Overview

 This project manager role will coordinate and manage the Restoration Forth partnership, involving a range of local and national partners, to deliver the coastal habitat restoration and community engagement programme of work for the Firth of Forth. The project manager will lead the project steering group, be responsible for partnership grant management, monitor the project strategy and delivery plan, lead on the overall monitoring and evaluation of the project, and work with WWF fundraising and partnership managers to deliver regular updates and reports to donors. The project manager will work in close cooperation with WWF Scotland’s communications, public affairs, and policy teams to contribute towards the wider WWF Scotland strategy – as well as WWF-UK’s seascape programme team, which leads the work to protect and restore critical coastal habitats across the UK, of which the Restoration Forth Project is one exemplar.

KEY RESPONSIBILITIES AND ACCOUNTABILITIES

  • Project lead for Restoration Forth, managing and coordinating this multi partner project, with responsibility for strategic planning, work programming and delivery within agreed timeframes, and project and budget management
  • Ensuring the successful delivery of the overall project objective within the agreed timeframe, by prioritising, structuring and facilitating all programme implementation activity;
  • Develop and deliver a monitoring and evaluation plan for the programme
  • Manage key relationships with strategic partners and provide regular, high quality reports to funders, and share lessons and successes with WWF colleagues
  • Lead the development and implementation of external grants and contracts to deliver the work
  • Leads on internal governance, including the design and creation of project reporting, that adds value and drives the programme forwards, highlighting road blocks;
  • Manages and monitors work stream budgets and overall expenditure;
  • Leads on risks and issue management for the project, creating and maintaining an up to date risk register and issue register, and ensuring that risks, issues and lessons learned are communicated across the project;
  • Makes sure that all programme processes are properly executed

(Operationalising the processes of WWF-UK’s new Project Management

Office), and ensures that appropriate assurance is undertaken (e.g audits);

  • Provide guidance and co-ordination to a number of partners and will be chairing the steering group meetings. It will also be the central point of contact for key stakeholders such as government.
  • Matrix-manage a project team including external partners and WWF colleagues
  • Work collaboratively with the advocacy, public affairs, communications, seascapes and donor management teams
  • Provide input to funding opportunities to support the programme of work.
  • Apply WWF-UK’s safeguarding standards and processes, including oversight, support and direction of exemplar seascape projects
  • Represent WWF Scotland and the Restoration Forth Project at external meetings, conferences and events, and to media

PERSON SPECIFICATION

EXPERIENCE, QUALIFICATIONS & KNOWLEDGE

  • Extensive experience in project management and reporting to external funders
  • Track record in monitoring, evaluation and providing high quality reporting
  • Significant proven experience of budgeting and financial management
  • Demonstrable experience of successful facilitation and secretariat duties for multistakeholder partnerships.
  • Demonstrated experience of leading complex projects with a range of policy, social and environmental contexts
  • Practical experience of working with a wide range of stakeholders in industry, government and academia
  • Extensive experience of working with a wide range of stakeholders and have had a leadership role in previous projects
  • Confidence in leading and developing communications with all appropriate stakeholders on technical/non-technical matters, issues and ideas;
  • Demonstrable knowledge of marine and/or coastal environments

 SKILLS AND COMPETENCIES

  • Strategic focused with creative flair
  • Influencing and negotiating skills
  • Excellent organisational and time management skills
  • Diplomacy and ability to influence and delegate without authority
  • A natural ability to multi-task and problem solve, able to prioritise workload based on
  • strategic and tactical business priorities; able to deliver results consistently ontime and within budget
  • Able to lead strong matrix teams across departments and offices to deliver exceptional results
  • Confident communicator with good verbal and written skills
  • IT literate