Operations Manager (Research, Monitoring and Evaluation) – Health Practice at Genesis Analytics

COMPANY DESCRIPTION:

Genesis Analytics is a leading global African firm that has worked in more than 90 countries across the world. Our purpose is to unlock value in Africa for our clients and its citizens by helping them to make better decisions that are creative and optimistic, and sustainable and defensible over time.

We have forged relationships with government, regulators, corporates, banks, development finance institutions, law firms, foundations, NGOs as well as regional and international organisations including development agencies.

Our style of working is distinctive. We work collaboratively and with rigour. We like solutions that have a creative, practical bent. We aim to leave the individuals and institutions with whom we work stronger and more confident than they were before meeting us. We don’t pretend to have a lock on wisdom, but there is strength in our humility.

LOCATION:

• The role will be based in one of the Genesis AFRICA Hubs in either: Johannesburg, Cape Town, Nairobi, Lagos Abidjan, or Addis Ababa

PRACTICE AREA DESCRIPTION:

The Health Practice, in which this position falls, focuses on building healthier lives for Africans through research, monitoring, evaluation, behavioural sciences, strengthening health systems, and health economics and financing. Please note: Genesis Analytics does not implement direct service delivery programmes.

ROLE DESCRIPTION:

Genesis is recruiting for an Operations Manager (Research, Monitoring and Evaluation) to support the service line leadership in ensuring that all the service line projects are well resourced and deliver quality deliverables on time. The Operations Manager will help to ensure that there is an enabling environment to achieve project success, through effectively adopting and implementing all firm and practice business processes.

KEY REQUIREMENTS & ROLE RESPONSIBILITIES:

The role will focus on providing financial and operational support within the Research, Monitoring and Evaluation (RME) service line. There will also be opportunities to undertake technical research, monitoring and evaluation technical work on specific projects. Specific roles and responsibilities include the following:

Project Management:

• Conduct meetings with project managers/directors within the RME service line to understand each project status and maintain a tracker detailing updates on projects within the service line.
• Work with Project Managers to ensure project documentation is complete and up to date for the RME service line.
• Work with Project Managers to ensure that the health practice project tracking tool is up to date with the following information: project sheet updated on a monthly basis, project capability statements, and web descriptions are complete to a high standard on the finance system and on the Health sheets tabs.
• Take on the role of Project Manager on selected projects within the service line.

Operations Support:

• Develop and maintain professional and sound working relationships with internal areas of the organisation such as HR and Finance as well as external stakeholders and consultants of the business.
• Work with the other service line Operations Managers to ensure that company processes are disseminated across the practice appropriately and then followed by the service line colleagues.
• Support the service line leadership with utilisation planning and analysis, using the annual utilisation planning tool, and in optimising the allocation of staff to projects using the staff project matrix.
• Liaise with hiring managers around recruitment plans and crucial hires within the service line. Feed this information back to the health People Champion through the health HR sub-committee.
• Support the service line with monthly meetings as required (agenda, chairing, taking minutes) and ensure action points are completed within the agreed upon timeframe.
• Support service line leads in preparing for quarterly reporting.
• Meet with other service line Operations Managers monthly to discuss challenges, learnings and updates to any operations processes.
• In coordination with other operations managers, support the development and maintenance of practice SOPs.

Financial Management:

• Provide guidance and support to Project Managers within the service line on finance-related issues, helping to ensure compliance across the service line as per company policies and processes. This includes providing guidance around the monthly reconciliation process and ensuring, through oversight, that project budget templates are completed and submitted for each new project by the respective Project Managers.
• Support Project Managers with raising subcontractor expenses, purchase orders and client invoicing, as required where there is no Project Administrator supporting.

Business Development:

• Collaborate with internal (General Group Services, Business Development Unit, Head of Commercial) and external (key partners and clients) stakeholders.
• Provide guidance to staff in the service line around the bid management process and tools available.
• Act as Bid Manager for specific strategic opportunities within the service line, building knowledge across key donor frameworks: lead the process from kick-off meeting to post-mortem stage; create and manage the bid work plan; manage the recruitment process; liaise with partners and subcontractors around the technical and financial proposal; provide compelling inputs into the technical proposal; support in budget development.
• Support strategic learning through post-mortem and bid-dissemination sessions, using learnings to improve the bid management process.

Technical Project Work:

• Based on technical qualifications and experience, undertake technical research, monitoring and evaluation work on specific opportunities and projects.

EDUCATION, KNOWLEDGE, SKILLS, EXPERIENCE AND PERSONAL COMPETENCIES:

• Relevant management experience in managing consulting organisations in the health sector is preferred.

• Degree in management or a related field.
• 5 to 10 years’ demonstrable and relevant operational management experience in a similar role (within the consulting space is preferred).
• Ability to influence at all levels with experience of successfully engaging internal and external senior stakeholders.
• Proven ability to work in a busy fast-paced environment, demonstrating a solutions driven and positive attitude that allows for initiative and resilience.
• Highly developed interpersonal and written communication skills.
• Proven experience working with different cultures in complex and challenging working environments.
• Ability to prioritise and handle multiple tasks under tight deadlines essential.

HOW TO APPLY:

• Our system is an easy tool to use, with a maximum of 10 single-line fields to complete and two compulsory document uploads.
• Please follow the online application process on the career portal of the Genesis website.
• Applications can only be made online – no other means of application will be accepted this is due to emails not being an application tracking system and data protection regulations.
• We use an automated applicant tracking system to receive and manage all applications in one central point. Therefore, we also do not accept any e-mailed CVs or applications set by other means.
• Please note that your application will primarily be considered for this role. If there are multiple roles that you are interested in, please submit your application as outlined in the opportunity description, as advertised roles each have role-specific own pools of applications.
• However, please do not apply for every role – at this level of professional consultancy, we expect that candidates will display some level of self-selection and awareness for which roles they qualify and apply for. Unqualified serial applications will be deleted, and such applicants will be removed from our database.
• Once you have applied via our career portal, you will receive a system-generated confirmation e-mail that your application was received.
• NOTE: Please be advised that uploaded documents/attachments cannot be bigger than 4MB in total, as the system will not accept your application if the uploaded documents exceed 4MB

DISCLAIMER:

• Relevant previous experience is essential – at this level of professional consultancy, we expect that candidates will display some level of self-selection and awareness for which roles they qualify and apply for. Unqualified serial applications will be deleted, and such applicants will be removed from our database.
• Communication will be with short-listed candidates only – if you do not receive any feedback on your application within three weeks, please consider your application unsuccessful.
• Genesis Analytics reserves the right not to proceed with an appointment of any advertised role.
• All appointments will be made in line with Genesis Analytics’ Employment Equity Plan and Transformation Policies.
• All applications and associated candidate information will be treated confidentially.