Montserrat, a British Overseas Territory (BOT) lies in the Leeward Islands of the Eastern Caribbean, some 48 km (30 miles) south west of Antigua. Montserrat has a population of approximately 5,000 people.
Montserrat is at an exciting juncture in its development journey, as it continues to rebuild key infrastructure and capabilities towards sustained economic growth and greater self-sufficiency. A range of major investments are underway (including the UK Capital Investment Programme for Resilient Economic Growth) which span major infrastructure, reform and technical assistance projects. Current projects across the Government’s portfolio include (but are not limited to): a new national hospital, a new port, airport improvement, renewable energy, tourism development, educational infrastructure, social housing development, new public building development, road improvements and healthcare strengthening and reform.
The Programme Management Office (PMO) within The Ministry of Finance & Economic Management (MoFEM) is the Government’s centre of excellence for project, programme and portfolio management, and has responsibility for supporting the successful delivery of a range of change activities. The PMO is seeking dynamic and experienced project managers to create an improved project management capability to be deployed across government ministries and departments to support planning, execution and operationalisation of existing and future planned projects and initiatives.
JOB PURPOSE
Given the importance of good project management to achieving priority strategic outcomes, GoM is seeking to improve project delivery within the public sector, and ensure good governance is at the heart of the decision making of the organisation. In this key role, the Project Manager will be primarily expected to lead on projects directed by the Head of the PMO, inclusive, but not limited to the successful planning and delivery of priority development investments. These Projects may span a range of ministries and departments.
Therefore, GoM seeks to recruit an enthusiastic, experienced and dynamic Project Manager to support the delivery of its vision. The officer shall, among other tasks:
- Execute the management of projects to time, cost and quality, to deliver the identified benefits for the Government and People of Montserrat.
- Develop and maintain project plans, scopes, and schedules (in line with programme, portfolio and strategic objectives) taking account of technical feasibility, key dependencies, stakeholders and resources.
- Employ effective and dynamic management of risks (threats and opportunities) assumptions, issues, decisions, and dependencies.
- Identify, monitor and (where delegated) engage stakeholders to ensure effective project delivery and buy-in
- Manage projects and project teams in line with governance arrangements for project management, ensuring that relevant roles, responsibilities and accountabilities are defined and aligned to organisational practice.
- Work in collaboration with the Procurement Office to ensure that supplier engagement, procurement and contract management is undertaken effectively to support delivery.
- Track the progress of projects, and use appropriate verification techniques to manage changes in project scope, schedule, and cost;
- Measure and report on project performance using appropriate systems, tools, and techniques
- Populate and maintain required project documentation and tools, and support the preparation for relevant project, programme, and portfolio committee meetings.
- Be an advocate for change management and transformation – keeping benefits and outcomes at the forefront of project management.
- Support local capability development in the practice of project management
- Support the PMO’s capacity building activities and the ongoing continuous improvement of project management standards, practices, tools and templates.
LEADERSHIP FOCUS
The primary focus of this role will be providing project management leadership for a range of projects assigned by the Head of the PMO. The successful candidate will provide leadership in project delivery and comply with the applicable standards, practices, tools, templates, policies and regulations of the Government of Montserrat. The Project Manager will also support the Head of the PMO, and other team members in building awareness and understanding of project and programme management processes within the wider system.
In your support role, you will help the PMO build positive and productive relationships with key stakeholders to enable the continued support of project management across GoM. Key relationships include those with our development partners (e.g. Foreign Commonwealth and Development Office, FCDO); regional bodies (e.g. Caribbean Development Bank, Organisation for Eastern Caribbean States (OECS), Caribbean Community (CARICOM), Project Management Institute (PMI), and other non-governmental organisations.
THE SCOPE
The scope of this role is to provide project management expertise on assigned projects under the direction of the Programme Management Office.
DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES
Project Planning and Delivery
- Support project ideation and initiation, as necessary, including supporting the development of project business cases or investment proposals.
