Country Manager

Overview

Mott MacDonald is a £1.2 billion management, engineering and development consultancy with 16,000 staff and a global reach spanning six continents. Our network of 180 principal offices in 140 countries gives us local market insight backed by world class expertise to deliver excellence for every client.
We are an equal opportunity employer and value diversity at our company. We do not discriminate and take positive steps to create an inclusive culture.

Mott MacDonald is contracted to PricewaterhouseCoopers who are engaged by the UK’s Foreign and Commonwealth and Development Office to deliver the Green Cities Infrastructure and Energy Programme (GCIEP).

The Green Cities, Infrastructure and Energy Programme (GCIEP) is a demand-driven programme that drives sustainable green cities and climate-resilient infrastructure in lower-income countries. GCIEP is the core, demand-driven component of the UK's Green Cities, Infrastructure and Energy Centre of Expertise (GCIE CoE). The programme supports the Foreign Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) to deliver the UK Government’s International Development Strategy through accelerating investment in, and delivery of, growth-enabling infrastructure and urban development that is responsible, reliable, inclusive, low-carbon and climate-resilient.

GCIEP is a high-ambition programme that targets transformational change in the enabling environment of its country partners that will deliver both immediate benefits and long-term development dividends for decades to come. The programme’s Theory of Change (ToC) targets the critical areas of support that will unlock these opportunities for countries – meeting these needs via Country Strategies that are tailored to the national and development context, and via innovative approaches that are drawn from UK expertise such as the whole systems approach to infrastructure design and resilience, and integrated urban planning and development. Key to the DNA of GCIEP is understanding how climate, gender, inclusion, investment and political economy analysis intersect and can be integral to its design and delivery. This gives the UK a clear and meaningful comparative advantage in this important and growing area of development practice.

This is a call for an expression of interest only for the role of Country Manager, Nigeria

Candidate Specification:

Qualification

• Role specific although an advanced degree in a relevant discipline is preferred.

Experience and knowledge

We are looking for a candidate with minimum 5+ years of experience with relevant work experience in International Development projects. Previous work experience with FCDO (or DFID) is an advantage. In-country experience required.

Key Responsibilities

Programme Management 

• Ensuring GCIEP country programme interventions are delivered on-time, and on-budget, in line with FCDO Post and Stakeholder expectations.  
• Work closely with Intervention Leads to monitor delivery progress against the work plan and budget and intervene where progress is slipping or isn’t aligning with spend.  
• Identify corrective measures where necessary. Corrective measures may include: additional / changes to resources, managing change control requests to FCDO, working with the impact team to adjust target progress against the logframe etc. 
• Proactively ensure that appropriate Quality Assurance mechanisms are in place for each intervention’s deliverables. The CM will work closely with the Intervention Lead to ensure the QA plan for the intervention is followed and that appropriate resources are available and in place. Closely monitor the outcome of QA reviews and flag quality related issues or concerns to the Country Lead.  
• Leading on identifying and managing intervention – level, and portfolio – level risks and issues and proactively resolving issues where possible and escalating as appropriate.  

Operations 

• Responsible for implementing country team procedures, policies and processes including governance structures and ways of working 
• Ensuring the security and safety of country- level staff including through travel and safeguarding. 
• Working closely with the office administrator to ensure the smooth running of the local GCIEP office 

Reporting, Learning, & Communications  

• Oversee the collection and dissemination of programme learnings, case studies and success stories for internal and external stakeholders. 
• Regular coordination and reporting with the FCDO post to ensure streamlined stakeholder engagement and communication with GCIEP stakeholders 
• Ensure effective communication of programme updates to GCIEP central teams through weekly reports and meetings and timely input to central programme reporting, processes and communications 

Key skills:

Essential:

• 5+ years experience managing programmes (taking a lead role) in the relevant GCIEP country 
• Experience of covering a wide range of programme management responsibilities, including client reporting, risk management, stakeholder engagement, budget management, and change control. 
• Experience of presenting progress, risks and plans to a Client, and working with them to understand their concerns and requests.  
• Strong interpersonal and communication skills and ability to manage multiple stakeholders and team members 
• Strong organisational skills with an ability to effectively manage a large set of information and communication with a high level of attention to detail 
• Experience in delivering high-quality work including excellent report writing  
• Experience of working in a fast moving and changeable environment​ and adapting accordingly 
• Experience of managing country operations – managing finances, assets and overseeing more junior staff. 
• Experience and understanding of security and logistics in complex, fast-paced environments. 

Desirable:

• Sector experience in urban development, energy, sustainable finance 

• Experience of working with FCDO  

• Deep understanding of political economy and delivery context 

Job Profile (more specific role-based descriptions may apply):

• Country Managers are the key drivers of delivery for the GCI programme in their designated Deep Offer Country.
• They should be based in-country with a good understanding of the local context, geography, and stakeholders. They must bring strong programme management skills and experience.
• They will be responsible for supporting development of the detailed design of the projects and costed workplan for their country programme, and then managing delivery during implementation. This will also include programme oversight and results monitoring, risk and issue management, budget management and financial invoicing, reporting, stakeholder engagement and support with office management/logistics if needed. They will be accountable to their relevant Team Leader and the DO Delivery Lead.

Flexible working
At Mott MacDonald, we support our staff to create work-life balance which works for them and welcome candidates looking for career flexibility. We are open to discussing flexible working at interview stage.

Our benefits package is designed to enhance your experience:

• 90 calendar days paid maternity leave
• Competitive annual leave
• An annual professional institution subscription
• Annual company performance bonus scheme – Subject to company performance