Strategic Learning & Adaptive Management Senior Specialist
The Kaizen Company/ A Tetra Tech Company
Total years of experience :17 years, 4 Months
• Serve under the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) prime agreement for Implementer-led Design, Evidence, Analysis, and Learning Activity (IDEAL) for the provision of technical assistance and related services to the client (USAID/Washington);
• Support the Strategic Learning and Capacity Development (SLCD) team in strategic oversight, technical guidance and advice, review of any technical documents/content, and provide surge support as necessary;
• Contribute to and carry out stakeholder engagement and capacity strengthening in Adaptive Management;
• Provide support to Technical Advisory Panel (TAP) initiatives;
• Contribute to the design and implementation of IDEAL’s work plan activities related to Adaptive Management capacity support to implementing partners (IPs) including peer to peer learning events, workshops and platforms, tools and resource formation and dissemination, research and data- collection, case study initiatives and others;
• Build the reputation and thought-leadership image of IDEAL and its Consortium in Adaptive Management in food security sector;
• Develop and contribute to stakeholder-informed tools and resources to support Adaptive Management practices by IPs in food security activities;
• Contribute to cross-consortium learning as needed.
•Responsible for providing guidance to the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) of Tunisia and that of Libya on monitoring functions, including data quality assessments (DQAs), evaluations, assessments, and CLA efforts;
• Managed the design of methodologies and tool development for USAID evaluations, monitoring, assessments, CLA activities, and monitoring of projects and activities;
• Manage the implementation of monitoring, evaluations, and learning activities;
• Ensure that short-term technical experts and evaluation and assessment team members recruited under this task order are of high caliber and possess technical expertise;
•Assist and manage evaluations across different sectors, including democracy and governance, economic growth, public financial management, environmental compliance, youth engagement, gender integration, inclusive development, stabilization and others;
• Participate in organizational reflection and learning opportunities, such as special studies;
• Develop materials and facilitate MEL trainings of USAID and implementing partner staff;
•Facilitate collaborative planning sessions to finalize learning activities that address learning questions at the mission.
• Oversee technical operations including monitoring, evaluations, analyses and assessments
throughout the life of the USAID/Yemen M&E Project, Phase II (YMEP II);
• Serve as the acting Deputy Chief of Party (DCOP) and provide technical and managerial oversight, including communication with the client and IPs to the YMEP II project;
• Support Design and Implementation of the Mission Performance Management Plan (PMP) and provide technical support for IPS on the development of their MEL plans;
• Conduct Data Quality Assessments (DQAs) to assess the strengths and weakness of data collected by IPs as well as the extent to which data can influence management decisions;
• Foster strong collaborative relationships with key stakeholders, serve as a convener for dialogue and learning around emerging issues, and coordinate efforts amongst IPs;
•Support technical teams develop and articulate the theory of change and critical assumptions on which activity success depends;
• Design optimal solutions for gathering, analyzing and assessing data that will satisfy USAID’s understanding of project impact and advancement toward strategic goals;
• Design data methodology, participatory data collection methods and protocols and data verification techniques as well as lead and manage data collection teams;
• Design and facilitate training workshops on advanced MEL topics for USAID missions.
•Oversee monitoring of project outputs and outcomes according to log frame and implementation timeline as well as support M&E system design for new projects;
• Support and/or lead project evaluations, in particular by ensuring quality of evaluation methods, tools and data collected and writing up findings;
• Provide inputs to proposal budget development, which may include staffing and level of effort estimates, travel, allowances and other direct costs;
• Write technical and non-technical content, such as executive summaries, technical methodology and translate solutions into clearly articulated proposal documents;
• Review donor publications and technical writing to incorporate preferred key elements;
• Identify data collection needs, plan for and manage data collection including training data collection staff in the use of tools, monitoring use and supporting adjustments;
• Support in facilitating timely and regular reflection meetings of M&E data in order for project and programmatic reflection and learning that leads to action.
