The role of the Project Manager is to plan, execute and finalise projects according to strict deadlines and within budget. This includes acquiring resources and coordinating the efforts of team members and third-party contractors or consultants to deliver projects according to plan. The project manager will also define the project’s objectives and oversee quality control throughout its life cycle.

Responsibilities

The primary responsibilities include:

Management

• Develop the project charter with the project sponsor;
• Determine project goals and priorities;
• Select project team members;
• Represent the client's or organisation's interests;
• May be responsible for more than one project;
• Organise the various professional people working on a project;
• Ensure that all project related IT systems and tools used to keep track of people and progress is effective;
• Negotiate the performance of activities with team members and their managers if operating in a matrix environment;
• Coach to clarify assignments and deliverables;
  • Mentor others in project management practices.
  • Review quality of work and manage integration of team member’s work.
• Monitor sub-contractors to ensure guidelines are maintained;
• Manage and communicate a clear vision of the project’s objectives and motivate the project team to achieve them. Create a project environment that enables peak performance by team members;
• Manage relationships with project stakeholders, including internal and external clients and vendors. Keep the stakeholders informed of progress and issues to manage expectations on all project requirements and deliverables;
• Involve functional expertise and specialist staff design reviews and key decisions;
• Resolve conflict and interface problems within the project;
• Manage the financial aspects of the project: budgeting, estimate to actual variance, capital project management, etc.;
• Liaise with the project client and co-ordinate any input from operational staff towards project decisions such as;
  • Scope, schedule, cost, resource, and quality change requisitions
  • Technical queries
  • Design reviews
• Ensure that the project’s business case is continuously reviewed during the project execution and handover phases;
• During the project execution, liaise with the project steering committee on project business case threats;
• Liaise with an assurance team within the Project Support Office (PSO);
• Effectively co-ordinate the activities of the team to meet project milestones;
• Adhere to safety regulations, standards, procedures and practices and report non-compliance;
• Participate in regular safety meetings and make recommendations to ensure overall safety;
• Project facilitation to ensure alignment amongst stakeholders;
• Ensure that lessons learned are captured by the project team;
• Perform regular inspections in the work area and report hazards to ensure environment is safety and hazard free. Recommend remedial action where necessary.

Administration

• Accept the role of the project manager as designated by the project sponsor;
• Gather stakeholder input and rank the top project risks in terms of total impact;
• Contribute to the lessons learned database;
• Manage change to preserve the business plan to the original estimate commitments. Initiate a review if objectives must change.

Technical

• Co-create a project charter with the team, including the definition of completion criteria;
• Organise the work into manageable activity clusters (phases) and determine an effective approach to completing the work;
• With an estimator, compile a complete and accurate estimate of a project. Use reserves appropriately;
• With the project planner(s), prepare a project plan and schedule and obtain management approval;
• Analyse risk, establish contingency plans and identify trigger events and responsibility for initiating mitigating action;
• Work with a planner/cost controller in tracking and reporting on progress to plan, cost and schedule reporting, and change control;
• Analyse the actual performance against the plan and make adjustments consistent with plan objectives;
• Establish and publish clear priorities amongst the project activities;
• Provide input/justification for project costs and budget impact;
• Represent the project at meetings with external consultants and departmental and senior management, in order to assure that priorities are communicated and understood, and that progress / delays / issues are reported;
• Determine what constitutes successful closure for all parties. Gain acceptance and sign-off by all parties when project closure is attained;
• Identify and recommend initiatives that increases project success rates;
• Manage vendor relations and procurement related to the project(s).

Qualifications & education of the Project Manager

• Relevant degree in BSc Engineering or similar NQF-level technical qualification
• Project Management Professional (or equivalent)
• Has in-depth knowledge and skill in the energy sector and built environment.

Experience & aptitude

• At least 8 to 10 years’ experience of managing infrastructure projects of minimum budget of circa R300 million each through concept, feasibility and execution phases;
• Experience as a project manager within an Owner’s Team as well as within an EPCM and/or EPC service provider is an added advantage;
• Approaches a problem by using a logical, systematic and sequential approach;
• Anticipates the implications and consequences of situations and takes appropriate action in preparation for possible contingencies;
• Finds effective solutions by taking a holistic, abstract or theoretical perspective;
• Analyses the competitive position using a strength, weakness, opportunity and threat (SWOT) analysis, if required;
• Identifies what needs to be done and addresses it before being asked to or required by the circumstances;
• Focuses on the desired end result of one’s own or one’s unit’s work. Sets challenging goals, focuses effort on the goals and meets or exceeds them;
• Ensures that one’s own and other’s work (within the project team) and information are complete and accurate. Thorough preparation for meetings and presentations. Follows up with others to ensure that agreements and commitments have been fulfilled;
• Willingness to make difficult decisions in a timely manner;
• Ability to perform with insight, acuteness, and intelligence in the areas of commerce and / or industry.
• High EQ and the ability to effectively to engage and communicate with project stakeholders.

Personal Characteristics

• Has faith in one’s own ideas and ability to be successful. A willingness to take an independent position in the face of opposition;
• Ability to keep functioning effectively when under pressure and maintains self-control in the face of hostility or provocation;
• Demonstrates concern that one be perceived as responsible, reliable and trustworthy;
• Openness to different and new ways of doing things. Willingness to modify one’s preferred way of doing things.

Language

• Fluency in written and spoken English is mandatory.