Special Projects Manager in the Office of the COO at African Parks Network

Description
This role is meant to provide administrative and operational support to the COO and Central Operations; assist with the coordination of teams; monitor the execution of business plans and any other management initiatives, and compile key reporting. This role also has a strategic component to it, identifying and addressing operational blind spots, and driving organisational change in the organisation.

Key tasks and responsibilities

Administrative support:

• Monitor administrative processes (incl. approval forms, contracts, etc.)
• Draft official correspondence where needed
• Support to the Regional Operations Managers where required

Reporting:

• Collate all internal Ops reporting
• Collate executive Ops reporting (Executive Committee, Board)
• Ensure compliant operational incident reporting

Monitoring and coordination

• Coordinate weekly/monthly Ops calls and reviews
• Plan and coordinate mid-year and end of year Ops reviews
• Work with the Business Intelligence unit to track Business Plan implementation metrics
• Plan and coordinate bi-annual Ops meetings
• Support the annual strategic planning review process
• Monitor the implementation of feedback loops for operational and law enforcement audits
• Help disseminate key information amongst the operational team
• Support with the roll-out of new operational processes and change management
• Support any other project management needs

Strategic

• Help identify and flag operational bottlenecks. Propose solutions and action plans
• Help identify operational risks and ensure they are captured on the risk register. Work with the relevant stakeholders to provide solutions and remedial action plans
• Assist with the structuring of the regional operations layer
• Work with the Business Intelligence unit on a platform to share lessons learnt
• Create concise summary notes, develop presentations, and provide briefings to the COO

Requirements

• Degree in Science or Business related field
• Demonstrated experience in project management, strategic planning and operational support
• Demonstrated work experience across various countries in Africa
• Good knowledge of the conservation sector and its operational challenges
• Very versatile: strategic thinker with good problem-solving skills and a hands-on operational approach.
• Excellent communication and inter-personal skills
• Extremely organised
• Capacity to work in a multi-cultural and multi-skilled team
• Capacity to take initiative and work autonomously
• Proficient in the Microsoft Office Suite
• Proficient in English and ideally fluent in either French or Portuguese
• A passion for Africa, its people and its nature