Project Manager

About The International Institute for Sustainable Development (IISD) is a globally recognized think tank with more than 30 years of experience working to solve today's greatest sustainable development challenges. We combine deep expertise across critical policy areas with a collaborative approach to research, advice, and hands-on support that delivers real-world results. Headquartered in Winnipeg, Manitoba, we are a diverse team of over 300 experts working from offices in Canada and Switzerland as well as other locations around the world. Overview The Project Manager is responsible for leading the successful execution of assigned projects throughout the project cycle. They are the face of the project and the bridge between all stakeholders involved, accountable for defining, assembling, and driving forward the project's plan, coordinating the delivery of activities, and ensuring tangible results. To achieve this mission, they are responsible for adaptively managing the following: (i) the project's delivery plan and strategy, including arbitration of any change requests; (ii) the team's coordination in moving deliverables forward; (iii) the timing and scheduling of activities; (iv) the acquisition and utilization of adequate resources, including contractors; (v) the project's budget, finances, and accounting; (vi) risk management and problem response; and (vii) liaising with and reporting progress to the donor. Responsibilities: At the Program Level: Program Governance and Management - Program development: Ensures compliance of supervised projects to program-level operational plans, IISD policies, strategies, and best practices and processes among supervised project teams. Builds and expands relationships with external partners and contacts in beneficiary countries of supervised projects. - Internal relations: Supports program staff in liaising with IISD head office's corporate services on project-related matters, as well as the collection of consolidated status from projects under supervision. Program Support - Finance and accounting: Ensures accurate data of supervised projects is included in IISD-wide annual budget planning. Ensures projects meet expected contribution margins. Provides program staff with timely information on expense reconciliation and accounts payable for supervised projects. - Information systems and IT: Supports the reliability of the program’s information management system by providing timely and accurate project status information in collaboration with Finance staff. - Communications: Supports program-level communication efforts by providing impact information from supervised projects in collaboration with Project Lead. At the Project Level: Project Design, Planning, and Governance - Project development and planning: Coordinates project proposal development for identified opportunities; works with Project Lead in drafting financial elements, collecting due diligence documents, and submitting final documents to the donor; evaluates change requests, organizes team calls, and supports Project Lead in updating project plans. - Grant agreement: Liaises with funders to receive grant agreements; reviews donor agreement for compliance with IISD policies; sends received donor agreement to the program’s financial analyst for processing. - Project reporting: Supports Project Lead in establishing communication with the donor; understands donor’s reporting requirements and ensures project activities align with donor objectives; coordinates progress reports, addresses inquiries, documents interactions, and supports Project Lead in meetings and relationship building with the donor. Project Operations - Project delivery management: Monitors deliverables progress and team members’ adherence to timelines; assesses project resource requirements and optimizes resource allocation; coordinates contract negotiation with contractors/vendors; advises project team on schedule changes and potential bottlen