Deadline: 28 February 2020
Location: Johannesburg, South Africa with regular travel to the Witbank/ Middelburg area (only those with South African work permits need apply)
Duration: 3 year, renewable
The Mine Water Coordinating Body
In South Africa, the activities of the mining sector have led to serious environmental consequences. The regional concentrations of mining activities have resulted in cumulative impacts as pollution concentrates in shared water courses potentially affecting the entire region and not only a single facility.
These impacts have grown over time particularly in the Olifants River Catchment, which has a unique concentration and distribution of previously operational and now defunct mines, current mines with a remaining life span of 30 – 40 years as well as numerous emerging coal mines.
The Mine Water Coordinating Body (MWCB) is a collaborative platform for stakeholder engagement from the public, private and civil society sectors to identify and implement joint solutions to improve water quality and availability; and to address sustainable mine closure in the Upper Olifants Catchment.
The Body is providing governance and developing project processes, work plans and timeframes for the joint projects and initiatives. This includes a structure to govern all stakeholder engagement and with a small implementing team to ensure that projects are implemented within the required scope, timeframes and budget. The implementing team consists of a Programme Manager and Programme Assistant.
Function and Purpose
The Programme Manager should demonstrate knowledge of and experience in mine water management and sustainable closure and the impact on the greater catchment. The incumbent will coordinate all activities and initiatives of the MWCB and its associated Project Groups. This will include assistance in identifying and preparing projects, drive and manage relationships with various stakeholders at senior levels, provide project support and oversight and deliver on performance objectives. A key function is to liaise with and lobby stakeholders to execute the mine water management and sustainable mine closure projects and initiatives.
The Programme Manager will report administratively to the CEO of the host organisation and functionally to the Steering Committee of the MWCB.
Principal Duties and Responsibilities
- Maintain or improve support for the programme by managing relationships with committee members, project partners and financiers, ensuring that reporting and communication is effective and goes beyond contractual requirements
- Tmely and resource efficient project and programme development ensuring that appropriate projects are implemented to address sustainable mine closure and water management in the Catchment
- Manage and provide guidance to the MWCB Programme Administrator, Project Managers and future Secretariat staff
- Project management including scoping, procurement, management of project finances, consultants and other resources
- Budgeting, budgetary control and financial reporting according to contractual agreements and other rules and regulations applicable to project and secretariat funding
- Technical and financial reporting on projects where required
- Seizing opportunities for securing financing from existing and new funding partners and effective follow-up including proposal development of financing requests as required
- Create and seize opportunities to communicate and showcase the work of the MWCB through an approved communication plan
- Within the hosting organisation and MWCB structures, ensure that due governance, procurement and project management processes are followed, programme and project decision-making principles or criteria are clear and consultation is effective
Essential skills and capabilities
- At least a Bachelor’s degree in a relevant field preferably in Sustainable Development and/or Development Finance.
- At least ten years working experience relevant to the post.
- Ability to develop and maintain relationships with key stakeholders
- Stakeholder engagement and process management expertise including the ability to manage multi-stakeholder groups
- Excellent communication skills – both written and oral presentation
- Project management expertise
- Project Funding application experience
- Proven record on programme delivery and relationship management
- Proven ability to develop, document, maintain and write project proposals and reports and manage project timeframes/budgets
- Ability to show initiative, self-manage and meet deadlines
- Experience in dealing with governments, private sector, civil society and development agencies
Behavioural Qualities and Other Requirements
- Operate with integrity and ethics
- Performance, delivery and deadline orientated
- Team orientation – working in an integrated and diverse team environment
- Resilience – ability to produce results under pressure and working with uncertainty
- Flexible and adaptable – changing opinions / behaviour in the light of changing situations
- Action-oriented, confident and show initiative
- Motivated and ability to work without clear guidelines
Application:
Qualified applicants are to send a CV and a brief cover letter (no longer than one-page) to support their application along with salary expectations and availability to commence duties to [email protected]. The closing date for submission of applications is Friday 28 February 2020. Please be advised that only shortlisted candidates will be contacted. Enquiries by telephone will not be accommodated.
