Manager (Programme Management)

Job Purpose:

Programme Management is responsible for ensuring that all pre-award and closure activities within the Programme Management Office are conducted in line with project management best practices, institutional policies, and governance standards. The role ensures that proposals, tenders, project charters, vendor registrations, and strategic contracts are prepared and validated in compliance with institutional policies. The Manager also supervises executives in project registration, cost centre creation, and database management, while ensuring proper project closure through validated reports, asset transfer coordination, and project file audits.

Plays a key strategic role in strengthening delivery frameworks, improving SOPs, building long-term client and consultant partnerships. The role is vital to aligning program management with the broader innovation and commercialization goals of the division with seamless collaborative teamwork with all stakeholders involved.

Key Responsibilities:

Project Initiation & Pre-Award Management

• Lead and validate the preparation of project charters, proposals, tender submissions, and external quotations.
• Identify gaps, risks, and improvement opportunities in pre-award processes and propose strategic interventions.
• Provide strategic input to project scoping, resource planning, and institutional planning exercises
• Oversee vendor registration processes and ensure accurate project registration, including cost centre creation and database updates.
• Ensure all proposals are developed according to recognised project management best practices and incorporate mechanisms for effective delivery.
• Align delivery models and tools with the organization’s innovation and commercialization priorities.

Contracting & Client Engagement

• Lead the establishment of strategic contracts with targeted potential clients, ensuring proposals and agreements are commercially sound and aligned with institutional objectives.
• Provide oversight to strengthen partnerships that support research and innovation growth.

Project Registration & Database Management

• Supervise the registration of projects, and database updates, to ensure accurate tracking and financial alignment
• Manage and maintain centralised databases and project information inventories, ensuring accuracy, security, and accessibility.

SOP Compliance & Governance Oversight

• Enforce strict adherence to governance standards, institutional policies, and external regulatory requirements.
• Validate documentation prepared by executives to ensure transparency, accountability, and readiness for internal/external audits.
• Ensure full adherence to internal Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) across all project stages.
• Regularly review and update SOPs to reflect evolving needs, industry practices, or audit feedback.
• Train team members and consultants on SOP updates and promote a culture of compliance and accountability

Reporting & Performance Monitoring

• Oversee the preparation of key programme reports (e.g., order book, cost recovery KPIs, financial summaries).
• Provide timely, accurate insights to the relevant stakeholders to support decision-making and institutional reporting.

Project Closure & Accountability

• Confirm and endorse the completeness of project closure documentation, including validation of closure reports prior reports to UIVC.
• Oversee asset transfers during project closure in collaboration with Aset team, project team and Programme Delivery team, verify compliance requirements, and ensure project file audits are properly conducted to safeguard institutional accountability.

Section Administration (Team Leadership and Development)

• Manage the administration for the section by executing all administrative tasks such as budget and leave management and staff training and performance evaluation and mentoring and guiding other executives in daily tasks to ensure smooth and continued operations of the section.
• Lead a team of project officers and executives, providing guidance, coaching, and performance feedback.
• Encourage knowledge-sharing, operational excellence, and continuous learning across the unit.
• Establish KPIs and monitor team performance against project and strategic goals.

Qualification & Experience:

• Bachelor’s degree in Business Administration, Project Management, Finance, or related field. Master’s preferred.
• 6–8 years of experience in program or project delivery, consultancy operations, or public-private projects.
• Experience managing financial, contractual, and governance aspects of complex projects

Skills & Competencies:

• Strong leadership, organizational, and stakeholder engagement skills.
• Proficient in project management tools (e.g. Microsoft Project, Asana, Trello).
• Familiarity with budgeting, billing, income collection, and expenditure tracking.
• Strong working knowledge of SOP development, risk management, and institutional governance.
• Excellent leadership, supervisory, and mentoring skills.
• Strong analytical, problem-solving, and organisational skills.
• Ability to ensure compliance and governance discipline.
• Effective communication and stakeholder engagement skills.