Senior Project Manager - UPD Lea Glen

Clicks Group Limited; Roodepoort; On-site; ZAR 800,000 - 1,200,000; Full time

Job summary

Clicks Group Limited is seeking a Senior Project Manager for the IT Project Delivery department in Roodepoort. The role involves leading complex IT initiatives, particularly in SAP and supply chain management, ensuring these projects are delivered efficiently while adhering to governance standards.

The ideal candidate will have extensive experience in project management, with a strong knowledge of the pharmaceutical distribution industry and solid financial management skills. This is a permanent position with opportunities for growth within a leading company.

Qualifications

• 5 years’ experience in delivering IT and business projects.
• Minimum 5 years managing complex enterprise or multi-projects.
• Strong experience in SAP implementations or ERP-enabled supply chain.

Responsibilities

• Lead the delivery of complex IT and business initiatives.
• Manage programmes supporting supply chain systems and logistics.
• Ensure projects adhere to PMO governance standards.
• Build relationships with UPD leadership and stakeholders.

Skills

Advanced expertise in project and programme management

Strong understanding of pharmaceutical distribution operations

Working knowledge of SAP supply chain modules

Strong financial and commercial management skills

Proficiency with project tools (MS Project, PPM, Jira, Teams, SharePoint)

Excellent executive communication and stakeholder engagement

Strong analytical and problem-solving skills

Education

Bachelor’s degree in IT, Business, Supply Chain, Pharmaceutical Management

Project Management certification (PMP, PRINCE2)

Job description

Job category: Other: FMCG, Retail, Wholesale and Supply Chain

Location: Roodepoort

Contract: Permanent

EE position: Yes

About our company

Clicks Group

Introduction

We are looking to recruit a permanent Senior Project Manager to work within the IT Project Delivery department. The role will be based at the United Pharmaceutical Distributor (UPD) in Lea Glen and will report to the PMO Manager, IT Project Delivery Executive and UPD IT Executive.

Job Purpose:

The Senior Project Manager is responsible for the successful delivery and governance of complex IT and business transformation initiatives within the Clicks Group UPD IT Portfolio. The role leads the execution of strategic programmes that support pharmaceutical distribution, supply chain optimisation, operational efficiency, and regulatory compliance across the UPD business.

Operating within the Clicks Group technology and governance framework, the Senior Project Manager ensures that large-scale initiatives—particularly those involving SAP, supply chain systems, warehouse operations, and pharmaceutical distribution platforms—are delivered within scope, budget, and timelines.

The role provides leadership across multiple projects and project managers, ensuring alignment between IT delivery, UPD operational priorities, and Clicks Group strategic objectives.

Key Responsibilities

• Strategic Programme Delivery
• Lead the delivery of complex and high-impact IT and business initiatives across the UPD pharmaceutical distribution environment.
• Manage programmes and multiple concurrent projects supporting warehouse operations, supply chain systems, logistics optimisation, and pharmaceutical compliance processes.
• Ensure initiatives align with Clicks Group digital strategy, operational performance objectives, and UPD distribution requirements.
• Drive delivery of enterprise system implementations, particularly SAP-enabled supply chain and warehouse solutions.

• Governance and PMO Alignment
• Ensure projects adhere to Clicks Group PMO governance standards, reporting frameworks, and delivery methodologies.
• Provide consolidated reporting and visibility of programme health across the UPD IT portfolio.
• Lead project steering committees and governance forums with senior IT and UPD operational stakeholders.
• Maintain oversight of RAID management, scope control, and escalation processes.

• Stakeholder and Business Engagement
• Build strong working relationships with UPD leadership, supply chain management, warehouse operations, finance, and IT teams.
• Act as the senior point of escalation for complex project risks, delivery challenges, and cross-functional dependencies.
• Engage senior stakeholders to ensure alignment on project priorities, delivery expectations, and value realisation.

• Vendor and Partner Management
• Manage strategic relationships with system integrators, SAP partners, and technology vendors delivering solutions within the UPD environment.
• Ensure vendor deliverables meet contractual obligations, service levels, and delivery milestones.
• Facilitate collaboration between internal Clicks teams and external partners to support successful project execution.

• Financial and Resource Management
• Oversee programme budgets, ensuring financial discipline through budget tracking, forecasting, and cost variance reporting.
• Ensure resources are effectively allocated across projects to support delivery commitments.
• Support benefits realisation tracking aligned to approved business cases.

• Delivery Lifecycle Oversight
• Provide leadership across the full project lifecycle, ensuring effective execution of:
• Business case development and approval
• Requirements definition and business process alignment
• Solution design and architecture
• Build and system configuration
• Deployment, training, and operational readiness
• Post-implementation support and optimisation

• PMO Capability and Delivery Excellence
• Strengthen project delivery capability within the UPD IT Project Delivery function.
• Mentor and guide Project Managers within the PMO.
• Drive continuous improvement through lessons learned, delivery metrics, and best practice adoption.
• Contribute to the evolution of the Clicks Group IT Project Delivery and PMO maturity.

Skills and Knowledge

• Advanced expertise in project and programme management within enterprise IT environments.
• Strong understanding of pharmaceutical distribution operations and supply chain processes.
• Working knowledge of SAP supply chain modules and enterprise integration landscapes.
• Strong financial and commercial management skills.
• Proficiency with project and collaboration tools (MS Project, PPM, Jira, Teams, SharePoint).
• Excellent executive communication, stakeholder engagement, and reporting capability.
• Strong analytical, problem-solving, and risk management skills.

Core Competencies

• Delivery Leadership
• Consistently delivers complex initiatives that support operational efficiency and business transformation within the UPD environment.

• Strategic Stakeholder Management
• Builds trusted relationships with senior IT and UPD leadership to ensure alignment between technology initiatives and operational priorities.

• Governance and Accountability
• Maintains strong governance, financial discipline, and delivery accountability across programmes.

• Leadership and Mentorship
• Develops and supports project managers and delivery teams within the Clicks Group PMO.

• Operational Understanding
• Demonstrates strong understanding of supply chain, warehouse, and pharmaceutical distribution environments.

• Continuous Improvement
• Contributes to improving delivery maturity, methodologies, and best practices across the IT Project Delivery function.

Minimum Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in information technology, Business, Supply Chain, Pharmaceutical Management, or a related field.
• Formal Project Management certification (PMP, PRINCE2 Practitioner, or equivalent).
• Additional certification in Agile, Programme Management, or SAP project delivery is advantageous.

Experience

• 5 years’ experience delivering IT and business projects.
• Minimum 5 years managing complex enterprise or multi-projects.
• Strong experience delivering SAP implementations or ERP-enabled supply chain transformation initiatives (SAP ECC, S/4HANA, MM, SD, WM, EWM).
• Experience working within pharmaceutical distribution, retail supply chain, or logistics environments.
• Proven experience operating within structured PMO and governance environments.
• Strong experience managing system integrators, vendors, and third-party delivery partners.
• Demonstrated leadership in mentoring or guiding project managers and delivery teams.

N.B: We endeavor to provide feedback to all candidates whenever possible, however, if you don\'t hear from us within 14 days from the closing date, please consider your application unsuccessful.