Job Description

The Infrastructure Fund (IF) announced by the President in September 2018 addresses the need for a dedicated blended financing facility for infrastructure programme projects. The IF aims to transform public infrastructure financial provisioning using “blended” finance - combining capital from the public and private sectors, and Development Finance Institutions (DFI’s)/ Multilateral Development Banks (MDBs). This will be dedicated to meeting the financing requirements for hybrid projects.
The mandate of the Infrastructure Fund has been captured in a Memorandum of Agreement (MOA) between the National Treasury, Infrastructure South Africa (ISA), and the DBSA entered into on 17 August 2020.
The purpose of the Project Administrator is to provide the Infrastructure Division with project and team administration
support.

Key Responsibilities

Project Administration

• Provide project administration support to the Infrastructure Fund Team.
• Support the project sponsor/owner/lead with the following tasks:
  
  • developing a project plan from concept to completion using an appropriate project methodology (Pmbok, Prince);
  • ensuring project activities and meetings are scheduled;
  • taking minutes and drafting of action lists for each project;
  • follow-up on action list to ensure delivery;
  • confirming commissioning, hand over and sign-off of the projects;
  • monitor project progress in liaison with project sponsor/owner/lead;
  • validating invoices/claims submitted by contractors / vendors for payment; and
  • overall project accounting from the start to the finish of the project
• In liaison with the project sponsor/owner/lead manage the programme budgets and costs.
• Provide project sponsor/owner/lead with monthly project cost reports, including project variances of actuals vs. budgets, and updating forecasts.
• Prepare project files for all projects according to best practice project management methodology/ies.
• Assist with supply chain requirements; i.e. preparing requests for tender, sole source motivations, quotes, etc.
• Processing of invoices through the supply chain processes and systems.
• Facilitate compliance with relevant standards, policies and procedures for the relevant projects.
• Create a project information library and manage ad-hoc and standard project information.
• Monitor library to ensure required information and/or documentation are archived as per the project requirements.
• Administer contracts under the guidance of the project sponsor/owner/lead (scheduling, project meetings, progress reporting)
• Assist the project owner/sponsor/lead with project administration duties. These include, amongst others:
  
  • Prepare and update project plan documents
  • Develop weekly and monthly feedback reports or as required
  • Create and maintain performance dashboards per project / programme
  • Prepare various presentations and reports on project / programme performance updates for the various Steering Committees, Exco and Board.
  • Update scope change request register and applicable project documentation and registers.
  • Schedule meetings, consolidate information for meetings, maintain and disseminate minutes and ensure follow up of actions as per the minutes.
• Assist with any project administration duties as assigned.

Team Administration

• Maintain and manage the diary of CIO (IF) , Heads and Specialists. This would include scheduling of appointments, arranging meetings, collecting visitors from reception and organizing refreshments.
• Attend to general queries made to the CIO (IF) / Heads and answer and screens incoming calls.
• Responsible for document flow in and out of the CIO (IF) and Heads offices.
• Develop and maintain advanced record keeping (manual / electronic) and filling systems for HC Team.
• Performs high level administrative and secretarial duties including typing, editing of reports and preparing presentations.
• Compilation of confidential correspondence and general documentation on behalf of the CIO (IF) and Heads.
• Undertakes all administrative duties (i.e. filing, photocopying and minute taking).
• Responsible for arranging of local and international travelling arrangements and the processing of claims.
• Accountable for arranging various events for the Infrastructure Fund Division (strategy sessions, functions, etc.)
• Undertake procurement administration on behalf of the CIO (IF) and Heads.
• Assist in the coordination/preparation and alignment of performance scorecard/s, track and monitor implementation thereof.
• Coordinate the preparation of the Infrastructure Fund budgets and monitors spend thereof together with the CIO (IF) and relevant Head.
• Participate in meetings and interactions in order to ensure the recording of decisions and follow-up.
• Coordinate Infrastructure Fund Audits and follow-up on action items.
• Coordinate Risk Management requests and follow-up on action items.
• Coordinate and assist in the preparation of reports and submissions to Project Committees, Steering Committees, Business Review, Management Committees, Ad hoc Resolutions from specific committees (secretariat).

