• Reporting to: Head of Office
• Location: Remote
• Contract Type: Permanent and full-time
• Salary: AUD 85,000 – AUD 95,000 gross per annum (commensurate with experience)

Background

Founded in 2010, Development Pathways has grown rapidly into an internationally renowned and respected consultancy business, providing high quality consultancies and project management throughout Africa, Asia, Middle East and the Pacific in social protection, inclusive programming and management information systems. We engage in social protection policy development; program design and implementation; research and evaluations; training and capacity building and are a recognised leading provider of MIS.

We are committed to transformative social policies to promote social justice and gender equality, women’s empowerment and social inclusion. We work hard and are passionate about what we do. We find time to discuss important issues and how we, as a company, can support initiatives that we care about.

We have offices in the United Kingdom and Kenya and have recently expanded to Australia.

This post is based in Australia, which is home to one of our most high profile projects – Partnership for Social protection (P4SP). Our staff in Australia work remotely and would be expected to travel for work purposes.

For more information about our organisation, please visit our website: www.developmentpathways.co.uk.

Purpose

The Project Manager will be responsible for managing and coordinating the effective delivery of existing and new projects across our portfolio in the Pacific region, including acting as the internal project manager to the large DFAT-funded Partnership for Social protection (P4SP) programme.

P4SP aims to develop formal social protection systems in Pacific Island Countries (PICs) and Timor-Leste. Led by Development Pathways, we partner with governments to design and strengthen national social protection systems and support networking, learning and knowledge sharing on social protection grounded in experience and evidence from countries in the region.

The Project Manager will also support the Head of Office to seek, develop and win new projects in the pacific region, supported by Development Pathways’ business development team. Working closely to the Head of Office, this role offers an exiting, challenging and cross-cutting engagement supporting our growing team and work in the region.

Main Responsibilities

Project Management

• Provide high-quality project management support in the delivery of major projects, working independently and proactively to ensure delivery is on time, on budget, within scope and meeting client expectations and contracts.
• Provide management oversight of P4SP as delivered by the project team, ensuring compliance with the head contract, strategic risk management and fulfilment of DP-intenal management and reporting requirements.
• Ensure the project delivery and financial data required to deliver client is collected, reviewed and suitably prepared for circulation.
• Manage day-to-day relationships with delivery partners and the internal team(s), and build solid understanding of delivery needs and timelines across projects and programmes.
• Oversight of projects delivery, including workplans, emergent risks, dependencies, challenges, change requests, budgets, schedules and scope.
• Support effective knowledge management across DP, based on project reporting and management activities
• Provide support for P4SP travel security and duty of care processes, led by the P4SP project team, and hold responsibility for managing travel and duty of care for other projects.
• Deliver effective due diligence, onboarding and contract management of all consultants, working alongside the P4SP project team.
• Produce high quality and appropriate client project update reports
• Support the Head of Office and relevant Contractor Representative with effective client relations, as required.

Financial and Contract Management

• Oversee and monitor financial forecasts and budget reports, as well as project invoicing.
• Ensure financial outcomes are met, with any risks to timelines or over/under-spend escalated appropriately.
• Prepare client financial management reports and support the team during annual audits.
• Ensure all procurements are managed in line with client contract compliance requirements and Pathways’ policies.
• Manage consultants’ timesheets, invoices and expenses against contracts, and ensure these comply with Development Pathways’ policies related to contracts
• Prepare internal project update reporting including finances and resourcing using required management tools

Business Development

• Support the Head of Office in scoping, developing and winning bids across the Pacific region
• Collaborate with the wider DP business development team to provide input to bids.
• Collate and share project information to support the Business Development and Communications departments.

Organisational Support and Learning

• As required, providing additional support in strengthening policies, procedures, and management tools for Development Pathways
• Coordinate with wider the wider projects team to ensure technical capacity is well planned across Development Pathways’ portfolio of projects
• Support project closure processes as required, capturing and sharing lessons internally.
• Provide ad hoc input to evolving organisational requirements as directed by the Head of Office.

Terms of Employment and Benefits

Recruitment will be at the mid-level and is a permanent and full-time post. Along with basic salary, the successful candidate would receive an attractive package of the following:

• Fulfilling work - work directly with end-users in some of the world’s most underserved communities
• Flexible work - Development Pathways offers employees flexible work hours and remote work options
• Well-being provision –access to an Employee Assistance Programme.
• Commitment to professional development opportunities - we encourage our staff to participate in professional learning and development
• Time off – 20 days leave, 10 days personal/carers leave, up to 10 days unpaid leave and up to 4 Lieu days per year
• Provision of laptop

Selection Criteria

Essential

• An undergraduate degree in an appropriate subject
• Around 3-5 years’ experience working within international development, research and/or the consultancy sector.
• Demonstrable experience in project management and/or operations, ideally within international development
• Experience of working with delivery partners including procurement and contract management.
• An ability to build, develop and maintain relationships with a variety of stakeholders, showing diplomacy, sensitivity and decisiveness.
• Well-developed interpersonal communication skills demonstrated by successful liaison and rapport building; negotiating, consulting and influencing a wide variety of stakeholders.
• Ability to analyse and effectively use financial information.
• Ability to prioritise, plan and organise workflow to tight timeframes, handle multiple tasks and be flexible with changing priorities.
• Proven ability to resolve problems, anticipate barriers and create practical solutions including proactive response to managing delivery risks
• Fully capable with Microsoft Office and aptitude for digital tools.
• Excellent attention to detail ensuring quality standards are maintained
• Ability to travel internationally if required.

Desirable

• Project management experience in the pacific region, and with DFAT in particular
• Experience in contract negotiation, drafting and amendments

Applicants must have the right to live and work in Australia.

Applications will be reviewed on a rolling basis and we retain the right to close this role without notice.

Development Pathways is an equal opportunity employer and encourages individuals of diverse backgrounds to apply. We are committed to the employment of First Nation peoples and providing a work environment in which Aboriginal and Strait Torres Islander peoples' cultures, beliefs and values are acknowledged and respected.