Public Administration Portfolio Manager

Workplace environment

The International Development Unit (IDU) leads on Ecorys work in developing countries in Africa, Asia,  Eastern Europe and the Western Balkan. The unit employs over 75 full and part time permanent staff in Rotterdam, London, Brussels, Zambia, Bangladesh, India, South Sudan, Ghana and South Africa as well as more than 100 experts on a diverse range of projects across the world. Our main clients include EuropeAid, the World Bank and major bilateral European donors, such as UK Aid. Our core focus areas are Governance, Public Administration, Public Sector Reform, Public Finance Management (PFM), Decentralization, Monitoring & Evaluation, Social Sectors and Natural Resource Management. As a result of our recent strong growth we are looking to further strengthen our business development and programme management capacity to help us implement and expand our growing portfolio.

Position

The Public Administration Portfolio Manager will be based in Rotterdam and will be primarily responsible for the development of significant opportunities in the field of public administration, civil service training, organizational development and public service and human resource management with the European Commission, with a special focus on ENI East and South and the Western Balkan. In addition, other opportunities in developing Asia and Africa will also be explored, as well as projects tendered by UK AID and GiZ and some smaller donors such as DANIDA and SECO.

With regard to the acquisition of these opportunities, he/she will work together with a team of regional business development coordinators who carry responsibility to coordinate business development in a certain geographic area and possess a strong network of local contacts/experts/companies in that region. Overall, he/she reports to the Head of the Business Development Team within IDU in Rotterdam on the overall portfolio of public administration reform projects acquired and implemented by the International Development Unit of Ecorys. 

Responsibilities

• To acquire, manage and supervise projects, together with our staff and offices
• To carry out strategic marketing and business intelligence activities, i.e. identifying project opportunities at an early stage
• Networking with (potential) clients, national and international funding agencies, partners and experts. Focus will be on pre-accession and neighbourhood countries.
• Management of the bid preparation process, with a particular focus on bringing in state-of-the-art technical content on public administration, civil service training, organisational development and/or public service and human resource management in the proposals offered by Ecorys
• Proposal writing (organisation and methodology)
• Project management of large projects including quality assurance of deliverables, such as inception, interim progress and final reports.

With regard to project management, Ecorys pays considerable attention to the smooth implementation of large technical assistance projects. For each project, a dedicated backstopping team is composed of a Project Director, a Project Manager and a Project Controller. The project director has the overall supervision of the backstopping team and sets out the main direction of the support provided by Ecorys. He/she oversees the work delivered by the team of experts, is the main contact point with donor and client via-a-vis contractual and technical issues and decides on resource allocation questions. He/she is supported by a dedicated project manager and a project controller, who organise the financial management and internal control of the project.

The Public Administration Portfolio Manager will act as Ecorys Project Director in public administration  reform  projects implemented by Ecorys. Occasional short-term travel to the countries where the projects are implemented will be required. He/she will receive adequate guidance and support from the Head of the Business Development Team in IDU-Rotterdam in order to fulfil this role effectively.    

Qualifications

• University degree, ideally in Public Administration, Human Resource Management or related discipline
• Ten years of relevant working experience (business development, technical assistance projects for international donors, monitoring and evaluation, project management, quality assurance)
• International working experience in external aid projects, in particular projects implemented in pre-accession and neighbourhood countries, as a consultant, project manager and/or technical expert in the field of public administration, civil service training, organisational development and/or public service and human resource management.
• Strong networks among public sector training bodies in the Netherlands and elsewhere in the EU and with other institutions and organizations working on strengthening public management (e.g. OECD-SIGMA)
• Excellent verbal and written communication skills in English. Good knowledge of French would be a strong asset
• Team player with excellent networking skills, able to work with people with different nationalities and backgrounds
• Strong inter-personal, management and communication skills, able to direct and supervise both internal and external experts and provide feedback on their performance
• Highly organised and methodical in a deadline driven environment
• Project management skills including knowledge on project finances and external audit controls
• Knowledge of EU procurement rules related to technical assistance projects (PRAG)
• Proven work winner
• Ability and willingness to travel worldwide.

What we offer

Ecorys offers its employees a professional, stimulating and learning environment and scope for personal development. We ensure that our employees rank among the best in their field. Talented professionals who opt for Ecorys want to make a difference and pursue change and progress. Ecorys offers a competitive salary, the opportunity to purchase Ecorys shares, membership of the pension fund and excellent employee benefits, including flexible working hours, part-time work, ample training opportunities and the purchase of additional holiday days.

Ecorys has an informal workplace atmosphere. You will generally work in teams alongside professionals and enthusiastic colleagues. You will be given a large degree of freedom and responsibility.

More information

For more information about the position you can contact per e-mail: Mr. Albert de Groot, Director of the  IDU (albert.degroot@ecorys.com) or Ivo Gijsberts, Head of the Business Development Team (ivo.gijsberts@ecorys.com)  

Application

To apply please send us your motivation letter and CV before 31 January 2018, using our online application form, with reference to “Public Administration Portfolio Manager”.