Key Measurements of Outputs

• Successful project administration of agreed projects, programmes and assignments.
• Management of diaries and schedules
• Management of office administration (budget, procurement, presentations, etc.)
• Accuracy and quality of minutes. Effective follow-up of action lists.
• Accurate record keeping.
• Quality of documents, presentations and reports.
• Clean audit

Expertise & Technical Competencies

Minimum Requirements

• Minimum qualification: a relevant advanced diploma in project management and administration or accounting.
• An administration/secretarial diploma or an equivalent qualification.
• A minimum of 5 years of experience in a similar function.
• Demonstrated project administration experience.
• Considerable knowledge of standard administration practices and procedures is a necessity for this position.
• Excellent knowledge of protocol and etiquette.
• Demonstrated experience in working in a multi-disciplinary team.
• An understanding of organizational processes and group dynamics.
• Experience in supply chain management processes (preparing project tender documents, etc.).
• Demonstrated knowledge and use of project methodology such as PMBOK, Prince or similar.
• Demonstrable ability to use of the Microsoft Office (MS Projects, Excel, Powerpoint, Word & MS Outlook).
• Proven track record of preparing project/programme progress reports and presentations for various stakeholders (Programme Managers, Steering Committees, Exco and Board).

TECHNICAL COMPETENCIES
Project Management

• Demonstrates a practical knowledge of project management principles and techniques.
• Plans, defines, and manages projects within a department or area.
• Identifies resources required and their appropriate role and skills.
• Assists in the management of projects where the objectives, milestones and time scales have been defined.

Solutions Focused

• Identifies standard problems based on a range of factors, most of which are clear.
• Identifies alternate solutions, considering applicable precedents.
• Identifies optimal solutions based on weighing the advantages and disadvantages of alternative approaches.
• After implementation, evaluates the effectiveness and efficiency of solutions.

Planning and Organising

• Uses time management procedures effectively.
• Can exercise independent judgement regarding all planning and organising issues.
• Uses specialised software to plan and manage own time.
• Plans and manages multiple priorities and deadlines.
• Uses effectively advance time management processes to deal with high workload and tight deadlines.
• Organises, prioritises and schedules tasks so they can be performed within budget and with the efficient use of time and resources.
• Achieves goals in a timely manner, despite obstacles encountered, by organising, reprioritising and re-planning.

Detailed Oriented

• Quickly identifies relevant and irrelevant information to support accurate decision making.
• Maps out all the logistics and details of a situation to ensure smooth and flawless implementation.
• Consistently identifies all relevant details that are not obvious in complex situations.
• Requires the highest standards for accuracy and quality for their work.
• Establishes processes to ensure accuracy and quality of services delivered by the team.

Reporting & Communication

• Prepares both standard and non-standard reports to time and quality standards.
• Collate and analyses readily available data for inclusion in a report.
• Designs / customizes reports to meet user needs.
• Prepares complex or tailored reports, gathers information from a variety of sources, analyses and includes in a report.
• Keeps standard reports under review and proposes improvements to meet user needs.

Presentation Skills

• Can reinforce key presentation points with examples.
• Is able to translate technical terminology into language understandable to the audience.
• Has insight into the audience’s behavior and motivation and responds appropriately and professionally, adapting communication style as appropriate.
• Has knowledge of various feedback mechanisms to check levels of audience understanding.

Computer Skills

• Consistently uses relevant office software products such as Microsoft Word, Microsoft Projects, Excel, Powerpoint presentations and email packages to an acceptable standard for the job.
• Has the ability to use standard and/or programme-specific the organisation databases, and merge / import data from one program to another.
• Adapts method of working to accommodate changes in the technological developments.

Required Personal Attributes

BEHAVIOURAL COMPETENCIES
Customer Service Orientation

• Tries to understand the underlying needs of customers and matches these needs to available or customized products and services.
• Adapts processes and procedures to meet on-going customer needs.
• Utilises the feedback received by customers, in order to develop new and/or improve existing services / products that relate to their on-going needs.
• Thinks of new ways to align offerings with future customer needs.

Self-Awareness and Self Control

• Withholds effects of strong emotions in difficult situations.
• Keeps functioning or responds constructively despite stress.
• May apply special techniques or plan of time to manage emotions or stress.

Strategic and Innovative Thinking

• Experiments with new approaches, tests scenarios, questions assumptions and challenges conventional thinking.
• Creates new concepts that are not obvious to others, leveraging internal and external sources of information, to build incremental revenue and growth opportunities.

Driving Delivery of Results

• Sets challenging goals that will have a significant impact on the business or support the organisational strategy.
• Commits significant resources and/or time to ensure that challenging goals are achieved, while also taking action to mitigate risk.

Teamwork and Cooperation

• Acts to promote a friendly climate and good morale and resolves conflicts.
• Creates opportunities for cross-functional working.
• Encourages others to network outside of their own team/department and learn from their experience.