Programme Manager - Digital Infrastructure & Managed Services at Interswitch Group

Interswitch is an Africa-focused integrated digital payments and commerce company that facilitates the electronic circulation of money as well as the exchange of value between individuals and organisations on a timely and consistent basis. We started operations in 2002 as a transaction switching and electronic payments processing, and have progressively evolved into an integrated payment services company, building and managing payment infrastructure as well as delivering innovative payment products and transactional services throughout the African continent. At Interswitch, we offer unique career opportunities for individuals capable of playing key roles and adding value in an innovative and fun environment.

We are recruiting to fill the position below:

Job Title: Programme Manager - Digital Infrastructure & Managed Services

Location: Lagos
Employment Type: Permanent
Department: Systegra - Digital Infrastructure & Managed Services

Job Purpose

• To plan and manage the delivery of Product Innovation projects, coordinateproject resources and monitor progress and completion to ensure the on time and on specification delivery of new products.
• To develop and drive diligent implementation of high impact programmes across Interswitch, while continuously adapting to the growing needs of the business and building sustainable practices that can help grow and scale Interswitch’s products.
• To empower product management teams to efficiently deliver high-scale solutions and products to customers by breaking down high-level ambitions and strategies into tactical execution.
• To plan and manage the delivery of Product Innovation projects, coordinate project resources and monitor progress and completion to ensure the on time and on specification delivery of new products.

Responsibilities
Project Scope Definition:

• Manage the delivery of research, workshops and other activities to support the specification and agreement of projects and programme deliverables.
• Plan and deliver projects or programmes using an appropriate project management methodology to give assurance that intended outcomes are achieved.
• Partner with Product Managers to establish goals, roadmaps, and operational model for how to engage with other cross-functional teams within the business, to define initiative level programme roadmap with macro-view of all supporting work streams, and to drive overall programme to completion.
• Facilitate regular programme or project status and design review meetings, ascertain that right stakeholder and cross-functional teams are involved, document decisions and actions items, and follow-up with owners on commitments to ensure that there is no deviation from the original project scope definition.

Stakeholder Management:

• Plan and deliver stakeholder engagement activities to develop effective project working relationships and to ensure that stakeholder needs and concerns are identified and met.
• Serve as the bridge between critical business functions such product management, engineering, marketing, sales, and finance, aligning stakeholders and shepherding teams through the process of bringing strategic initiatives to life.
• Communicate with cross-functional stakeholders and executives on work standards, guidelines, processes, governance, and performance expectations, manage workflow through delegation and scheduled check in meetings, advise and facilitate process changes and feedback among the team.
• Partner with Product Managers to establish goals, roadmaps, and operational model for how to engage with other cross-functional teams within the business, to define initiative level programme roadmap with macro-view of all supporting work streams, and to drive overall programme to completion.

Project Risk and Issue Management:

• Evaluate portfolio performance against key metrics and standards, take corrective actions as needed, provide executives with portfolio-level transparency into status, dependencies, issues, and risks along with improvement recommendations across projects and programmes.
• Identify and evaluate risks, issues, dependencies, and constraints associated with the projects and programmes, escalating where appropriate.
• Predict obstacles, collisions and potential risks and develop, agree on and implement solutions to overcome and eliminate these.
• Use structured change management methodologies to build acceptance of change and embed desired culture and behaviours.

Project Resource Management:

• Manage the allocation of programmes and projects budget, control cost, highlight any deviation in a timely manner, and take corrective actions as necessary in line with the governance process.
• Develop tactical plans for optimising resources and assets being managed within programmes and projects and formulate workforce planning reports and budget.
• Manage the deployment of project resources, proactively managing project costs, providing forecasts, and presenting variances with narrative at appropriate review points to ensure effective utilisation.

Innovative Products Programme Portfolio Management:

• Translate strategic innovative product initiatives into a programme portfolio, bringing business value by prioritising and aligning programmes and projects with PM&I and Interswitch’s strategic objectives, making the best use of resources, managing time and budget constraints and building synergies between programmes and projects.
• Produce project plans where all activities are identified and appropriately organised to deliver programme objectives.
• Ensure project compliance with the Interswitch's wider programme portfolio management decision-making structures and processes.
• Draft elements of programme management frameworks and tools as directed, ensuring compliance with specified project framework design principles.
• Compile review reports and presentations, including key information and recommendations to support the review process and enable stakeholders to evaluate progress and agree on change.

Promote Culture of Innovation:

• Promote a culture of innovation by creating solutions that boost creativity, innovation, and collaboration, such as idea generation platforms, jam sessions, and hackathons.
• Provide the means (e.g., research, ideas, solutions) to prototype innovation business cases with the potential to shape the innovation strategy and road map.