- Successfully deliver projects within the assignee’s portfolio to agreed success criteria
- Undertake project planning tasks and the coordination of projects in conformance with professional local, regional, and international standards (as directed by the Head of PMO);
- Analyse, evaluate, and manage risks and opportunities for the timely completion of projects and programmes for the government. This includes providing expertise advice and consulting services to assist ministries in the development, use and evaluation of project risk management and control strategies for current and proposed projects, programmes, and portfolios;
- Lead in developing and managing annual project budgets for the client ministry and be accountable for delivering against established business goals/objectives;
- Support the Head of the PMO with providing accurate and timely updates to stakeholders throughout the life cycle of each project and programme to ensure transparency regarding project issues and decisions on services;
- Coordinate with internal and external consultants and teams with a diverse array of talents and responsibilities;
- Manage contracts with vendors and suppliers by assigning tasks and communicating expected deliverables.
- Ensure that goals are met in areas including stakeholder satisfaction, safety, quality, and team member performance;
- Contribute to the ongoing continuous improvement in the development of efficient, and effective projects for the GoM and continuous improvement activities for the PMO.
KEY DELIVERABLES
- Successful lifecycle project management of assigned projects, within scope, budget and schedule, and achieving agreed benefits realisation;
- Effective support and/or management of assigned resources, broader team members and stakeholders – e.g. architects, consultants, contractors and specialists, to ensure outputs deliver required outcomes.
- Accurate, timely and actionable project reporting, as agreed with the Head of the PMO, and in line with organisational and funding requirements. This includes a project close-out report.
- Production of relevant and necessary project documentation as required by the Head of the PMO, including (but not limited to) business cases, project briefs, terms of reference, procurement documentation, change control, and the population of agreed tools for risk management, stakeholder management etc.
- Local capability development
PERSONAL SPECIFICATION
Job Specific:
The successful candidate will be able to demonstrate:
- Knowledge and practical experience of successful project management across the lifecycle of planning, implementation and review;
- Knowledge and practical experience of programme or portfolio management;
- Ability to develop, catalogue, and utilise available resources;
- Detailed experience in applying a consistent project, programme, and portfolio management methodology across a range of public and/or private sector bodies;
- A detailed understanding of current standards relating to project, financial, and risk management;
- Demonstrated experience in preparing project reports, recommendations, briefing materials, risk analysis and responses;
- The ability to motivate and coach staff at all levels, experience in development of staff is essential;
- Excellence in building and maintaining effective working relationships with clients and stakeholders;
- Ability to analyse processes and identify opportunities for improvement in the work environment;
- Experience in project risk management frameworks and principles, practices, standards, and methodologies.
- Agility and pragmatism
- Demonstrable competence in applicable office related software, including MS Office Suite and MS Project;
Essential Requirements:
- Educated to Bachelor’s degree level; a Master’s degree in Project/Programme Management (or related field) would be an asset;
- Relevant project, programme or portfolio management competence and implementation experience, supported by relevant qualification or certification – e.g. Prince2, PMI, APM, MSP.
- Understanding and application of pertinent standards and methodologies for relevant project and programme management aspects – e.g. risk, stakeholder management;
- Applicable software competence;
- A minimum of five (5) years’ experience managing projects or programmes at a senior level;
- A proven track record of planning and executing a broad range of project types.
- Excellent knowledge of project, programme, and portfolio management standards, financial management principles, project management practices and methodologies to plan and co-ordinate a range of projects (construction, management, etc.);
- Excellent oral and written communication skills to prepare project reports and communication with stakeholders.
Desirable Requirements:
- A strong background in working with public service entities or delivering projects commissioned by government agencies – ideally with five (5) or more years of experience in a public sector or public policy environment;
- Project, programme, and portfolio management in the international arena, including Caribbean or small island states.
- Knowledge of computer applications, computer assisted programme and project management techniques to collate, track, and present project information; word processing, spreadsheet, graphics, e-mail, database, and Gantt Chart applications, would be desirable.
Public Service Competency Framework:
Candidates are expected to be able to demonstrate competency against the full range of leadership, and core skills identified for senior public officers outlined in the Public Service Competency Framework.
REPORTING
The post holder will report to, and be line managed by the Deputy Head of the Programme Management Office (PMO), and the Government of Montserrat’s Performance Management Systems will apply. The assignments of this post holder are managed by the PMO, however day to day reporting and line management responsibilities may be delegated to ministries and departments as per specific assignments. The post holder will produce written reports in accordance with the outputs and agreed objectives to the Head of the PMO and keep him abreast of progress. This will include 6 monthly reports illustrating progress against key objectives.
TIMEFRAME
These services are required for a period of two (2) years with a commencement date in early 2023.