View Vacancy – Senior Programme Manager SEO (02/25 LUS)

Purpose:

• Your role will be to provide leadership and management of the Human Development Team (HDT) programme portfolio through all stages of the programme cycle. The HDT programme portfolio is between £11m-£16m per year and includes at least two bilateral programmes as well as oversight of key Centrally Managed Programmes (CMPs), with around 8-10 delivery partners in total. As the Senior Programme Manager within HDT you will work in partnership with the Team Leader, Senior Responsible Owners (SROs) and Programme Responsible Owners (PROs) to ensure strong compliance with FCDO standards across the portfolio and strong financial performance.
• You will provide leadership, direct project management and expert project management advice at critical junctures of the lifecycle on projects/programmes within the team portfolio, e.g., definition and mobilisation or closure phases, including for complex and high value projects.
• You will also act as Project Lead on more complex projects and/or high value projects, partnering with the Lead Technical Adviser and involving other specialist Advisers as necessary throughout the programme cycle. This includes building and maintaining effective relationships with external partners, and excellent financial, risks and results management. You will contribute to the design of and appropriate use of programme governance structures.
• You will provide leadership of the programme management team within HDT. You will directly line manage programme staff and support the development of programme delivery capability of less experienced and more junior colleagues within HDT to strengthen compliance and standards.

Roles and responsibilities

Portfolio Management

• Ensure all stages of the programme cycle are managed in compliance with the FCDO’s  Programme Operating Framework (PrOF) and UK legislation,  applying the rules through appropriate tools and good practice in a wide range of scenarios, including in commercial processes and confidently support others to ensure strong compliance.
• Lead and advise HDT team members in processes including (but not limited to) transparency; risk management; audit and performance milestones; Annual Reviews and Project Completion Reviews.
• Build team capacity in programme management and contribute to cross-office efforts to better plan and prioritise across the range of programmes in the portfolio.

Managing the programme cycle

• Manage where relevant and contribute to business case development including financial and management cases, as well as risk identification and mitigations, ensuring Advisers and other relevant colleagues are consulted as required and the project team delivers in a reasonable timescale with minimal delay.
• Confidently undertake due diligence assessments of primary partners (both routine and more complex), including scoping, fieldwork and reporting. Critically analyses evidence gathered through due diligence assessments to identify and assess risk exposure and how it correlates to risk appetite. Subsequently ensuring any follow up actions are carried out;
• Draft and quality assure agreements, ensuring all key information is included.
• Lead the development of project Delivery Plans. Subsequently, lead execution and maintenance of plans, ensuring key partner/supplier deliverables are tracked within them. Use plans proactively to prompt project team actions in good time, advising the Senior Responsible Owners, and  Programme Responsible Owners and wider team on all upcoming milestones / requirements, including follow-up to annual reviews.
• Monitor and review regular reporting from partners – identifying and sharing key lessons with the wider team as appropriate (including learning from failure).
• Work with partners and Comms & Press Affairs colleagues to develop effective communications stories.
• Lead and contribute to annual reviews and programme completion reviews, including drafting all or portions of Terms of References and final reports, as agreed within project team
• Organise field visits and ensure findings feed back into the Project Delivery Plan.
• Ensure asset registers are established, spot checks on project assets take place and follow up actions are delivered.
• Solve a wider range of issues using the Programme Operating Framework rules within the HDT portfolio and supports other programme staff to do the same.

Managing Risks and Issues

• Understand and apply FCDO’s risk management approaches and minimum standards.
• Apply risk management strategies to all projects, programmes and portfolios throughout the programme cycle and as appropriate to all levels of the delivery chain.
• Identify and take appropriate action to mitigate risks and pick up issues early, which includes preparing robust contingency actions to deal with issues.
• Support HDT members to define risk appetite and to manage risks and issues across programmes, portfolios, and sectors, providing expert advice on mitigation strategies for risks identified.
• Ensure risks are reviewed quarterly and link these to profolio risk discussions, joining up and flagging risks early to  Senior Responsible Owners (SROs) and Programme Responsible Owners (PROs) and Team Leader.
• Lead on the identification and assessment of fraud, fiduciary and safeguarding risks, and ensure that partners maintain risk management plans and an appropriate control environment.
• Ensure follow up and applicaiton of lessons learnt from internal and external scrutiny bodies where relevant (e.g. Internal Audit Department, National Audit Office, Independent Commission for Aid Impact)

Commercial engagement and supplier management:

• Apply commercial management PrOF rules and ensure commercial policy and best practice is applied across the portfolio and programme cycles to incentivise delivery partners to meet their obligations, effectively manage risk and achieve value for money.
• Lead the effective management the project team’s commercial engagement, ensuring key commercial process milestones are delivered on time.
• Engage with suppliers and partners to ensure appropriate levels of performance are achieved, manage and settle disputes, and monitor for indicators of corruption, fraud and unethical behaviour in the programme delivery chain.
• Apply a commercial mind-set and understanding of project budget drivers to support achievement of value for money from planned contract/funding agreement.
• Analyse and challenge partner performance across the range of core programme management tasks (risks, results, finances)
• Act as programme management lead on new procurements, working closely with the Delegated Procurement Officers in  developing timelines, maintaining close contact with FCDO central Procurement and Commercial Department and coordinating the procurement process.
• Ensure Duty of Care and Safegaurding guidance is followed for all contracting.

