Manager: Contracts Management

Job Description

The Manager: Contracts Management role is a strategic management function located within the Independent Power Producer Office (IPPO).

The IPPO was established in 2010 to provide rapid solutions to South Africa’s severe electricity supply constraints, by procuring new energy generation capacity from Independent Power Producers (IPPs). The IPPO was created as a project office hosted by the Development Bank of Southern Africa (DBSA) under a Memorandum of Agreement (MoA) between the Department of Electricity and Energy (DEE), National Treasury and the DBSA. The mandate of the IPP Office is to provide specialised services to government, including a) IPP Energy Procurement Management, b) Monitoring, Evaluation and Contract Management, and c) Professional Advisory Services. The IPPO’s skills, expertise and success in mobilising and delivering on time is recognised domestically and globally.

The role has been necessitated for the purpose of overseeing and managing end-to-end IPP project contracts entered into between the Department of Electricity and Energy (DEE), Eskom, and the Independent Power Producers. The portfolio of commercial agreements spans multiple technologies including Renewable Energy, Battery Energy Storage, Gas to Power and Hybrid energy facilities.

Reporting to the Senior Specialist: Contract Management, Economic Development, and Monitoring & Evaluation, the Manager: Contract Management will be responsible for leading the strategic execution, implementation, and compliance monitoring of high-value, complex contract portfolios.

The Manager: Contract Management will further ensure absolute regulatory compliance with frameworks like the PFMA and PPPFA, lead a high-performing team of contract administrators, manage formal dispute resolution processes, and effectively handle strategic partnerships and stakeholder expectations across Eskom, government departments, and private sector IPPs.

Key Responsibilities

The Key responsibilities outlined here are not exhaustive and the detail can be found in the attached role profile.

• Strategic Contracts Management Input and Oversight
  • Strategy Development: Formulate and translate IPP Office strategic initiatives into clear contract management policies, standards, and practices.
  • Legislative Alignment: Monitor emerging legislative changes and integrate updates into new and existing contracts.
  • Continuous Improvement: Apply lessons learned from contract execution to improve future procurement documentation.
• Strategic Contracts Management Execution
  • Operational Planning: Establish, implement, and monitor the department’s Strategic Plan (SP) and Annual Performance Plan (APP).
  • Expert Advisory: Provide specialised contract management advice to IPP procurement and implementation teams to resolve complex contractual issues.
  • Process Optimisation: Align contract management systems and improve operational processes to support achievement of IPP Office targets.
• Contract Management Implementation
  • Contractual Variations: Evaluate legal documents and apply relevant legislation when managing high-value change requests for Implementation Agreements (IAs) and Power Purchase Agreements (PPAs).
  • Team Coordination: Allocate skills, provide mandates, and evaluate deliverables to ensure streamlined contractual outputs.
  • Risk and Dispute Mitigation: Clarify contractual ambiguities with the Legal Department to manage risks and prevent compensation or shareholder disputes.
• Compliance Management and Monitoring
  • Lifecycle Compliance: Lead regulatory, legislative, and Eskom governance compliance from project development through to operations.
  • Agreement Oversight: Monitor IPP and Eskom obligations under PPAs, including construction milestones and technical and Economic Development compliance.
  • Enforcement and Remediation: Manage due diligence, enforce non-compliance penalty clauses, and act as the key contractual liaison across IPP functions.
• Reporting
  • Performance Monitoring: Initiate and monitor reporting systems to evaluate contractual, construction, and generation milestones.
  • Data Analysis: Oversee monthly project construction data, energy generation metrics, and project progress toward Scheduled Commercial Operating Dates (SCOD).
  • Strategic Outputs: Consolidate monthly and quarterly feedback reports for the Head of the IPP Office and track data points supporting the Multi-Year Price Determination (MYPD) allowance.
• Stakeholder Management
  • Relationship Building: Establish and maintain long-term partnerships with the DEE, Eskom, regulators, local municipalities, and private sector Sellers.
  • Expert Consultation: Provide contract management advisory support to government stakeholders and cross-functional project teams during regulatory proceedings or inquiries.
  • Claim Advisory: Advise project teams on the review, entitlement verification, and financial or scheduling impact of complex contractual claims.
• Staff and Departmental Management
  • Strategic Leadership: Communicate a clear vision, drive high performance, model strong leadership principles, and foster a collaborative team environment.
  • Performance Management: Set clear performance standards, delegate tasks effectively, and conduct regular performance reviews and feedback sessions.
  • Talent Development: Identify skills gaps, mentor potential successors, and implement targeted training interventions to build sustainable contract management capability.

Expertise & Technical Competencies

The minimum requirements of the role are:

Bachelor’s Degree in Law (LLB or equivalent).

Postgraduate qualification (Honours, Postgraduate Diploma, or master’s degree) is advantageous.

Professional certification in Contract Management, Procurement, or Supply Chain Management is preferred.

8-10 years' relevant experience in contract management, commercial management, procurement, or legal contract administration.

Must have at least 3 years experience working in public sector procurement environment with knowledge and application of relevant applicable legislations

5 years' management experience leading contract management teams.

Proven experience managing high-value, complex contracts and service-level agreements preferably in the public sector.

Experience in contract negotiations, supplier relationship management, and dispute resolution.

Key Competencies Requirements:

• Negotiation & Advisory: Exceptional commercial negotiation and stakeholder influencing skills, with the ability to provide strategic advisory services on high-value contracts and complex claims.
• Compliance & Risk Management: Advanced expertise in risk mitigation, dispute resolution, and regulatory oversight across project lifecycles.
• Leadership & Management: Strong managerial and leadership skills focused on team empowerment, talent development, and high-performance cross-functional coordination.
• Communication & Facilitation: Strong interpersonal, presentation, and networking capabilities for dealing with diverse internal and external stakeholders.
• Analytical & Strategic Acumen: Solid financial and business analytics, strategic planning, numerical reasoning, and problem-solving orientation.

Knowledge & Regulatory Requirements

• Public Sector Procurement: Advanced knowledge and practical application of South African public sector procurement legislation, including the PFMA and PPPFA, alongside Administrative Law.
• Energy Market Dynamics: In-depth understanding of the operating rules, regulatory requirements, and standardisation bodies governing the South African energy market and public sector energy entities.
• Organizational Frameworks: Comprehensive knowledge of IPP Office policie