Technical Project Manager
WFP seeks candidates of the highest integrity and professionalism who share our humanitarian principles.
Selection of staff is made on a competitive basis, and we are committed to promoting diversity and gender balance.
Job Title: Technical Project Manager
Division: PPF – Private Partnerships and Fundraising Division
Duty Station: Rome/Remote
Type of Contract: full-time regular Consultant
Level: CST-1
Duration: 11 months
Deadline for applications: 07.03.2023
Background and purpose of assignment
WFP is committed to growing private sector fundraising with a focus on individual giving. It is recognized as a fundraising channel that has been successfully used by other UN agencies for whom it generates the bulk of their private sector income. In addition, individual giving can provide a high proportion of unrestricted income which is critical to supporting the long-term goals of country strategic plans (CSPs). Private Partnerships & Fundraising Division (PPF) is committed to foster individual giving as a significant strategy for growth during 2020-2025.
The proposed focus of the development of individual giving is through a digital-first strategy and as part of this WFP is upgrading its systems and infrastructure to receive and process donations from individuals as well as the systems to store and manage supporter information. The aim being that WFP can engage with supporters in their preferred channels and maximize their long-term support for the cause of zero hunger through frictionless constituent experience.
WFP has selected a range of technology components to support this strategy, which is delivered through a customised SaaS fundraising platform to securely collect supporter information and payment; Stripe, PayPal and GoCardless as payment systems; Salesforce as a supporter data repository and user interface; Salesforce Marketing Cloud for marketing automation; AWS Redshift as a data warehouse and configuring dashboards in Tableau for data visualization.
This is a project management role across a portfolio of projects using a mixture of platforms and technologies. Project delivery will draw on a contribution of staff both internal to the workgroup, external suppliers, and central corporate functions such as legal, data protection and procurement. In conjunction with the team manager and technical lead, the project manager will steer the technical platform forward as a coherent programme, according to business requirements, resource availability, product roadmaps and corporate policies.
The successful applicant for this role will join a motivated, flexible and busy team liaising with stakeholders throughout the department, delivering the technical solutions, improving and evolving the system to achieve the objectives of the strategy. In addition, the successful applicant will develop processes, systems and tools to improve the planning, manageability, predictability and reporting of projects throughout the team.
Reporting Lines
The Technical Project Manager will report to the IG Tech Lead and will collaborate closely throughout the individual giving team.
Accountabilities/Responsibilities
- Manage Tech project objectives and deliverables as part of wider IG projects using agreed management approach
- Coordinate/Facilitate project meetings on behalf of Tech to assess, scope, scale and prioritise projects. Work with the Tech Lead to manage team capacity, resource availability and priorities.
- Report to the project board on project progress and agree corrective actions when the projects go out of tolerance.
- Develop and manage key milestones for assigned projects including those across the Individual Giving team, keeping track of effective traffic management and strategic prioritisation across the year so that objectives are achieved.
- Liaise with the acquisition, supporter care, insights and operational teams, and external teams to strategize, create project plans and support project material, ultimately leading to smooth project delivery to budget, schedule and other requirements.
- Ensure that the Tech Team register any IT solution upon inception in accordance with the relevant guidelines for solution registration and keeping all related information (such as lifecycle status and focal points) up-to-date and fully available for review
- Take action to mitigate risks and determine the necessity to escalate to IG Leads where projects or activity is at risk as a result of team availability or actions, included but not limited to scope creep, resource availability, conflicting priorities.
Deliverables at the end of the contract
Efficient project management and delivery of activities within budget, enabling certainty of timescales and deliverables across the IG team but primarily focused on the Tech team.
Work within a culture of pragmatic and effective project management throughout the department.
Increased compliance rate with applicable regulatory, corporate and divisional policies and procedures.
Introduction and implementation of relevant policies and standard operating procedures.
Substantial contribution to the development and maintenance of the updated technology roadmap.
Education
University degree or relevant educational certificate in Computer Science, IT Engineering, Professional Software Engineer, Business Administration or STEM discipline.
A project management certification such as PRINCE II, Agile or other would be advantageous.
Experience
Minimum 5 years of professional experience of management of software projects in the technology sector, with a track record of implementing complex projects.
Preference will be given to candidates with experience of working internationally and also those who have previous experience in software development and systems administration disciplines.
Extensive experience managing complex small, medium and larger software projects using a range of project management methodologies. Demonstrable experience of managing and co-ordinating internal stakeholders, developers, testing and functional teams.
Experience managing multiple projects successfully and simultaneously including implementations, migrations, upgrades, and new installations.
Proven report-writing and proficient presentation skills and experience
Excellent communication, organisational and coordination skills. Ability to demonstrate a high level of verbal and written English
Flexible approach to work, good time management skills and ability to multitask, has strong time management skills and ability to quickly shift priorities. Equally has ability to highlight when this would be the wrong thing to do for any inflight projects.
The ability to be self-directed and work in a dynamic environment.
Languages: Working level of English is essential
Terms and Conditions
Short-listed candidates can be subject to written assessment.
WFP offers a competitive compensation package which will be determined by role’s responsibilities and deliverables, please be aware that as per UN policy any negotiation based merely on personal cv is not allowed.
This consultancy assignment is renewable upon funding.
Visit the website for detailed information on working with WFP: http://www.wfp.org – Click on: “Our work” and “Countries” to learn more about our operations.
Qualified female applicants and qualified applicants from developing countries are especially encouraged to apply.
WFP is committed to diversity and inclusion within its workforce, and encourages all qualified candidates, irrespective of gender, nationality, religious and ethnic backgrounds, including persons living with disabilities, to apply to become a part of the Organisation. We will ensure that individuals with disabilities are provided reasonable accommodation to participate in the selection & recruitment process, and for work-related needs upon joining the Programme.
WFP has zero tolerance for discrimination and does not discriminate on the basis of HIV/AIDS status. WFP has zero tolerance for sexual exploitation and abuse, any kind of harassment, including sexual harassment, abuse of authority or discrimination. All selected candidates will, undergo rigorous reference and background checks.
No appointment under any kind of contract will be offered to members of the UN Advisory Committee on Administrative and Budgetary Questions (ACABQ), International Civil Service Commission (ICSC), FAO Finance Committee, WFP External Auditor, WFP Audit Committee, Joint Inspection Unit (JIU) and other similar bodies within the United Nations system with oversight responsibilities over WFP, both during their service and within three years of ceasing that service.
We greatly appreciate your interest in WFP and joining our mission to achieve Zero Hunger by 2030
Saving Lives, Changing Lives!
