Lushomo helps partner organisations do good by communicating complex information effectively. We work mainly with United Nations clients and other international organisations in the areas of health, environment, education and economic development. We are mission-driven and only take on work that has a positive social impact. Lushomo is growing steadily, and together we are becoming leaders in information design and research communication.
Lushomo is currently looking for a manager. The right person will be educated to a high level in an area related to our work. They will have good leadership and coordination skills, be highly organised, quick to learn and work well under pressure within a small team. They will be emotionally mature with the ability to respond to the kinds of challenges facing a small team (of around 20 people) in a fast changing, competitive environment. This position is either based at our office space in Seapoint, Cape Town, or remote or some mix of both.
The manager works with our team leaders to provide oversight and support for a range of Lushomo client projects and accounts. To some extent, we will tailor the job to suit the experience of the candidate, but our hope is they will be a key focal point for our clients, and will represent us well in negotiating new contracts and managing client interactions on existing work packages. They will be responsible for making sure that overall our work is of high quality, within budget and on time. They will help us make sure we are allocating the right tasks to the right people, and will make sure that all our clients are receiving a good level of service with prompt communication.
Working in the field of data, design and communication entails constantly having to adapt to new tools, approaches, changing client expectations, and figuring out how we can stay competitive in a crowded and dynamic market-place. The role of manager will be crucial in facilitating our continual evolution and adaptation, so we remain ahead of the pack and the provider of choice to our high-level, international client base.
Responsibilities include:
Project implementation:
- Implementing our client projects (the extent to which you do this will depend on your experience and background)
- With team leaders, coordinating the effective and efficient management of our overall portfolio of client projects, ensuring that account managers develop appropriate plans, and that they are delivered successfully
- Managing and taking responsibility for internal improvements within our various systems and processes for managing budgets, time-allocations, HR-related issues etc.
- With team-leaders, ensuring projects have the human resources they require, including sourcing and managing as needed, resolving scheduling conflicts etc.
Client engagement:
- With team-leaders, overseeing quoting activities, including liaising with clients to determine project scope, and assisting account managers with development
- Assist account managers in engaging with clients, and participate and/or serve as the business representative in client meetings
- Holds the standard for quality assurance on projects with regard to client expectations, client satisfaction, and adherence to client parameters (style guidelines, etc.). Resolve problems when required and ensure client expectations on projects are met or exceeded.
Knowledge and skills development:
- Work with team-leaders to create and manage plans for their personal growth, and regularly evaluate progress against them
- Ensure staff adhere to existing processes and protocols and work with them to improve their use of Lushomo’s resources
- Help staff to capture lessons learnt and apply them to future tasks
- With team leaders, help train and retain staff with the focus of fostering a diverse, collaborative, and continual learning environment. May assist in disciplining and conducting performance reviews.
Strategic and business development:
- Serve as a member of the leadership team, helping to create and evaluate overall organisational development priorities
- Participate in proposal/tender writing processes, including leading team members to fulfil proposal requirements when tasked to do so
- With team leads, respond as needed to business development opportunities and being sure we are poised to do so. This may include responding to new project leads, researching opportunities, etc.
Qualifications:
- Experience as a manager in an organisation with some level of similarity to our own
- A masters degree in a topic related to our work
- Contract management and contract negotiation experience
- Excellent written and spoken communication skills in English – comfortable presenting, representing the business to clients, writing proposals and emails, and leading internal teams. Any other UN language, particularly French, is a big plus.
- Be an adaptable team player and enjoy working collaboratively
- Thrive in a dynamic, fast-paced environment, requiring juggling competing priorities,
- Alignment with Lushomo’s vision and mission, and those of our clients, with a desire to lead continual improvements in our ability to achieve them
- Be tech savvy, able to work fluently in our online environment and able to learn new systems and programmes when needed
- An eye for detail and excellent coordination and organisational skills
There is some degree of flexibility in the exact scope of the position. If you do not possess all of these qualifications or have experience with the full list of responsibilities above, but feel you would still be a good fit for the role, we welcome your application anyway.
If you are interested in applying for this position please submit your cv and cover letter to us via this link: https://lushomo.bamboohr.com/careers/39 Applications will be reviewed on a rolling basis until the position is filled.
To learn more about us please visit www.lushomo.net.
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