation skills 
• Strong customer relations skills 
• Excellent planning and organizing skills 
• Excellent judgment and decision making skills 
• Ability to influence and motivate others 
• Proficiency in the use of relevant computer applications 
• Sound understanding of Project Management principles and lifecycle
• Ability to manage a range of projects types and complex business initiatives and change programmes
• Sound understanding of performance management frameworks and tools in the delivery of business objectives
• Sound experience of resource planning against the prioritized portfolio of projects
• Excellent capability to track project benefits realization and lessons learnt activities to feed into on-going improvements
• Ability to monitor and report on project budgets across the portfolio at stakeholder and Sponsor levels
• Advanced IT skills in Word, PowerPoint and Excel, as well as MS Project or other project management tool

Minimum Required Qualification and Experience

• Master’s Degree in Project Management, Business Administration, Management Studies, Public Administration or a related discipline;
• PMI Certification;
• Five (5) years related experience, with at least three (3) years in a senior management capacity in a Project Management environment directing or establishing a PPMO.

OR

• Bachelor’s Degree in Project Management, Business Administration, Management Studies, Public Administration or a related discipline;
• PMI Certification;
• Eight (8) years related experience, with at least six (6) years in a senior management capacity in a Project Management environment directing or establishing a PPMO.

SPECIAL CONDITIONS OF THE JOB

• Work will be conducted in an office outfitted with standard office equipment and specialized software.  The environment is fast paced with on-going interactions with critical stakeholders and meeting tight deadlines which will result in high degrees of pressure/stress on occasions. The job may require travel locally and overseas, to attend conferences, seminars and meeting.

We thank all applicants for the interest expressed; however, only shortlisted candidates will be contacted.