- As part of USAID/Jordan Monitoring & Evaluation Support Project (MESP), I serve as an evaluation team member on specific evaluations and assessments conducted by the program as required.
- Help technical teams develop and articulate the theory of change or development hypotheses and critical assumptions on which program/project success depends.
- Identify appropriate performance indicators for tracking results and monitoring critical assumptions and prepare comprehensive performance monitoring plans.
- Work with technical teams to define the quality of outcome/impact evidence that will be needed from their programs/projects and defining appropriate longitudinal, quasi-experimental and/or point in time evaluations for integration into comprehensive M&E plans for programs and projects.
- Design and conduct baseline studies to establish initial status on program performance indicators, including institutional assessments, large scale surveys that gather information on continuous and/or categorical variables, etc.
- Develop and implement quasi-experimental evaluation designs or fully randomized research trials.
- Conduct data quality assessments to determine the validity, reliability and integrity of performance data.
- Hold responsibilities for training module development, training delivery, monitoring of training and training impact assessments related to various MEL topics.
-Serve in the capacity of a Livelihoods/Employment Specialist.
- Design a comprehensive M&E strategy.
- Write the 2016 annual report. Monitor progress in the implementation of the project against the strategic objectives and indicators.
- Coordinate responses related to performance reporting, indicator tracking, and achievements.
-Provide technical M&E advice and support to all task forces to monitor and evaluate their sector objectives.
-Develop and expand the reporting component of an online system.
-Facilitate monitoring of cross cutting issues by all stakeholders at all levels.
- Serve as a member of the Jordan Response Platform for the Syria Crisis (JRPSC) Secretariat in close collaboration with the Ministry of Planning and International Cooperation of Jordan (MOPIC).
- Facilitate and coordinate (consistently the Livelihoods/Employment task force and sparsely the; Education, Health, Municipal and Local Governance, and Water, Hygiene and Sanitation (WASH) sectors).
- Contribute to the planning, development, write-up, implementation, and follow up of the nationally-led Jordan Response Plan (JRP) 2016-2018 and 2017-2019 in full partnership with donors, UN agencies and international organizations, outlining a coherent and sequenced response to the multifaceted impact of the Syria crisis and building on the findings of a comprehensive vulnerability assessment prepared in close collaboration with the international community.
- Develop sectoral M&E frameworks for all JRP sectors: Education, Energy, Environment, Food Security, Health, Justice, Livelihoods/employment, Local Governance and Municipal Services, Shelter, Social Protection, Transport, Water, Hygiene and Sanitation (WASH).
- Research, develop the basis, and write a responsibility share analysis report that determines what countries donation should be depending on its net Official Development Assistance (ODA). The results are to help guide the level of commitment that each wealthy country should make to Jordan help alleviate the impact of the crisis.
- Support coordination and formulation of the Sectoral and the Comprehensive Vulnerability Assessment and the Jordan Response Plan (JRP) 2016-18.
- Draft the Impact of the Syria Crisis and direct budget support needs chapter: this chapter provides an estimate of the direct and indirect costs of the crisis borne by Jordan. The direct cost of the Syria crisis includes the monetary impact on Jordan’s budget (such as subsidies, income loss and tariffs loss) on JRP sectors.
- Contribute to identification of the Macroeconomic implications of the crisis, sector impact of the Syria Crisis and estimate Indirect impact.
- Monitor the JRP in an efficient and effective manner.
- Enhance the Capacity of MOPIC and other Government offices. Provide direct support to MOPIC public relations and advocacy activities at the ministerial level; draft talking points, speeches, presentations and briefing notes.
- Assist in the development and maintain an online system “the Jordan Response Information System for the Syria Crisis (JORISS)” for the submission, tracking, reporting and monitoring of JRP projects.
- Lead responsibility for drafting and coordinating inputs to monthly, mid-term and annual reports and other results-oriented publications.
- Provide GIS assistance for the development of appropriate maps and infographic products.
- Analyze and put together lessons learned and recommendations to fulfill the learning component.
- Support in the design of a comprehensive M&E strategy.