Financial management

• Ensure compliance with financial management PrOF rules across the HDT portfolio, and ensure rigour and challenge in financial control and management processes across a programme, using appropriate financial control tools as required.
• Ensure strong financial performance across the HDT portfolio with robust and realistic forecasting performance and safeguarding of FCDO funds proactively using preventative controls.
• Build and maintain programme and portfolio level budgets to drive Value For Money during all stages of programme cycle.
• Analyse and challenge partner forecasts; identify ways to incentivise improved forecasting and to deal with poor performance (as appropriate within contract/agreements types).
• Ensure all changes are updated in a timely manner in line with systems requirements (and those set by the finance manager).
• Manage relationships with development and delivery partners to ensure sound and credible financial management on programmes and review partner/supplier financial reports checking for variances and Value for Money issues.
• Ensure all requisitions, purchase orders and receipting/payment of invoices meet FCDO’s financial rules, are linked to agreed project milestones and partner reporting obligations.
• Manage audit requirements, ensuring reports and/or Annual Audited Statements are received, reviewed and findings pro-actively followed up.
• Work collaboratively with the  Senior Responsible Owners (SROs) and Programme Responsible Owners (PROs), effectively plan and make decisions about programme spend.
• Manage relationships with delivery partners to ensure sound and credible financial management across the programme portfolio.

Monitor, learn, adapt

• Support the use of monitoring tools including ensuring the relevant evidence is generated to identify and assess progress towards outputs, outcomes, and impact of programme.
• Supports development of and manage the monitoring plan, ensuring the relevant evidence is generated as required
• Actively engage stakeholders and seek their support and engagement as required to effectively monitor the programme
• Engage with partners on formal and informal reviews, using information, data and evidence to identify performance issues and recommend remedial action.
• Ensure effective management and storage of all relevant portfolio information providing a clear audit trail for key programme decisions.
• Use programme data and annual reviews to identify changes that need to be made and inform programme discisions
• Seek and apply lessons learned from other programmes
• Supports commissioning of effective evaluations, where relevant, and manage engagement with evaluators.

Engages others

• Identify opportunities to convene different interest groups in support of the programme, manage complex relationships effectively, and manage negotiations to solve problems and ensure the programme remains on track.
• Work with BHC communications team and communications leads in British High Commission to develop positive stories and work honestly with BHC communications team, Senior Responsible Owners and Senior Leadership Team when things go wrong.
• Manage stakeholder/delivery partnerships and identify opportunities to share learning with others.
• Uses tools (e.g., political economy analysis) to assess the interests/ incentives affecting a programme.
• Effectively present strategic project/programme/sectoral policies to others (partner governments; donors, non-governmental organisations (NGOs), across His Majesty’s Government (HMG)). ·
• Manages more complex stakeholder/delivery partner relationships, understanding the different perspectives, incentives, and interests at play.
• Willingness and ability to champion the interests of beneficiaries/constituents in the face of pressure from other interest groups

Programme leadership

• Provide leadership, direction, drive, and support to programmes and/or programme teams, in line with wider strategic objectives.
• Design and lead the governance and decision-making processes of the project or programme.
• Own the strategic vision for assigned projects and be responsible for timely and quality management and delivery of outcomes.
• Provide leadership, direction and support to HDT programme team in line with British High Commission  Lusaka Business and Country Plan as well as wider FCDO strategic objectives.
• Ensure colleagues and stakeholders have a clear understanding of objectives and timelines; empowers others to delivery; addresses team capability gaps.
• Responsible for the timely delivery of outcomes and management quality of their own project or programme.
• Is objective and honest about progress against results, quickly resolves, corrects, or escalates programme/team issues as required.
• Fosters a culture of openness and honesty about challenges.
• Quick to recognise good performance.
• Ensures team capability gaps are addressed as required.
• Upholds and role models FCDO and Civil Service values, and ethical standards.
• Champions and values difference, diversity and inclusion ensuring fairness and opportunity for all.

Other tasks

• Quality assurance of more junior programme officers’ work, act as mentor on areas for development and providing timely and constructive feedback.
• Ensure that timely, quality responses to letters, corporate returns and submissions relevant to own programmes are produced,
• Provide cover for colleagues as needed, contributing to coherent team working.
• Proactively contribute to cross-office efforts across a range of corporate issues, including better delivery, people issues and initiatives, crisis planning and preparedness, etc.
• Provide support as required on high-level visits or briefing requests.
• Remain flexible and be prepared to carry out additional duties if needed.

Administrative

• All FCDO staff are expected to undertake some administrative tasks to support delivery of work related to their job.  This includes saving own documents to the corporate record, arranging relevant meetings, making travel arrangements and processing expenses claims.

• Understanding the programme management cycle.
• Experience in managing programmes/projects, risk and compliance and programme finances.
• Willingness to continue professional development.

Other skills / experience / qualifications: 

• Minimum 5 years relevant experience in project management
• Demonstrated experience delivering complex programming with oversight and responsibility for budgets and compliance
• Experience with a range of implementing partners (non-governmental organisations, civil society organisations, multi-laterals) and working with government
• Experience of leading a team/mentoring junior staff
• Strong skills in budget anaylsis, work planning and presentation to leadership groups
• Understanding of risk assessment and value for money
• Understanding of the human resources required to deliver on programmes and ability to coordinate accordingly