United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland: Senior Manager, Private Sector Development Team - London

About us

Adam Smith International is an award-winning professional services business that delivers real impact, value and lasting change through projects supporting economic growth and government reform internationally. Our reputation as a global leader has been built on the positive results our projects have achieved in many of the world’s most challenging environments.

About the Private Sector Development team

Private Sector Development is one of our core areas of expertise. We specialise in the design and implementation of programmes that adopt a market systems approach (often referred to as “Making Markets Work for the Poor”), and work on numerous projects related to agriculture, public-private dialogue, business environment reform, business for development, and trade across the world.

About the Role

Our Private Sector Development team is growing fast. We need a strong Senior Project Manager to join us. We’re looking for someone who can lead on bids for large and complex projects, has a track record of winning, setting up and managing successful projects.

Senior Managers play a fundamental role in our operating model, managing the technical and financial performance of projects, as well as leading business development. This involves developing a clear strategy to consolidate and develop our growing team, including:

· Providing high level support to the Project Director and Technical Team leader and trouble-shooting the project;

· Working with the project technical team to ensure that work is delivered to a high technical standard Managing the relationship between Adam Smith International, the beneficial client and the funding agency;

· Provide overall programme management support;

· Support implementation of programme activities including logistics and administration, financial management, organisational development, reporting, recruitment, and contracting;

· Supporting technical and project management teams in the planning and budgeting of interventions;

· Maintain a milestone dashboard and an issues and risk register. Effectively elevate concerns;

· Building a strong team of Associates to deliver existing and future work;

· Overseeing recruitment and contracting of project consultants;

· Mapping actors and opportunities in private sector development;

· Leading commercial negotiations with clients, partners and suppliers;

· Identifying target sectors and competitive advantages for the team;

· Writing winning proposals with little assistance, for key donors such as UK Government's Department for International Development (DFID), AusAid and the World Bank.

You will also be expected to be capable of:

· Ensuring consultancy projects are properly structured and adequately resourced;

· Ensuring that projects are completed and delivered on time;

· Ensuring proper financial management of projects;

· Client management and liaison;

· Managing, mentoring and supporting more junior team members.

About you

An Adam Smith International Senior Project Manager should have the ability to build effective relationships with clients from a wide range of professional and cultural backgrounds, and to work effectively in politically sensitive and challenging environments. He/she should relish managing teams, should be innovative, energetic, positive, and genuinely committed to achieving lasting change in their work.

We are looking for a very high calibre Senior Manager who combines the management skills of a professional consultant and the drive of an emerging market entrepreneur, with a healthy appetite for challenges and a desire to travel.

Adam Smith International seeks the following skills and experience:

· Post-graduate degree in a related field;

· Experience working in blue chip organisations;

· Experience working in developing / conflict-affected environments;

· Demonstrate understanding of our clients and the marketplace, including VfM approaches;

· Technical competency in private sector lead market development, particularly in agriculture;

· Ability to develop comprehensive and accurate project plans;

· Outstanding written English and good communication skills;

· In-depth understanding of our business model and how to develop our business effectively in the short and longer-term;

· The ability and aspiration to learn fast and be challenged;

· Outstanding people management skills;· Ability to build effective, credible client relationships and networks;

· Good budget, finance and forecasting skills;

· High level of emotional intelligence in the following areas: self-awareness, social awareness and self-management;

· Proactive, self-starter, resourceful;

· Open-minded, flexible approach to problem-solving;

· Resilient to changing circumstances and challenges;

· Achievement oriented;

· Trustworthy, reliable, professional, conscientious and accountable;

· Superb attention to detail;

· Excellent computer skills, especially Word, Excel, PowerPoint;

· Willing to travel.

What We Offer You

We offer you a dynamic and friendly team environment and the opportunity to work on a highly successful portfolio of programmes. We have a strong commitment to our people and strive to live by our principles:

· Take responsibility (**Accountability**). Individually and collectively accountable for what we do.

· Always find a way (**Resourcefulness**). We think innovatively to reach a solution.

· Promote Quality (**Excellence**). We maintain and promote professional standards in everything we do.

· Commit to the Outcome (**Achievement**). We take pride in delivering our best to achieve results

We’ve built a culture to reflect our principles, full of likeminded professionals who are smart, passionate and great at what they do. We have a headquarter overlooking the Thames in a central London location. We offer a highly competitive salary, plus a bonus and excellent benefits.

Heard Enough? Ready to Apply?

We would love to hear from you. Please submit a CV (no more than 3 pages) and short cover letter to recruitment@adamsmithinternational.com with a subject line of “Senior Project Manager, PSD”. You must be eligible to work in the UK to apply for this position. Shortlisted applicants only will be contacted. Thank you for your consideration.