Duration: Permanent contract, 3 months probation
Location: Remote
Reporting to: Andrew Levy, Founder and Chief Innovation Officer
About Umuzi
Umuzi works to address social inequality, by connecting talented youth to high- value learning and career opportunities. Working with learners, funders, employers and learning opportunity providers, we create opportunities to skill, reskill or upskill talented young people and accelerate them on their career pathways.
Overview of the role
Umuzi is looking for a Special Projects Manager within Umuzi’s Innovation Team to bring to life special projects that fall outside the ambit of our day-to-day activities. The purpose of the role is to support the growth and sustainability of the organisation, experiment with discovery of, and divergence into new opportunities and promote the ongoing enablement of young people.
This role will require a specific attention to detail, an ability to thrive within ambiguity and a finishers mentality: projects need to be seen through to completion with a longer term view of capacitating a team around those initiatives that have the potential to succeed within the Umuzi ecosystem. We welcome people who are proactive, productive, and agile. If you are process-driven and organised, but also motivated, creative, excited by growth, and are a good juggler of many things, Umuzi might be a good fit for you.
Your Responsibilities
You will be responsible for the structure, implementation and handover of new projects. working collaboratively alongside key internal stakeholders including Partnerships, Learner Experience and the Curriculum teams
Lead and manage special projects from inception to completion, ensuring alignment with organisational goals and objectives.
Conduct thorough research, analysis, and feasibility studies to evaluate project scope, resource requirements, and potential risks.
Create and develop proposals for grants and innovation funding
Develop comprehensive project plans, timelines, and budgets, and regularly monitor progress against milestones.
Coordinate and collaborate with stakeholders across different departments to gather requirements, solicit feedback, and ensure project alignment with business needs.
Facilitate effective communication and foster a collaborative working environment to drive project success.
Identify and resolve issues, conflicts, and barriers that may impede project progress, proactively implementing mitigation strategies as needed.
Provide regular updates and reports on project status, key metrics, and performance indicators to senior management and relevant stakeholders.
Drive continuous improvement initiatives and best practices to enhance project management processes and methodologies.
Qualifications and Experience
3-5 years of management consulting/product management experience.
Experience working within the software development industry is advantageous.
Strong verbal and written communications skills are a must, as well as the ability to work effectively with multiple stakeholders internally and externally.
Strong network that would benefit you and Umuzi in this position - we may ask for evidence of this as part of our process.
Skills and Personal Attributes
Highly organised, articulate, process-driven, personable and diplomatic. Excellent communication. Tech-literate and eager to learn new systems to drive efficiency. You’ll also need to be excited about our core purpose and values, be a creative, out-of-the-box thinker and be self-motivated with a drive for excellence in both strategy and execution.
Most importantly we want you to believe in what we do and believe your work makes a difference here, believe the projects you create will leave an everlasting impact and have fun while doing it all.
How To Apply
If this role appeals to you, please apply with your CV and cover letter using the link below. Please upload your Cover Letter to the Skills Test / Portfolio section of the form.
Applications missing key documentation will not be considered.
References will only be contacted after the first interview.