Project Manager Communications Remote

Empanda Pty Ltd; Pietermaritzburg; Remote; ZAR 300 000 - 400 000; Full time

Job summary

A consulting firm in KwaZulu-Natal is seeking an experienced Project Manager to oversee and coordinate projects. This role requires expertise in agile and waterfall methodologies, along with strong interpersonal skills to motivate and guide stakeholders. Responsibilities include managing project timelines, budgets, and ensuring quality delivery, all while aligning with strategic objectives. Ideal candidates should be detail-oriented, analytical, and adept at problem-solving.

Qualifications

• Experienced project manager familiar with agile and waterfall methodologies.
• Good at problem-solving, enabling decisions and managing risks.
• Excellent interpersonal skills and able to motivate performance.

Responsibilities

• Manage, coordinate, and ensure timely execution of projects.
• Inspire and guide project stakeholders to deliver on time.
• Oversee project governance and status meetings.

Skills

Project planning and management skills

Agile and waterfall methodologies

Strong interpersonal skills

Excel and planning tools

Tools

Smartsheet

MS Project

Job description

Job Purpose

To manage, coordinate, and ensure timely and effective execution of projects within Empanda. The role entails working collaboratively across change, communications, and learning projects to ensure delivery to time, cost, and quality, whilst enabling and supporting consultants. The purpose of this job is to lead project planning, scheduling, monitoring, and reporting activities for all assigned projects. The role will guarantee alignment with the organization's strategic objectives and will oversee communication with all project stakeholders, promoting effective collaboration and successful project delivery.

Responsibilities

• Be the key catalyst in a project, promoting the project's vision and benefits, ensuring alignment between Empanda HQ, the Client, and the Project Team.
• Inspire and guide project stakeholders, ensuring everyone works together to deliver on time, within budget, and with high quality.
• Co‑ordinate project mobilisation and resource onboarding.
• Baseline the resource planning and project toolkits for the project.
• Ensure teams are trained and introduced to stakeholders.
• Run the health check drumbeat to assure project quality.
• Identify gaps in delivery and support needs and resolve them.
• Manage the escalation and management of risks and issues.
• Oversee project governance and status meetings.
• Develop and share understanding of KPIs indicating project success.
• Facilitate decision making and action steps that drive the project forward.
• Oversee project stakeholder engagement and report on quality.
• Ensure engagement with client sponsors and solution providers.
• Assure quality listening and engagement on projects.
• Consolidate project time and budgets, reporting on variances.
• Ensure forecasts are updated, and commercials negotiated on time.
• Maintain the project and client roles and responsibilities.
• Track the delivery of the statement of work and on time delivery.
• Ensure project resources have a clear vision, objective, and approach.
• Ensure early, ordered scoping of project creative services requirements.
• Ensure projects have a clear understanding of benefits and scope.
• Provide benefit realisation coaching on the approach.
• Identify scope gaps and opportunities for additional services.
• Manage the close out of projects and packaging of deliverables.
• Oversee lessons learned processes including NPS feedback sessions.
• Plan offboarding and best use of resources rolling off projects.
• Understand and apply the Empanda project management approach.
• Promote process excellence and observe quality standards.
• Adhere to reporting and governance requirements.

Desired Experience & Qualifications

An experienced project manager familiar with agile and waterfall methodologies, familiar with change, communications, and learning projects and deliverables. Analytical, detail-oriented, and organised, with strong planning abilities. Good at problem-solving, enabling decisions and managing risks and issues. Good at motivating for performance, with strong interpersonal skills. Experienced managing budgets, plans, status reports, and trackers. Adept at learning quickly and coaching, including onboarding and guidance.

Critical Skills

• Project planning and management skills and certification.
• Able to work efficiently and objectively under pressure.
• Excellent Excel and ability with planning tools such as Smartsheet or MS Project.
• Excellent visual, verbal, and written communication skills.

Package & Remuneration

Consulting