Doha Institute Project Manager
Arab Center for Research and Policy Studies
Total years of experience :18 years, 9 Months
Project Manager for the end-to-end establishment of DI. DI is a pioneering initiative to establish an independent academic institute for postgraduate studies in the social sciences, humanities, and public administration, expected to launch in 2015-2016. In charge of the overall management of the project, and reporting directly to the Chairman of the BOT and the DI Senior Advisor, my responsibilities include:
Project Planning Phase (2011-2013):
• Support development of project strategy and master execution plan, manage the project execution and lead a portfolio of initiatives through managing a project team of 5 and various consultants and subject matter experts;
• Lead the development of the governance model, bylaws, and policies including corporate bylaws, school bylaws, faculty assembly bylaws, academic policies, and administrative policies;
• Develop the operational model, the organizational structure, roles and responsibilities for 80 different functional roles;
• Define OPEX budget structure and forecast (~40M USD), lead the development of the DI financial model with external consultants;
• Define, maintain, and execute on the HR manpower plan, for short term project needs and future growth by identifying recruitment needs for DI departments and functions;
• Lead the development of a communication and outreach plans, including DI brand identity guidelines and creation of media channels such as website and promotional material;
• Support the academic development with academic committees and consultants to achieve academic structures and systems, masters programs and curricula, and identify and engage academic collaborators and consultants;
• Oversee the planning of a 100, 000 m2 built area campus with an international architecture firm, ensure that the physical, spatial, and functional needs of the DI are met. Contractor tendered and construction in progress;
• Lead the official licensing process for DI with the Supreme Education Council in Qatar (in-progress).
Transition to Operations Phase (2014-2015):
• Lead the transition from project to an institution state and align organizational development towards an academic-centric service culture;
• Establish administrative departments/units and ensure that they are setup, manned, organized, and operationalized in accordance to DI’s strategic initiatives, mission, bylaws, policies, and project priorities;
• Build the administrative management core, oversee selection, training, and operation of 15 management personnel;
• Execute an academic faculty outreach campaign, resulting in the recruitment of 40 international academic faculty;
• Execute a student outreach campaign, including raising awareness, recruitment, and admissions procedures;
• Work closely with designated senior academic administrators to align operations to academic needs, facilitate the undertaking of their responsibilities upon joining;
• Represent DI officially in official business, events and conferences, ensure that DI image is properly channeled and communicated to stakeholders;
• Act as an interim VP of Administration, responsible for overseeing all operational functions.
Development of a Training Program for the Qatari Government:
• Lead and develop a pioneering, 1.6M USD budget, executive training program in partnership with the Qatari Ministry of Administrative Development to train 500 government officials. Training effective as of October 2014.
Subject matter expert for the Ministry of Higher Education in Lebanon within a national higher education reform initiative, responsible for conducting on-campus audit visits, assessment and reporting on findings. Other consultancy engagements for academic and higher education institutions.
• Restructured and developed the department to achieve optimum efficiency and productivity. Managed a team of 7 and oversaw the operation of the student enrollment management for 5000 students, including student recruitment, admissions, orientation and advising, course registration, student records, examination and grading, and student graduation;
• Successfully managed the development and operation of in-house developed information systems including an SIS that manages student-centric functions, a university management system that manages administrative functions, a Moodle-based learning management system (used by 5000 students and 200 faculty), and the university web portal;
• Contributed to defining the university overall strategy through membership in key councils and committees.
Represented the European Commission's RTD research funding programs in Lebanon. Managed several EC funded projects, focusing on collaborative research and development among Euro-Mediterranean partner countries. Represented Lebanon in international and official EC conferences in more than 5 EU countries.
Research on quality assurance and accreditation.
Research published in peer-reviewed journals & conferences.
Dean's honor list