Senior Project Manager at University of the Western Cape

Information and Communications Services (ICS)

Project Management Office

The Information and Communication Services (ICS) department of the University of the Western Cape (UWC) is seeking to appoint a qualified Senior Project Manager on a contract basis for 9 to 12 months to perform a lead role in managing the implementation of a Strategic Institutional Project.

The successful candidate will facilitate timely decisions to maintain project schedule and budget; provide management with regular project updates and reports; maintain trusting relationships; identify and manage project risks and issues.

Key performance areas (KPAs):

• Effectively build and manage relationships across a diverse spectrum of stakeholders (from executive management, line management, operational staff and third-party contractors) to align focus and activities to achieve desired business outcomes;
• Manages the project constraints of scope, time, budget, quality, risk and resources;Ensure compliance with the University’s project governance framework;
• Create and execute project charters and project plans, and revise as appropriate to meet changing needs and requirements;
• Manage outputs of virtual project teams to complete deliverables within agreed timelines;
• Facilitate timely decisions and escalations (where appropriate) to effectively manage project schedules;
• Create project resource plans and effectively facilitate resource allocation, ensuring clarity of roles and responsibilities of project stakeholders;
• Manage project budgets effectively including forecasting and variance reporting;
• Identify project risks and provide prudent and timely facilitation of risk assessment and mitigation plans with stakeholders;
• Effectively maintain risk and issues registers and facilitate reviews of corresponding activity logs with project stakeholders (risk owners);
• Produce relevant project artefacts/documentation across each stage of the project lifecycle, and ensure that artefacts are archived in the central repository;
• Provide management with regular project updates and reports;
• Manage the day-to-day operational aspects of projects;
• Participate in periodic project quality assurance reviews;
• Establish, execute and monitor organisational change management plans (including communications and training plans) to enable successful project delivery and user adoption;
• Able to effectively apply both Waterfall and AGILE project management methodologies;

Minimum requirements (qualification, skills and experience):

• At least five (5) years’ experience as a Senior Project Manager, delivering large-scale (enterprise), complex ICT projects;
• A proven track record of having successfully managed systems-related projects using the SDLC framework;
• A Degree or equivalent NQF 7 qualification in Information Systems or Computer Science; or a current PMP, or Prince2 or AGILE (practitioner level) Project Management Certification plus at least five (5) years’ experience as a practising Project Manager.

Preferred qualifications, skills and experience:

Recognised certification in the following would be advantageous:

• Business Analysis
• Systems Development
• Program Management
• Experience in the implementation and/or major enhancements of ERP systems would be advantageous;
• Management of IT systems-related projects in the Higher Education sector would be advantageous.

Required competencies:

• Demonstrated ability to work both unsupervised and collaboratively within a team to deliver results within agreed deadlines;
• Ability to build and maintain strong relationships with both technical teams and business stakeholders;
• Excellent planning, organising and time management skills;
• Excellent verbal and written communications;
• Excellent facilitation and consensus building skills;
• Demonstrate emotional intelligence and adaptability;
• Act as a positive change agent within the ICS department and the broader UWC community;
• Experienced in analysing complex issues and facilitating appropriate solutions;
• Deliver engaging, informative, well-organised presentations;
• Deliver high-quality, well-constructed, professional documentation and reporting;
• Skilled at communicating difficult/sensitive information tactfully.