- Monitor progresses in the implementation of different projects against the strategic objectives and indicators as well as promote and support quality assurance of these projects.
- Provide technical support to related stakeholders to monitor and evaluate their sector objectives, including through the setting up of simple and value-adding monitoring strategies and tools.
-Facilitate monitoring of cross cutting issues by all stakeholders at all levels.
- Establish strong working relationships with key personnel in other ministries/agencies/institutions dealing with monitoring and evaluation and indicators in order to facilitate effective collaboration and communication.
- Identify and formulate monitoring and evaluation findings, lessons learned and recommendations to be integrated into management efforts, disseminated in learning events and channeled into decision-making processes.
- Collaborate with Information Management Specialist to develop online system for M&E data entry and development of customizable reports.
A Certified Trainer in:
- Communication/Interpersonal Skills
- Leadership and Entrepreneurial Skills
- Stress & Attitude Management
- Customer Service & Managing Expectations
- Complaint Resolution
- Time Management
- Teamwork
- Emotional Intelligence
- Public Speaking
- Diplomacy & Tact
- Worked on the USAID/Funded Employment Project (Youth for the Future).
- Support the Monitoring and Evaluation Specialist in all daily monitoring and evaluation related work within YWJ’s Program Management Unit (PMU).
- Train the M&E officers on the accurate use of the program’s monitoring systems, manage and oversee the work of sub-grantee M&E officers, provide ongoing coaching/support through regular site monitoring visits.
- Support the implementation of surveys, tools, and forms accordingly.
- Assist in the verification and input of all forms and surveys.
- Assist the Monitoring and Evaluation Specialist in training YWJ grantees (Community-Based Organizations) on the accurate use of monitoring systems, providing ongoing coaching/support through regular site monitoring visits, and ensuring quality control.
- Develop and refine various IYF data collection instruments (both quantitative and qualitative), and maintain a results database to aggregate data.
- Assist in the development of monthly, quarterly and annual results and performance reports, in addition to other briefings, papers, and presentations for various audiences (e.g. USAID, MOSD, Technical Working Group) and tabulating and verifying data.
- Taught Bachelor-level class (Application Program Development).
- Taught Bachelor-level class (Introduction to Management Information Systems).
- Taught Bachelor-level class (Knowledge Management).
- Served as a faculty member of NYIT- School of Management
- Taught Bachelor-level Class (Entrepreneurship: Financing Small Business).
- Served as a faculty member of the College of Accounting and Finance.
- Create and maintain customer database systems.
-Prepare reports providing the detailed information regarding personal customer information, unresolved matters, action taken, and any relevant comments or notes.
- Provide comprehensive data service to the customers, and advising on available organization’s services.
- Develop sampling plans, quality standards, and process instructions for use by Cross Country to monitor and reduce service/process variation.
- Ensure that team members adhere to company policies and regulations.
- Maintain an accurate and orderly filing system for all towing services, special requests, and consumer audit paperwork, and reference material.
- Supervise the implementation of a sexual-abuse prevention-training course.
- Ensure that team members adhere to company policies and regulations.
- Negotiate estimated time of arrival to clients with tow truck operators and locksmiths.
- Communicate with team members and clients regarding shipment issues as needed.
- Provide technical assistance to the program development team in design and write-up of assessments, surveys, evaluations and other research and development initiatives.
• Coordinate activities to consolidate a relationship with British academic institutions.
• Participate in several workshops in which counseling students was the main role.
• Counsel students and provide them with insights and guidance for applying to various academic degrees at British universities
• Assist students in filling the UCAS application form.
• Coordinate with UK partners’ institutions regarding exhibitions and events.
• Build a healthy business relationship with new partners and insure keeping the high level of contacts to make each business transaction as recommendation for another one.
• Open new markets for the first party and establish a fruitful business relationship with the selected agents & partners.
• Represent Global Vision to their clients in a very professional way by running a high standard of presentations.
Accredited by the Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business (AACSB) Graduated Magna Cum Laude (With Great Honor)