Portfolio Manager

The International Water Management Institute (IWMI) is seeking a multi-skilled Portfolio Manager to join its team in Amman, Jordan.

The Portfolio Manager will collaborate with Project Leaders to facilitate the delivery of a project portfolio in the Middle East & North Africa (MENA) region. In close collaboration with Project Leaders, the Portfolio Manager will ensure efficient and on-time initiation, planning, implementation, monitoring, and closing of projects.

while the Project Leader is accountable for the implementation of the research projects and its deliveries, the Portfolio Manager will collaborate with Project Leaders and be responsible for monitoring, supporting, and liaising with units to ensure timely delivery of projects in line with donor requirements.

Duties & Responsibilities:

• Support to Project Leaders,
• The Portfolio Manager will work on a portfolio of IWMI projects executed in the MENA region, and other countries beyond the region as required.
• Collaborate and problem-solve with the relevant Project Leaders to successfully deliver all the projects in the designated region.
• Facilitate and coordinate the delivery (in collaboration with the project leader and team) of key project management documents, including work plan, budget, and a project which includes human resource and procurement requirements, communication requirements, a monitoring and evaluation plan, financial and technical reporting plan, partner contracts, project deliverables, and an end-of-project transition plan.
• Facilitate the process of creating and maintaining Data Management Plans, Smartsheet files, and Risk registers together with the Project leaders.
• Support the Project Leader in managing the project in line with IWMI’s project management standards and processes, ensuring compliance with project terms and conditions of contracts and internal administrative rules.
• Coordinate the timely submission of high-quality documents (e.g., work plan, financial and technical reports) to the donor in collaboration with the Project Leader.
• Monitor and regularly update Project Leaders on progress against the project budget and work plan, and review and update where applicable.
• Support Project Leaders in coordinating regular project team meetings, including annual planning and reflection meetings.
• Revisit the work plan annually and ensure the budget is updated to reflect the same (in the last quarter of the year).
• Provide central administrative support to Project Leaders throughout the project lifecycle, including initiating the project, continuous review and reporting, the delivery of outputs, and project closure.
• Respond to Project Leaders and other staff queries on work plan modifications, completion of deliverables, budgets, and resource allocation.
• Review and provide comments on draft Partnership Agreements, MoUs, and Service Agreements to ensure compliance with IWMI policies.
• Provided assistance to Project Leaders (PLs) to effectively utilize IWMI’s Project Management tools and partnership management activities.
• Effectively support to roll out the new ERP system.
• Travel to headquarters and other regional offices as required.

Strengthening Project Management Systems:

• Ensure that the Project Management Office team is informed of deviations from planned project activities and issues arising in project implementation and management.
• Alert the appropriate staff when a project is at risk or deviating from the work plan and provide recommendations for corrective action where applicable. Escalate issues as necessary and follow through until they are resolved.
• Collect and maintain project-specific data, metrics, and information available in the Project Management System (part of ERP) and other reporting templates so that the information is current, accurate, and available on demand to project leaders, team members, PMO, and decision-makers. This should include, but not be limited to, general portfolio information, resource allocations, expenditures, and the progress of research activities.
• Coordinate with other research support departments such as Finance, HR, Legal, and CKM (Communications & Knowledge Management) to expedite the resolution of project-related matters and any issues.
• Reduce the administrative burden on project leaders and researchers where possible through improving processes, providing access to program-relevant information, and coordinating project administration activities with the administrative staff of research themes, regional offices, and other divisions.
• Plan and execute capacity-building and training of relevant regional offices involving all country office roles in relation to the areas of Project Management. i.e., strengthening the project management capacity of in-country IWMI teams.
• Support PMO in conducting strategic program-wise portfolio reviews.
• Perform other duties as directed by the supervisor.

Requirements:

Educational Qualifications & Experience:

Essential:

• Master’s degree in Business Management, Public Administration, Project Management, or a related field.
• At least 08 years of proven experience in project management.
• Demonstrated Experience and/or qualifications in budgeting and financial management.
• Experience in managing research for development or development projects.

Knowledge, Skills & Abilities:

Essential:

• Knowledge of project management systems (such as Smartsheet), financial management, and reporting systems.
• Advanced skills in Microsoft Office applications (Excel, MS Project, etc.) and/or other database applications.
• Excellent analytical skills.
• Ability to demonstrate exceptional interpersonal skills, teamwork, pragmatism, and reliability in order to contribute effectively to the collaborative and dynamic work environment.
• Ability to adapt to changing priorities and new procedures quickly.
• Ability to deal with sensitive and confidential information in a professional manner.
• Personal attributes such as high standards of conduct, respect, flexibility, and sound work ethics.
• Ability to work effectively in a multi-disciplinary and multi-cultural setting.
• Demonstrable knowledge in Project management standards, practices, and processes for the effective implementation of projects.
• Proven Knowledge in monitoring, evaluation, and learning standards, practices, and processes for the effective implementation of projects.
• Excellent oral and written language skills in English, including effective listening and strong verbal and written communication abilities.

Source: https://apply.workable.com/international-water-management-institute/j/202F8E7011/