NATURE FRIENDLY SCHOOLS PROJECT MANAGER (GRANTS) JOB DESCRIPTION

Transcription

1 NATURE FRIENDLY SCHOOLS PROJECT MANAGER (GRANTS) JOB DESCRIPTION IDENTIFICATION OF JOB Team: Working Base: Responsible to: Responsible for: Operations Directorate Newark Head of Grants Delivery & Learning Manager, Administration Support Officer and matrix management of Communications Officer OVERALL PURPOSE OF JOB To act as the figurehead and lead on the Nature Friendly Schools (NFS) project with ultimate accountability and financial responsibility To build effective relationships and liaise with all relevant stakeholders, internal and external to the project Project management of the Nature Friendly Schools project and promote it as an exemplar within its field Support in the evaluation of the Children and Nature Programme To coordinate and promote communications related to the Nature Friendly Schools project Lead a central NFS management team and ensure all work is delivered to contract specifications MAIN RESPONSIBILITIES To act as the figurehead and lead on the Nature Friendly Schools project with ultimate accountability and financial responsibility Attend Natural England s Children and Nature Programme Steering Group meetings, and all relevant internal and external Nature Friendly Schools meetings to represent the project and consortium Manage project governance including risk management and compliance with relevant policies (e.g. safeguarding) Coordinate and collate risk reports and risk management strategies from all delivery partners. Undertake full risk reviews every six months with Head of Grants and Director of Operations, with quarterly intermediate reviews with Head of Grants and Delivery & Learning Coordinator Service the Steering Group and Expert Advisory Group and reporting to TWT Council as appropriate Plan and manage the project s budget and oversee production of financial reports, allocation and payment of grants to projects, and quarterly claims for project management costs to Natural England Ensure all delivery partners and consortium members adhere to funder grant conditions, Partnership Agreements, Delivery Agreements and Terms of Reference To build effective relationships and liaise with all relevant stakeholders, internal and external to the project Liaise with Natural England and other stakeholders; develop and maintain good relationships, providing high quality reports and information to promote the value of the project January 2019 Page 1 of 5

2 Develop robust relationships with the evaluation suppliers, Growing Care Farms, and Community Forests & Woodland Outreach projects, to enable collaborative working Manage and service the consortium and delivery partners Project management of the Nature Friendly Schools project and promote it as an exemplar within its field Review, develop, propose and manage the project strategies to establish the project as an exemplar within its field, including research and wider networking and influencing within the sector Manage the contract and relationship with Natural England, adhering to all reporting requirements Provide a secretariat for the relevant decision-making panels and actively contribute to these groups Implement and maintain the project management systems and procedures, to ensure effective and efficient project delivery Provide regular briefing updates to the Head of Grants on all aspects of the project Contract specific pieces of work and oversee delivery and contract management, including the project safeguarding contract Manage the database and provide the evaluation supplier with all relevant data Support in the evaluation of the Children and Nature Programme Work closely with the independent evaluation suppliers, commissioned by Defra, to support delivery of the evaluation of the Children & Nature Programme Collaborate with the Growing Care Farm, and Community Forests & Woodland Outreach projects, to provide high quality evidence and learning to inform future policy and practice Ensure all required information and access is available to the independent evaluation suppliers To coordinate and promote communications related to the Nature Friendly Schools project Collaborate with the NFS Delivery and Learning Coordinator to develop and deliver an external Project Communications Plan which includes coordinating and producing communications material such as best practice guides Coordinate and promote all communications on the project; working with partners and steering group to implement Lead a central NFS management team to ensure all work is delivered to contract specifications Oversee the Delivery & Learning function to ensure a highly effective, innovative and informative evaluation and learning strategy is implemented and delivered Matrix manage the Communications Officer to ensure that an effective communications strategy is established and delivered to maximise external communications beyond the consortium Collaborate with the Finance Manager to ensure that effective budget management and reporting is established and delivered Line manage the Admin Support Officer to support the team with finance and administrative duties January 2019 Page 2 of 5

3 In order for the organisation to work effectively you may be required to assist with other areas of work and therefore, you should be prepared to undertake other duties appropriate to the post, and any other reasonable duties required. All staff are ambassadors for the organisation both internally and externally and are expected to act in a professional manner at all times. They are required to abide by organisational rules, policies and procedures as laid down in the staff handbook, adopt environmentally friendly working practices, set and maintain high personal standards of efficiency and customer care and foster a can do culture based on ownership, initiative, teamwork and exchange of information. January 2019 Page 3 of 5

4 NATURE FRIENDLY SCHOOLS PROJECT MANAGER (GRANTS) PERSON SPECIFICATION Key Competences Leading, motivating and empowering others Planning and control Attention to detail Tact and diplomacy Making good decisions Innovation & Creativity Negotiating & Influencing Managing relationships Organised & Flexible Making change work Initiative Experience Substantial project management Substantial financial management Relevant grants management, including reporting to funders Facilitation to achieve shared outcomes and share learning Team management and effective cross team working Effective relationship management and providing support/advice to a range of stakeholders Monitoring & evaluation, preferably of grant funded projects Knowledge and Skills Excellent knowledge of methods for assessing grant applications and reviewing effectiveness of grant programmes Ability to prioritise own and other s workloads and meet multiple deadlines Highly developed analytical skills and problem solving High level of IT skills to use grant administration database, produce project summaries and statistical reports. Report writing skills Excellent organisational and customer care skills Excellent communication skills both written and verbal Ability to network with internal and external contacts Negotiating skills Good presentation and public speaking skills High level of IT skills including Microsoft Office and databases Diplomacy and the ability to engage with a multitude of projects Excellent interpersonal skills and the ability to establish a rapport Knowledge of the education and environmental sectors would be desirable January 2019 Page 4 of 5

5 PERSONAL QUALITIES Ability to multi-task at a high level Confident, assertive manner Ability to work well under pressure Initiative, self-motivation and enthusiasm Leader and team worker Ability to motivate others Ability to inspire confidence Professionalism and efficiency Flexibility and willingness to step in where needed Willingness to take ownership and responsibility Ability to research, interpret and present information Ability to recognise and respond quickly to problems Ability to work both alone and cooperatively as part of a team January 2019 Page 5 of 5