Senior Project Manager -Africa

Dalberg Group; South Africa; Hybrid; ZAR 1 181 000 - 1 688 000; Full time

Job summary

A global consulting firm is looking for a Senior Project Manager to engage in transformative projects across Africa. The role involves leading diverse teams, ensuring high-quality deliverables, and fostering client relationships. Ideal candidates will have a minimum of 2 years in management roles within consulting, strong problem-solving skills, and a passion for international development. The position is based in various locations including Johannesburg and requires appropriate authorization to work.

Benefits

Professional development opportunities

Diversity and inclusion initiatives

Qualifications

• At least 2 years managing high-performing teams in a problem-solving environment.
• Prior management experience in a consulting environment preferred.
• Strong analytical abilities, both quantitative and qualitative.
• Fluency in English; proficiency with other languages a plus.

Responsibilities

• Drive and deliver projects from kick-off to final presentation.
• Manage relationships with clients and other stakeholders.
• Ensure successful project execution from idea to implementation.
• Take accountability for the quality of client deliverables.

Skills

Leadership

Analytical skills

Problem-solving

Communication

Entrepreneurial spirit

Education

Master in Business Administration or related field

PhD from a top university

Job description

Job Title
Senior Project Manager -Africa

Business/Department
Dalberg Advisors

Job Category
Consulting

Location
Addis Ababa, ET
Dakar, SN
Dar es Salaam, TZ
Johannesburg, ZA (multi-location)
Kigali, RW
Lagos, NG
Nairobi, KE

Closing Date
16/1/2026

Job Description

Maximize your potential. Tackle the world’s toughest problems. Build expertise in areas that matter to you. Become a global development leader.

ABOUT DALBER

We are a global group working to build a more sustainable planet and inclusive societies where all people can thrive. As a diverse, purpose‑driven community of professionals, it works in collaboration with local communities and global networks to create bold and equitable solutions and develop the next generation of impact leaders. Dalberg brings together strategy and management consulting, equity‑centered community design, data, research, implementation, and communications to achieve its mission of solving the most pressing challenges of our time through systemic change. We are from everywhere, at home anywhere — an African and American company as much as an Asian, Latin American, Middle Eastern, and European one.

Dalberg is a place where a diverse mix of talented individuals are able to practice transparency and openness while maintaining independence of thought – whether it’s how you identify, where you come from, the languages you speak, the person you love, or the way you worship. Dalberg is a home where people feel safe, understood, nurtured, and encouraged to grow.

As a team of 610+ people from 55 countries, speaking over 90 languages collectively, with 48%+ female leadership team, Dalberg places diversity, equity and inclusion principles at the heart of our organization and the work we do alongside our clients, partners and communities.

Established in 2001 by experienced private sector consultants, Dalberg operates from 25+ worldwide locations. For more information, please visit Dalberg.

ABOUT DALBERG ADVISORS

Dalberg Advisors is a strategic advisory firm combining the best of private sector strategy skills and rigorous analytical capabilities with deep knowledge and networks across emerging and frontier markets. We work collaboratively across the public, private and philanthropic sectors to fuel inclusive growth and help clients achieve their goals.

ABOUT OUR CLIENTS

Our clients come to us with some of the most difficult global problems, seeking solutions where the obvious ones have failed. We are entrepreneurs and innovators, designers and creative problem solvers, thinkers, and doers who supply new ideas, drawing from a deep base of knowledge that cuts across sectors and geographies and is growing every day. We partner with and serve communities, governments, and companies throughout the world. Some of our recent clients include foundations such as the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, corporations such as Pepsi and Vodafone, multilateral institutions such as the World Bank and the Inter‑American Development Bank, UN agencies such as UNICEF and the UNEP, and government agencies such as the Ethiopian Ministry of Innovation and Technology, USAID, and India’s NITI Aayog.

ABOUT YOU

You are a global development leader and you thrive tackling global issues, from malnutrition to climate change to economic growth, ensuring no population is left behind. You enjoy leading high-performing teams that drive the delivery of innovative and results‑oriented solutions for clients, by proposing problem-solving and creating tailored frameworks that address client challenges. You excel in solving problems using clear strategic and creative thinking, and you want to put your skills to work – transforming organizations that fund change around the world. You are a committed self‑starter with experience as a ‘top‑performer’ at a leading international management consultancy firm, a passion for international development, and an entrepreneurial spirit. Dalberg Senior Project Managers live and work around the world, creating a network of global perspectives anchored by local experience in our offices in Africa, Latin America, North America, Europe and Asia. Dalberg combines ground‑level insight with experience from top‑tier professional services firms and leading academic institutions to create actionable solutions to the world’s most pressing issues.

