General Manager Projects - Africa Operations

Please Note:

• The candidates must have experience in the minerals & resourcing (EPCM) industry and experience in Africa.
• If you do not have this experience, you will not qualify so please do not apply.

Position Overview:

• Oversee the profitable and safe execution of the company’s portfolio of African projects (excluding RSA), in alignment with the Company’s business strategy and key strategic objectives.
• Manage the Projects Department, its staff and budget.
• Develop and implement effective project controls, project reporting systems and an accessible project information system.
• Establish the project governance structure for each project and sit on project steering committees.
• Participate in the individual development of project personnel.
• Identify, investigate, formulate and implement continuous improvement practices.
• Liaise with senior project personnel from clients and contractors / sub-contractors.

Key Performance Areas

People:

• Champion a culture of health, safety and environmental responsibility.
• Setting of performance standards and measures for project managers and the monitoring and management thereof.
• Identify and implement personal developmental initiatives for project personnel.
• Management of team relations and communication.
• Analysis of project management staffing resources and assignment to projects, as appropriate.
• Ensuring the company’s Safety, Health and Environment project policies and procedures are implemented and that projects are constructed safely by the respective Project Manager.

Financial:

• Ensuring project profitability, on-time, within budget completion and project risk management.
• Project budget review, sign-off and alignment with CBE.
• Project cost control base sign-off and update review during execution.
• Management of contractual agreement negotiations.
• Management of project budget closure process.

Client:

• Client liaison and key stakeholder engagement and expectation management.
• High level project liaison and resolution of unresolved issues in projects.

Internal Business Processes:

• Development and implementation of project management operational systems, procedures and processes.
• Implementation of project planning and scheduling frameworks and tools.
• Ensure that project document control services are in place.
• Development and implementation of a reporting process (including exception reporting).
• Ensure technical acceptability of projects.
• Project construction oversight.
• Chair the company’s Safety, Health and Environment Committee.
• Ensure the monitoring and control of project quality and other key project metrics for all projects in the Company.
• Monthly reporting of project status to Exco (through key metrics).
• Extract and apply lessons learned from project close-out reviews and update systems.
• Develop and implement continuous improvement initiatives.
• Stay up to date and informed on local and global project management developments.

Critical Competencies:

Educational Qualifications:

• BSc. Degree in Engineering (Mechanical or Civil).
• A formal tertiary-level business or commercial qualification, highly desirable.
• A formal, recognised qualification in Project Management is a distinct advantage.

Job Knowledge:

• Project management knowledge.
• Engineering knowledge.
• Knowledge of project controls and project measurements.

Impact Of Role On Business Value Chain:

• Understanding of other areas of work, outside own area of specialisation.
• Understanding of how own role and decisions may impact the business.
• Integrate the appropriate business functions across the project life-cycle.

Technical Experience:

• A minimum of 15 years’ experience in project management, with extensive experience in managing medium to large scaled, multi-disciplinary projects in the mining/minerals processing environment.
• Experience in managing projects within an EPCM environment.

Professional Memberships:

• Registration with ECSA as a Professional Engineer, preferred.
• Professional Membership of the Project Management Institute of SA, preferred.

Financial And Commercial Knowledge:

• Experience in managing budgets and understanding key cost control principles.
• Experience in dealing with contract terms and various types of contract (FIDIC, NEC). FIDIC certification, preferred.
• Experience in managing contractors and sub-contractors.

Experience:

• Experience in Africa
• Good computer literacy in MS Office and MS Projects.
• Experience in managing relationships with vendors and suppliers.
• Experience in dealing with clients and managing client relationships.
• Excellent negotiating skills.
• Knowledge of the basics of labour law/labour relations, and HR.

Behavioural Competencies:

Management (Of Self & Team):

• Ability to prioritise multiple tasks and keep in balance diverse priorities.