Lara Abu-Salim, Workforce Development Component Lead

Lara Abu-Salim

Workforce Development Component Lead

Jordan River Foundation

Location
Jordan - Amman
Education
Master's degree, Economics
Experience
14 years, 3 Months

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Work Experience

Total years of experience :14 years, 3 Months

Workforce Development Component Lead at Jordan River Foundation
  • Jordan - Amman
  • My current job since May 2017

- Produced strategic direction of the Workforce Development Component and tools including pre and post evaluations, baseline and end line, intake forms and others.
- Coordinated with other units (finance, M&E, Procurement) to ensure smooth implementation and quality of service delivery to beneficiaries of projects
- Drafted and consolidated components’ Standard of Operations (SoPs) and administered training of staff
- Managed day-to-day employment activities of five projects funded by (UNDP, UNHCR, DRC, RDPP, ASEZA) and met technical requirements for each one of them,
- Managed the unit’s activities: including development of proposals, recruitment of team members, day-to-day implementation of activities and reporting to higher management and donors.
- Led the dialogue with policy advocates and international donors regarding Workforce development activities under JRF’s umbrella.
- Managed a team of enumerators and oversaw the implementation of Labor Market Assessments (demand and supply sides) in five governorates.
- Administered statistical and narrative reports and sharing of outcomes and lessons learned with relevant parties
- Improved internal accumulation of knowledge on the unit’s activities on MIS (Management Information System) and facilitated dissemination of knowledge whenever required.
- Represented JRF in national/international agencies events and dialogue on labor issues in Jordan

Technical Specialist at The World Bank - ETVET Fund
  • Jordan - Amman
  • April 2014 to April 2017

• Co-lead project planning, design and implementation for three components: School to Work Transition (Career counseling and guidance US$0.73 million), Electronic Labor market Exchange (aka ForUs.jo) ( US$0.68 million), and Job Readiness and Placement Program (US$2.87 million) in five governorates in Jordan (Irbid, Ma’an, Tafilah, Mafraq and Zarqa’)
• Managed the development of Project Operations Manual (POM)
• Produced projects’ technical Terms of Reference for all activities
• Administered technical reports and
• Chaired the technical committees for evaluation of service providers
• Managed communication with stakeholders of Governmental organizations (the World Bank, MOPIC, MOL, ETVET FUND) and private sector firms
• Co-lead team interviews recruitment and coordinated with the team various units including Monitoring and Evaluation and financial teams and ensured accurate delivery of service
• Managed communication with several project partners and stakeholders (including service providers, chambers, labor offices and others)

Career Development and Employability Specialist at The International Youth Foundation
  • Jordan - Amman
  • July 2012 to December 2013

• Led the Development of IYF Career Guidance module (My Career My Future), including knowledge management, material revision, copyedits and final packaging.
• Led planning and implementation of work activities in consistency with scope, deliverables and timeframe in accordance with proposal and budget
• Implemented Career guidance sessions to youth aged 15-24 through Community Based Organizations (CBOs) in five locations in Jordan (Jordan Valley, Zarqaa', Rusaifeh, Southern Shouneh, East Amman)
• Provided capacity building and training to CBOs staff and public sector stakeholders (MoL, VTC).
• Assisted counselors in studying local labor market through hands-on training
• Developed training and implementation plans for 20 career counselors in 10 different locations in Jordan (Public sector and trainings entities).
• Tracked project deliverables and impact using project’s M&E and data collection tools
• Developed reports on project progress on regular basis (monthly, quarterly, annually)

Recruitment Coordinator at The Business Development Center
  • Jordan - Amman
  • May 2011 to May 2012

• Marketing of Maharat program through delivering presentations to prospect clients of the private sector
• Achieved and tracked the annual target of recruitment in Amman
• Developed press releases and success stories on different media channels (in both languages Arabic and English).
• Maintained beneficiaries and clients
• Preformed quality checks on interns during trial period at the workplace
• Managed Job Fairs in Amman and Zarqaa.
• Participated in validating work procedures to ISO standards (2011)

Customer Support Engineer - Level 2 at Estarta Solutions | Cisco Systems - Amman, Jordan
  • Jordan - Amman
  • September 2009 to March 2011

• Provides Remote customer service and post sales technical support
• Supports Cisco Products (Wireless LAN Controllers, IOS Access Points, monitoring system WCS, ACS and other Wireless products of Cisco).
• Mentorship and coaching for newly hired
• Point of contact between Amman and the EMEA (Europe, Middle East and Africa) Theater - Cisco offices in Brussels, Belgium.
• Design and customization of Cross Cultural Communication, soft skills training and orientation for Jordan Technical Assistance Center (TAC) Employees

Education

Master's degree, Economics
  • at Yarmouk University
  • December 2018
Diploma, Global Studies
  • at Thunderbird School of Global Management
  • May 2009

Certificate of Global Studies, emphasis in Global Political Economy, Cross-Cultural Communication, Global Enterprise. GPA: 3.76

Bachelor's degree, Computer Engineering
  • at Al-Balqaa' Applied University
  • January 2008

Specialties & Skills

Youth Development
Training
Soft Skills
Engineering
Customer Service
Communication skills
Critical Thinking

Languages

English
Expert

Memberships

Jordanian Engineers Association
  • member
  • March 2008
Thunderbird Alumni Network
  • Alumni
  • May 2009

Training and Certifications

Regional Workshop on Employment Services and best practices in the Middle East (Training)
Training Institute:
ILO
Date Attended:
November 2013
Duration:
56 hours
International Certified Professional Trainer (Training)
Training Institute:
UITI
Date Attended:
December 2013
Duration:
56 hours
Leadership Training for Managers (Training)
Training Institute:
Dale Carnegie
Date Attended:
October 2013
Duration:
56 hours
Project Management Professional Exam preparation course (Training)
Training Institute:
TAG
Date Attended:
May 2013
Duration:
75 hours
The Role of Labor Policies in Improving Job Opportunities in MENA (Training)
Training Institute:
The World Bank ITC
Date Attended:
September 2014
Duration:
56 hours

Hobbies

  • Self Development
  • Blogging
    laraabusalim.org
  • Reading