Typical qualifications for a Senior Project Manager

• At least 2 years managing high‑performing teams in a problem‑solving, analytical environment
• Prior management experience in a consulting environment preferred: 1+ years of experience as a manager at a leading international management consultancy and a ‘top‑performer’ throughout tenure
• Minimum of 4 years of experience framing and analyzing evidence‑based solutions to strategic challenges.
• Prior consulting experience preferred: Strong analytical abilities, both quantitative and qualitative and expert knowledge of consulting “toolkit”
• Ability to present information in a concise, insightful and structured manner, both in written and oral
• Demonstrated initiative and capacity to perform well in an entrepreneurial atmosphere
• Master or Arts or Science, Masters in Business Administration or Masters in Public Administration/ Policy or PhD from a top university with excellent academic record
• A passion for international development, typically evidenced by a strong interest and prior exposure to global issues such as economic development, global health, education or the environment
• Experience living and working in different cultures; time spent in developing countries strongly preferred; sensitivity to the political and cultural environments of international public agencies or similar complex environments
• Strong regional/in‑country networks preferred
• Demonstrated fluency with English speaking and writing skills; proficiency with other languages a plus

Note: Employment in all the Dalberg offices is conditional on the candidate having or obtaining the requisite authorization to live and work in that country.

WHAT WILL YOU DO AND HOW WILL YOU GROW

Senior Project Managers drive and deliver projects from kick‑off to final presentation, managing team members working across multiple work streams for any given project. As forward thinking leaders, Senior Project Managers work very closely with the Dalberg management team to drive creative ideas and results for our clients worldwide. Senior Project Managers are also accountable for the quality of client deliverables, and for proposing sustainable solutions that will generate new and repeat business engagements. Senior Project Managers serve as a key liaison between Dalberg and the client, ensuring that each project is successful from idea to execution and even through to implementation. With a combination of analytical skills and social acumen, Senior Project Managers are savvy communicators who simplify complex findings, develop insightful recommendations, and structure communications that promote constructive dialogues with diverse stakeholders in the public sector, private sector, civil society, and international communities.

Responsibilities:

• Take accountability for the quality of client deliverables
• Take a leadership role in building and managing the firm
• Manage relationships with clients and other stakeholders, often serving as the first point of contact for content questions and logistics
• Provide guidance to team members at all stages of the project; maintain responsibility for project budgets and timelines
• Develop and maintain client relationships and contribute to thought leadership initiatives in order to generate new business engagements

Dalberg is a platform for change. Our staff is empowered to start new programs, institute best practices, and develop traditions that will define the Dalberg experience for years to come. Innovation and entrepreneurship are not only valued at Dalberg; they are essential to our firm’s success. In addition to providing training, management‑level advising, and mentoring, we empower consultants to learn by doing, engaging them as core members of project teams from day one.

Examples of recent projects that Dalberg consultants have worked on include designing policy and regulatory roadmaps for inclusive credit across Africa and Asia, developing multi‑year strategies for environmental and philanthropic organizations, and launching initiatives to strengthen development impact in Europe. We’ve assessed technical capacity needs to support global agriculture, explored blended finance opportunities in the off‑grid solar sector, and mapped AI‑for‑good use cases in low‑and middle‑income countries. Our work also includes evaluating labour‑rights in agri‑food supply chains, supporting livelihood strategies in the private sector, and guiding business planning in the energy access space. We've facilitated disability inclusion roundtables and led the transition of public engagement programs.

Past projects have taken us to a mine in the Indonesian jungle, to refugee camps in remote parts of Kenya, and to the Nepal border to study trafficking transport chains.

JOIN OUR TEAM

Our current opportunities are at our Addis Ababa, Dar es Salaam, Dakar, Johannesburg, Kigali, Lagos and Nairobi offices. You must have authorization to work in the country to which you are applying.

Your application should include a resume and cover letter elaborating on your experience.

Please submit your application at our Career Centre by 11:59PM EAT on 16 January 2026.

During the same recruitment period, please only apply to one position at Dalberg. This position should be the role best suited to your current professional experience and to your first preference location. You will have the opportunity to rank your next 2 location preferences within your application, in case there are openings in other offices.

Candidate applications will be considered on a rolling basis. A candidate’s specific title and level of entry will be assessed during the interview process.

Dalberg values its people and recognizes the importance of balancing professional and personal demands. Qualified and interested candidates irrespective of age, gender, race, religion, background, or ethnic affiliation are encouraged to apply for the vacancy.

Commitments

• Commitment 1: We commit to publishing internal Dalberg DEI reports annually, to hold ourselves accountable, report on progress and share lessons from our regional DEI plans.
• Commitment 2: We commit to delivering regular training for all staff (including leadership) on how to engender inclusive workplaces and mitigate unconscious bias.
• Commitment 3: We commit to addressing imbalances in how power and privilege are formally distributed and informally exercised across the firm.

Owing to the large number of applications we receive, unfortunately, only successful candidates will be contacted.