Requirements:
General Education

• University First Degree in Business, Computer science, Project Management or related field.

General Experience:

• At least 5 - 8 years' relevant experience in Programme or Project Management roles ideally within reputable financial institutions or the payments industry. Managerial Experience - At least 3 years’ experience of coordinating and directing people and other resources to achieve specific end results within limited timeframes.

Technical Competencies
Project Change Management:

• Uses comprehensive knowledge and skills to act independently while providing guidance and training to others on identifying, managing and controlling project- related changes.
• Contract Change Control; Managing Changes to Requirements; Project Change Management Plan; Project Change Log / Register; Project Change Request; Project Requirements Documentation; Project Scope Change Management Plan; Project Scope Documents.

Project Resource Planning and Control:

• Works at an advanced level to identify, acquire, and manage the resources (physical and human) for the project.
• Typically works independently and provides guidance.
• Project resource management plan; Estimating; RACI matrix; RASCI matrix.

Project Tracking and Reporting:

• Uses comprehensive knowledge and skills to act independently while guiding and training others on measuring and reporting progress toward intermediate targets to make sure a project stays on track to achieve its ultimate goals.
• Project Performance Report; Schedule Reporting; Status Reporting; Status Reports.

Project Scope Management:

• Works at an advanced level to identify, verify, and manage changes to the scope of the project or programme, utilising the most appropriate approach.
• Typically works independently and provides guidance.
• Project requirements documentation; Project requirements management plan; Project requirements validation plan; Project requirements verification plan; Project scope baseline; Project scope change management plan; Project scope documents; Project scope statement.

Stakeholder Expectation Management:

• Works at an advanced level to identify potential stakeholders, analyse their expectations, and develop strategies for managing stakeholders and their expectations.
• Typically works independently and provides guidance.
• Communications management plan; Conflict management; Conflict resolution techniques; Expectation management; Managing relationships; Relationship building.

Project Communications Management:

• Works at an advanced level to ensure timely and appropriate planning, collection, creation, distribution, storage, retrieval, management, control, archiving, and disposition of project information.
• Typically works independently and provides guidance.
• Communications management plan; Project performance report; Project status update.

Project Organisation and Structure:

• Works with full competence to build the structure and culture of the project team, and define roles and responsibilities within that structure to enable the achievement of project mission and objectives and the effective operation of key business processes.
• Typically works without supervision and may provide technical guidance.
• Team structures; Kanban board (workflow management); Team culture; Sprint Planning; Sprint Demonstrations; Sprint Retrospectives.

Project Portfolio Management:

• Works at an advanced level to develop the strategic plan, and roadmap and manage the strategic changes associated with the portfolio.
• Typically works independently and provides guidance.
• Manage enterprise change; Manage strategic change; Portfolio charter (project); Portfolio roadmap (project); Portfolio strategic plan (project).

Project Benefits Management:

• Works at an advanced level to identify, track, and enable the achievement of the planned benefits and intended outcomes of a programme and associated projects.
• Typically works independently and provides guidance.
• Benefits planning; Benefits realisation plan; Benefits transition; Business cases.

Project Business Acumen:

• Works at an advanced level to develop and apply an entrepreneurial spirit to run a project and programme within business operation parameters.
• Typically works independently and provides guidance. Entrepreneurial spirit

Project and Programme Risk Management:

• Works at an advanced level to plan, identify, monitor, analyse, and prioritise risks (threats and opportunities), create response plans, and manage the risk if it occurs.
• Typically works independently and provides guidance.
• Brainstorming techniques; Probability and impact matrix; Risk alternative planning; Risk analysis; Risk categorisation; Risk identification; Risk management plan; Risk management planning; Risk plan implementation; Risk prioritisation; Risk probability and impact assessment; Risk register / risk listing; Risk tolerance; Risk urgency.

 Project and Programme Schedule Management:

• Works at an advanced level to identify, capture, align, coordinate, assign, manage, and control the project schedule for timely completion.
• Typically works independently and provides guidance.
• Critical path analysis; Estimating; Gantt chart; Precedence diagram; Precedence diagramming method; Project schedule; Project schedule baseline; Project schedule management plan; Resource loading; Schedule variance analysis; Task relationship logic; Work breakdown structure.

 Strategic Project and Programme Alignment:

• Works at an advanced level to develop the strategic plan, and roadmap and manage the strategic changes associated with the portfolio.
• Typically works independently and provides guidance. Align work with strategy; Strategic execution framework.

Application Closing Date
23rd June, 2023.

How to Apply
Interested and qualified candidates should:
Click here to apply online