R&D Project Manager: HPCB (Johannesburg) at Mr Price Group

Job Description
THE JOB AT A GLANCE

• A crucial part of the Tiger Innovation Process (TIP), you are responsible for coordinating and facilitating R&D projects from conception through to launch, ensuring that the TIP is adhered to by all stakeholders. Effective management of project timelines and communication to the project team is crucial including creation of the relevant reports, status updates, completion and approval of appropriate Gate documentation.

Responsibilities

WHAT YOU WILL DO

• Support the Project Lead by coordinating, chairing, and facilitating all project level meetings (brainstorming sessions, scoping sessions, status updates, and monthly project meetings). Send out meeting requests, book the venue and equipment required, organise catering, distribute agenda, take minutes, distribute pre-reading
• Develop and distribute critical path schedule – Determine tasks, timelines, milestones and interdependencies between different work streams ensuring resource is optimally allocated.
• Management by exception, you will be responsible for following due governance process to ensure that the project runs on time, escalating challenges to the appropriate decision makers including NPD Managers, Category Leads, Supply Chain, Marketing, etc.
• Manage changes to project scope and schedule by adjusting critical path schedule (CPS) and work breakdown structure to bring the project back on track. 
• Revise the selected course of action and provide regular updates to project team members on upcoming tasks, deadlines, dependencies, and reports to be performed in order to ensure that the project runs on track
• Management of TIP templates and project specific documentation. Ensuring that the relevant documentation is correctly completed and centrally filed for each phase of the project.
• Complete all necessary reports for the project and documentation (e.g. documentation dashboard, project registers, status reports, etc.)
• Support capability building initiatives (e.g. TIP induction training) for new project team members and provide ongoing training for current team members. 
• Ensure that Project management disciplines are in place and are regularly updated (e.g. project prioritisation, RAID log, Change log, etc.)

WHAT YOU WILL BE MEASURED ON

• Timeliness of reports
• On time delivery of project
• Ability to spot cross-organisation dependencies

Qualifications
WHAT YOU’LL BRING TO THE TABLE
Key attributes and competencies

• Project Management Disciplines – Understanding of project management processes and the ability to apply it
• Organizational skills – good strategic planning, organising and development skills
• Cross Functional Discipline understanding – understanding of different disciplines responsibilities and ability to network, liaise, advise and negotiate with others
• Facilitation – Ability to arbitrate conflicts, and leverage team capability
• Problem Solving – Ability to find solutions to problems and guide the team in meeting the end objective
• Teamwork– ability to work well with other disciplines internally and externally

Experience

• Project Management and leadership experience within NPD or marketing environment
• High Level of Computer Literacy (e.g. MSP, Excel, etc.)
• Experience within FMCG environment, a minimum of 3 years