Senior Manager, Institutional Project Management
ABOUT THE COMPANY
The African Wildlife Foundation, together with the people of Africa, works to ensure the wildlife and wild lands of Africa will endure forever.
JOB SUMMARY
EducationMaster’s degree (required) in Monitoring & Evaluation, Statistics, Data Science, Economics, Environmental Science, Conservation Science, Development Studies, or an applied social science discipline.Advanced training in data analytics is a strong advantage.ExperienceMinimum 8–10 years of progressively responsible MEL experience, with at least 3–5 years in a senior or managerial role within conservation, natural resource management, or international development organizations.Demonstrated experience designing and managing enterprise-level MEL systems, including institutional indicators and aggregation frameworks.Strong track record in data analytics, including use of statistical software, dashboards, and data visualization for decision-making.Proven expertise in data quality assurance, methodological integrity, and evaluation management.Experience supporting programme and project design, including results frameworks, theories of change, and MEL plans.Experience working in matrixed, multi-country organizations with decentralized implementation structures.ResponsibilitiesInstitutional Portfolio Management and GovernanceManage AWF’s project and portfolio management across AWF in alignment with organizational strategy and approved governance standards.Provide leadership in all institutional project portfolio, including tracking project status, delivery performance, budget utilization, schedule adherence, dependencies, risks, and escalations.Support portfolio prioritization and resource allocation processes based on strategic alignment, delivery feasibility, organizational capacity, and risk exposure.Escalate critical project risks, delays, governance issues, and delivery constraints to senior leadership.Support development of Board-level project and portfolio reporting.Ensure project governance structures, reporting lines, and decision rights are clearly defined across projects and programmes.Project Lifecycle and Delivery ManagementEnsure all projects comply with AWF’s approved project lifecycle methodology and governance framework.Lead the design of standard project management processes, including Project initiation, planning, and close-outs.Lead stage gate quality assurance reviews for high-risk and strategic projects.Ensure project scope, timelines, budgets, risks, assumptions, dependencies, and deliverables are properly managed and documented.Support project teams in the development of project charters, workplans, risk registers, change requests, and close-out reports.Promote structured adaptive management and evidence-based delivery adjustments.Project Management StandardsMaintain and continuously improve AWF’s Institutional project management framework, standards, templates, and governance tools. Standardize project management practices across landscapes, programmes, and functions. Establish consistent reporting, documentation, and project control practices.Ensure compliance with donor, organizational, and governance requirements relevant to project delivery.Maintain AWF’s institutional project management repository.Support implementation and adoption of Institutional Project Management systems and tools.Risk, Issue, and Performance ManagementEstablish and monitor Institutional Project risk management processes.Ensure project risks, issues, dependencies, and mitigation actions are regularly reviewed and escalated appropriately.Monitor project performance indicators and delivery trends across the portfolio.Support corrective action planning for underperforming projects.Stakeholder and Cross-Functional CoordinationSupport coordination of strategic and AWF’s wide transformation initiatives.Ensure effective communication and stakeholder engagement across complex multi-country projects.Act as a senior advisor to project teams and leadership on project governance and delivery management.Capability Building and Organizational Project Management MaturityLead organizational Project Management capability development initiatives.Support implementation of Project Management competency frameworks and professional development pathways.Coordinate Project Management training, coaching, mentoring, and communities of practice.Promote adoption of standard project management methodologies and governance practices.
REQUIRED SKILLS
Reporting, Project monitoring and evaluation (M&E), Data analysis, Research planning, Project management, Data collection, Project implementation, Ability to coordinate
REQUIRED EDUCATION
Post-graduate education