Program Operations Manager

Summary

The Presencing Institute (PI) is seeking an outstanding individual to bring strong program management experience and skills to an exciting initiative that supports changemakers to restore and regenerate landscapes globally.

Role context

In 2023 PI is launching a major initiative with our partner Commonland, with the goal of supporting changemakers around the world to regenerate lands and landscapes. This work will be based on Commonland’s ‘4 Returns’ framework and the Presencing Institute’s Theory U as a process for multi-stakeholder change processes. The goal of ‘u-school for Landscape Regeneration’ is to support changemakers to facilitate landscape transformation processes in 100 landscapes over the coming 10 years.

We are looking for someone to bring strong administrative, financial and planning skills to ensure the successful delivery of this program. The post holder will hold responsibility for ensuring the monitoring and reporting of activities, budgetary management and contractual compliance relating to PI’s specific contributions to the partnership. This will include a close relationship with our partner in Africa – Ubuntu Lab Institute – in supporting their management and reporting of partnership related activities, and potentially with other regional partners in the future.

Job Description

The key functions of the Program Operations Manager are as follows.

ProjectManagement

• Create and manage systems for project planning to ensure delivery of planned objectives. This will include identifying key dependencies between workstreams, and sequencing program activities accordingly.
• Monitoring and reporting: generate regular progress reports which indicate whether workstreams are meeting their milestones, and which highlight key project risks.

Financial Management

• Manage tracking of expenditure against project budgets. This includes tracking team time dedicated to each aspect of projects.
• Monitor & report on the budget for PI’s engagement in the partnership, linking with PI’s overall Finance Department to ensure overall standards and compliance.

Project Administration

• Develop and maintain project documentation, including development of filing systems, management of core documents, and management of team access to files and documents.
• Ensure project calendars are up to date and are accurately reflected in electronic diaries.
• Support on the logistics and documentation of meetings and events

General

• Work closely with other members of the team to ensure clear internal & external communications.
• General support to the management & administration of PI as required.
• Support the team in providing accurate information and analysis for the development of new proposals.
• Recommend further improvements in ways of working.

Skills and Experience

The Program Operations Manager will have the following skills, experience, and interests:

• University degree, or related study.
• Experience in program and/or project management.
• Experience in managing, developing and delivering complex projects involving multiple stakeholders.
• Strong administrative skills, and excellent attention to details.
• Experience and skill in managing Excel spreadsheets for financial tracking and work planning.
• Ability to communicate clearly and concisely for reports, external correspondence and websites.
• Fluent written/spoken English is essential; fluency in French, Spanish, and/or Portuguese would be an advantage.

Terms & Conditions

• This will be a full-time position with flexible working arrangements. Working hours to be agreed.
• Timing: the role will be available from October 2023. It is possible for the role to start part-time and increase to full-time.
• Location: the preferred location for this post is Europe or Africa (for time zone compatibility), although other locations are negotiable.
• Virtual working arrangements: the PI team all work from their own offices/homes/public workspaces.
• Pay and benefits: PI offers competitive remuneration within the NGO/non-profit sector.
• All other terms and conditions will be outlined in the contract.