GLOBAL – PROJECT CONTROLLER

Department: Global Programmes Team
Place of work: London, UK or a WSUP Programme Country
Duration: Fixed term contract for 6 months from December 2023
Grade: 10
Salary: £44,105 – £46,861
Reports to: Acting Head of Global Programmes

About WSUP

Today, around one billion city-dwellers lack access to safe drinking water, a number the UN estimates will nearly double by 2050 as more and more people are moving to cities for work and other opportunities, most of them ending up living in informal settlements without basic services. Meanwhile the changing climate is making water even more precious. Against this backdrop, our work has never been more vital.

WSUP is a not-for-profit company, expert at improving water and sanitation services for low-income, urban communities. We work alongside utilities, entrepreneurs, and communities to develop and deliver solutions which are affordable for the poor, financially viable for suppliers, and sustainable for the environment.

We were founded in 2005 in the UK, and currently work in seven countries in sub-Saharan Africa and Asia (Kenya, Uganda, Mozambique, Madagascar, Ghana, Zambia, Bangladesh), supported by a global Secretariat. We are a small organisation, but we have a big impact; since inception we have helped nearly 40 million people with improved water, sanitation, and hygiene services. And we have ambitions to reach many more.

WSUP’s innovative approach to creating impact is guided by our values, which are the common fundamental beliefs and principles that inform our approach and work. All our staff are expected to embody these values in their day-to-day work and interactions. To learn more about our values, please see www.wsup.com/about/work-with-us/.

For more information about WSUP’s vision and approach, see www.wsup.com.

About the role

This exciting role for 6 months in the Global Programmes Team has the potential to have significant impact on WSUP’s ability to scale our work over the Business Plan period, 2020 – 2025. The Project Controller is responsible for advising, guiding and coaching teams across WSUP’s core countries, both the existing six countries and any additional countries where we may engage.The role will be part of the Project Task Force – itself a UK-based inter-disciplinary group led by the Global Programmes Team and including representatives from Finance, Partnerships and Communications, Innovation & Consumer Needs (ICoN) and Monitoring & Evaluation (M&E).

The country programmes are each led by a Country Manager (CM), who takes responsibility for overall operational management of the WSUP programme in that country. The Programme Managers and Project Leads in country are line-managed by their CM but have reporting responsibility to the UK-based Project Controllers for each of their respective projects.

Job Description

Overall purpose

The overall purpose of the Project Controllers is to support delivery of WSUP’s Business Plan, provide oversight of performance and maximise the impact of WSUP’s projects across the Programmes function. Project Controllers provide guidance to the delivery of WSUP’s implementation projects by advising and coaching both in-country Project Leads and the wider in-country teams on how to design and deliver complex projects in their country context within the wider WSUP framework and programmatic approach. They provide a continually improving framework for WSUP project implementation through engagement with the Project Task Force.

The Project Controller monitors the progress of WSUP’s implementation projects in collaboration with the in-country Project Lead, ensuring the projects are proceeding to deadlines, are within budget, reaching targets and moving towards the planned impact. The Project Controller will assess and make recommendations and suggestions for improvement, coaching and challenging the Project Leads to learn from their experiences and feed that back into future projects. The role is crucial in developing the WSUP Project Leads, empowering them to make better decisions and increasing their capacity.
As the Project Controllers interact with multiple projects across all the Country Programmes, they are in a strong position to foster enhanced project learning, sharing of knowledge and co-operation within and between country programmes, and extend the benefits of this to other WSUP functions. Project Controllers work closely with the Evaluation, Research & Learning (ERL) team and ICON to identify and disseminate learning and integrate these into future project design.

Main responsibilities & tasks

1. Adapt and guide a portfolio of projects from design to completion

• Support project design to align with the Business Plan and Country Strategy, and consistently seek to innovate and achieve sustainable impact
• Maintain oversight of the performance of a portfolio of projects, consistently reflecting on ways to improve efficacy and impact.
• Advise the Project Leads on how to apply WSUP’s programmatic approach and project management tools to their particular country and project context
• Guide the Project Lead to manage the project life cycle and plan implementation methodologies to support optimal delivery
• Build networks between functions and across countries to improve the effectiveness and impact of project design and implementation
• Using a risk based and consultative approach to adapt processes and procedures to deliver impactful projects
• Guide appropriate and effective compliance, risk management, information storage and archiving of all project information.
• Review and advise Project Leads on Terms of Reference, contracts, Memoranda of Understanding, procurement documentation and reports.
• Support reflection on lessons learnt through project implementation, identify areas for improvement and share learning both across countries and inputting to organization wide adaptive learning strategies

2. Coach and build capacity of colleagues in Country Teams to improve efficiency and effectiveness

Mentor and train the Project Leads to understand. apply and adapt financial forecasting, projections and project planning, budget consumption and funder requirements to their context – with a view to proactive adaptation of the project strategy for maximum efficacy.

• Analyse project performance and identify areas for improvement. Based on this assessment, recommend and implement initiatives to provide a continually improving framework, including;
• Develop the Project Leads, and the wider in-country project team, focus on risk assessing, mapping, mitigation and management.
• Build capacity of Project Leads in the proper use and understanding of project cycle management tools.
• Design and/or continuously improve tools and templates for Project Leads to work more effectively.

3. Build relationships and secure collaboration
Internally:

• Build the credibility of the Global Programmes Team, across the Secretariat and in the country offices through delivery of complex and highly visible projects, consistently championing the country programmes.
• Represent the Global Programmes Team to consultants and contractors, and when the Head of Global Programmes is not available, represent to colleagues the Programmes function within WSUP.
• Build effective networks across Secretariat functions and within the Project Task Force that strengthen the project outcomes, identify complimentary interests, problem solve roadblocks and persuade peers to drive through change.

Externally:

• Represent WSUP at relevant sector workshops, seminars and conferences to share programme activities and organisational messaging, demonstrate understanding of the complexity of the country programmes and operating context.
• Develop purposeful relationships with different development agencies to share learning and experiences of WSUP and to secure support from them to strengthen WSUP.
• During country visits meet with local government authorities and stakeholders, strengthening the platform for country staff to engage in their influencing goals.
• Build relationships with international NGOs and donors to highlight the value which WSUP brings, drawing on current and historical interventions, highlighting impact and how the work aligns with national and/or regional development priorities.

4.Perform other duties appropriate to the role as agreed with the Head of Global Programmes.