Summary

Development practitioner with over 9 years of experience in human rights, youth empowerment, countering violent extremism, gender mainstreaming in Pakistan and Australia. Currently working as a Technical Advisor with GIZ Pakistan on their Refugee Management Support program aimed at fostering social cohesion, peaceful coexistence, and sustainable livelihood opportunities for refugee and their host communities in Pakistan.

Projects

Rotary Postive Peace Activator (Asia)

Experience

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Technical Advisor, Refugee Management Support Program
Mar 2022 - Present | Karachi, Pakistan

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Program Development Officer, Community Resilience Activity (CRA)
Development Alternatives Inc. (DAI)
May 2021 - Mar 2022 | Karachi, Pakistan

The role is part of a countering violent extremism intervention funded by USAID in Pakistan called Community Resilience Activity (CRA). The following are the main roles and responsibilities:

Advise the program team on the evolution of the local political, legal, and economic situation and use feedback loops for program adaptation
Assist in developing and maintaining a strong professional network of local implementing partners/ beneficiaries.
Proactively identify grant opportunities and local partners to develop critical discussions to refine them towards program strategy, while working closely with local partners to draft grant proposals and budgets utilizing appropriate contracting mechanisms.
Assist in programmatic capacity building of local partners and CSOs for effective delivery of Preventing/Countering Violent Extremism (P/CVE) programming.
Work closely with Activity Programming Teams to ensure work plan deliverables, and grant activity objectives, are met on time and in compliance with DAI and donor requirements.
Work closely with Monitoring and Evaluation, Grants, Procurement & Finance teams in activity design and writing detailed proposals for activity approval by USAID
Represent the program to communities and stakeholders at various internal and external platforms - Serve as the main liaison for key community leaders and organizations.
Conduct field visits for situation analysis in terms of political and CVE perspectives to implement the program with a realistic approach.
Proactively participate in planning, review and implementation meetings at the regional and head office level.
Timely upload all the program development-related information on USAID and DAI databases on weekly basis.
Coordinate with Communications and Reporting department on a need basis to facilitate Non-Partisan Review (NPR) and Do No Harm policy across various aspects of grant implementation.
Maintain close coordination with grantees to gather feedback and suggestions to include this learning into ongoing activity implementation and future grantmaking

Achievements:

Managed a combined portfolio of approximately $1,342,000 comprising of 25 small grants
Managed a team of 04 members across two regions, Sindh and Punjab
Organized and led the 2nd Vice Chancellors Conference in November 2021 bringing together 60 senior management officials from 16 universities across Pakistan together to engage in drafting recommendation/action plans for sustaining peaceful and inclusive campuses 
Supervised the construction of two fully-equipped student center facilities (one in Karachi and one in Khairpur) with a combined grant value of approximately $1,200,000

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Monitoring, Evaluation and Learning Officer, Community Resilience Activity
Development Alternatives, Inc. (DAI)
Apr 2019 - May 2021 | Karachi, Pakistan

The role is part of a countering violent extremism intervention funded by USAID in Pakistan called Community Resilience Activity (CRA). The following are the main roles and responsibilities:

Utilize practical tools and methodologies to assemble data required on a recurrent basis to track CRA program performance for the small grants program to measure the impact of activities.
Undertake field visits to project sites.
Assist with period and systematic data collection and analysis of project results indicators, in conjunction with relevant project staff.
Contribute to reports on progress on results indicators and assist staff in preparation of other program reports and communications materials, as needed.
Update various tracking sheets developed to track progress against targets of work plan activities and M&E plan indicators.
Ensure smooth coordination with Independent Monitoring Unit and Awardees for multiple small grants.
Conduct orientation, closeout/partner learning review meetings in coordination with program team.
- Guide the process of identifying the key performance questions, indicators and parameters for monitoring of program performance and achievements, cluster evaluations and for preparing evaluations; review and analyze monitoring reports and identify the causes of potential bottlenecks in project implementation and identify corrective measures where necessary.
Conduct periodic and systematic data collection and analysis of project results indicators, in conjunction with relevant project staff.

