Senior Projects Manager: Programmes

SmartStart South Africa; Johannesburg; On-site; ZAR 600,000 - 800,000; Full time

Job summary

A community development organization in Johannesburg seeks a Senior Projects Manager to lead program operations projects and ensure high-quality delivery. Candidates should have 5-7 years of project management experience, particularly in multi-partner environments, and possess strong communication skills. The role involves managing donor requirements and coordinating across various stakeholders to optimize program outcomes.

Qualifications

• Proven experience managing complex, multi-stakeholder projects.
• Familiarity with donor reporting requirements.
• Strong digital literacy is essential.

Responsibilities

• Oversee the planning, execution, and monitoring of programme operations projects.
• Manage a portfolio of donor-funded projects and ensure compliance.
• Facilitate collaboration across departments to ensure cohesive execution.

Skills

Strategic Execution

Problem Solving

Communication

Relationship Management

Reporting & Compliance

Education

Minimum 5–7 years in programme or project management

Tools

Project management tools

Reporting systems

Job description

Senior Projects Manager : Programmes

Purpose

The Senior Projects Manager will lead the end-to-end delivery of a portfolio of Programme Operations projects funded by a range of donors. This includes ensuring high-quality, compliant implementation and aligning both internal teams and external stakeholders around shared objectives. A key responsibility will also be to support Branch Managers to operationalize strategic provincial partnerships, translating agreements into actionable plans and measurable deliverables.

The role plays a pivotal part in coordinating across SmartStart Branches, implementing partners, and cross-functional internal teams to ensure that the Programme Operations department meets its intended impact and organizational goals. A secondary focus of this role is to support the optimization of the practitioner material supply chain, with a particular emphasis on diversifying away from a single supplier.

Key Responsibilities

Project & Portfolio Management

· Oversee the planning, execution, and monitoring of programme operations projects, ensuring delivery on time, within scope and budget.

· Manage a portfolio of donor-funded projects.

· Ensure compliance with diverse donor requirements, including reporting.

· Coordinate SmartStart implementing partners, branch managers, cross-functional teams and other relevant stakeholders to align activities and deliver integrated results.

· Monitor project progress and mitigate delivery risks.

· Lead adaptive learning processes from the SmartStart network to optimise project outcomes and inform future project designs.

· Represent SmartStart in donor project delivery and collaborative planning meetings.

· Lead the operationalisation of high-level strategic programme partnerships.

Stakeholder & Cross-functional Coordination

· Facilitate collaboration across SmartStart departments and functions (e.g. Training Operations, Value Chain, Finance etc.) to ensure cohesive execution of project activities.

· Liaise with SmartStart Branches and Franchisors (through the Network Support Team) to ensure field-level implementation aligns with central plans and funder expectations.

· Identify and escalate implementation risks or bottlenecks early, offering practical, collaborative solutions

Strategic Provencial Partnerships Operationalisation

· Work closely with the Partnerships Department to translate MOUs and partnership agreements into practical implementation plans and deliverables.

· Establish and monitor systems for tracking partnership deliverables and shared responsibilities.

· Serve as a key contact for operational partners, ensuring effective communication, troubleshooting, and relationship management.

Funder Compliance & Reporting

· Ensure all programme activities meet donor requirements, including financial and narrative reporting, procurement compliance, and MEL integration.

· Produce high-quality, data-informed reports for donors and internal leadership, contributing to strong funder relationships.

· Support external evaluations or audits related to programme operations.

Continuous Learning & Improvement

· Draw insights from implementation data, partner feedback, and field-level experience to inform ongoing Programme Operations improvements.

· Promote a culture of learning and adaptation across the Programme and Platform portfolio and beyond.

Requirements

Key Competencies:

• Strategic Execution: Ability to move between strategic thinking and detailed execution.
  
• Problem Solving: Anticipates challenges, identifies root causes, and proposes adaptive, actionable solutions.
  
• Communication: Strong written and verbal communication tailored to diverse audiences (field teams, donors, implementing partners).
  
• Relationship Management: Builds trust and alignment across internal teams and external partners.
  
• Reporting & Compliance: Skilled in developing accurate, timely donor reports and ensuring compliance with diverse funder requirements.
  

Experience & Qualifications:

• Minimum 5–7 years in programme or project management, ideally within a multi-partner, donor-funded environment.
  
• Proven experience managing complex, multi-stakeholder projects with operational components (e.g. logistics, payments, field operations).
  
• Familiarity with donor reporting requirements (e.g. compliance, financial and programmatic).
  
• Strong digital literacy; experience with project management tools and reporting systems.