Achievements:

Managed a portfolio of 40 small grants in Sindh overlooking their monitoring, evaluation and outcome assessment
Supervised 03 distinct third-party evaluation studies assessing interventions in 300 schools and 8 universities in Karachi
Developed a digital database for consolidating data on program indicators
Conducted 03 gender-based outcome assessments of interventions

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Program Intake Worker, Womens Empowerment Pathways
Asylum Seeker Resource Centre
Mar 2018 - Nov 2018 | Melbourne, Australia

As an intake worker with the Women's Empowerment Program, I conducted an initial assessment of women seeking asylum/holding a refugee status when they arrived at the center to become a member. As part of a member of the Women's Empowerment Program, we provided the members with ongoing support and referrals to the most relevant programs/services such that they can build their skills for positive integration in the local community and find gainful employment. Key Responsibilities included: 

Welcoming women seeking asylum to the center, and explaining the model of partnership and services available
Identifying the member's priorities and developing participation plans accordingly
Organising referrals to various hub programs
Case management - which involved regular contact with the Hub member to check that their plan is still relevant and that they are linked to services as agreed
Feeding back information from the intakes into womens program that can facilitate the identification and development of new women-centered activities
Liaising with internal teams and external stakeholders/partners to get updates on the progress of the members
Recording all information in the internal database
Support in the planning and execution of social and networking opportunities for members and their families
Miscellaneous tasks as required

Key Achievements:

Contributed around 150 hours of volunteer time to the Women''s Empowerment Program and Advocacy Program.
Managed around 25 active cases and their referrals
Participated in the annual fundraising event, ASRC Telethon 2018, and helped to raise about AUD 816,000 for advocacy and capacity building activities for refugees and asylum seekers in Australia.
Provided translation services (ENGLISH - URDU) to the Advocacy Program.

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Program Associate, Disability Consulting
NOWPDP (Network of Organizations Working with People with Disabilities Pakistan)
Jan 2016 - Dec 2016 | Karachi, Pakistan

Worked under the disability rights advocacy program of the organization, Network of Organizations Working with People with Disabilities Pakistan (NOWPDP), aimed at sensitizing and facilitating the adoption of inclusive and disability-confident policies by the private and public sector in Pakistan. Primary role and responsibilities included:

Conduct project management activities, mainly relationships management and liaison with partner organizations and donors.
Conduct project implementation and outreach activities - Assist the Program Manager in collecting data for monitoring and evaluation of ongoing projects
Conduct networking and partnership development to expand the network of disability confident employers and talent pool of persons with disabilities
Generate end-of-project reports and regular monthly progress reports for ongoing projects
Conduct, transcribe and analyze focus group discussions and interviews
Carry out research on different aspects of the project if and when required

Major Achievements:

Designed a disability sensitization training and trainers manual for Trocaire and its implementing partners in Sindh and Khyber Pakhtoonkhwa.
Project Lead for disability awareness and employment program (Awaaz) with Shell Pakistan. Conducted 20 disability sensitization trainings for over 300 employees and service station staff. The project successfully placed 16 young deaf persons/people with hearing impairments at 10 Shell service stations across Karachi.
Led a disability sensitization and disability policy review project for the largest local bank, Habib Bank Pakistan, across regional cities, Karachi and Lahore

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Head of Department, Karachi Youth Support Network (USAID-funded project)
School of Leadership
Jan 2015 - Nov 2015 | Karachi, Pakistan

Worked on a USAID-funded countering violent extremism/peacebuilding project, Karachi Youth Support Network (KYSN), in Karachi focused on working with at-risk youth from marginalized backgrounds to engage in constructive activities that foster social cohesion. Following were the main roles and responsibilities:

Develop monthly project work plan with scope, goals and targets
Supervise data collection for routine monitoring activities
Assist the Project Lead in building strategic partnerships with organizations - Represent KYSN in networking events and conferences
Assist the Project Lead in updating program logic
Assist the Project Lead in the drafting a sustainability plan for KYSN
Prepare monthly progress reports for USAID on departmental activities 
Execute departmental activities as per the workplan such as events, trainings, workshops and community outreach

Major Achievements:

Selected for the highly prestigious International Visitor Leadership Program (IVLP) fellowship in the United States sponsored by the State Department of the US. During the one-month fellowship in 2016 on the theme of Education, Entrepreneurship and Leadership, I had the opportunity to meet and learn from government officials, community leaders, entrepreneurs, educationists start-up incubation centres from across the US
More than 7000 registered members of the youth centre
Launched a Youth Ambassador program to facilitate membership of youth from vulnerable at-risk communities such as Lyari, Korangi and Sultanabad
Established More than 30 network partners to offer scholarships, vocational trainings and capacity building activities (httpkysn.org.pkpartners)
Launched a professional mentoring program for youth from underprivileged communities in Karachi

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Project Associate, Karachi Youth Support Network (USAID-funded project)
School of Leadership
Jun 2014 - Dec 2014 | Karachi, Pakistan

Worked on a USAID-funded countering violent extremism/peacebuilding program in Pakistan focused on working with at-risk youth from marginalized backgrounds to engage in constructive activities that foster social cohesion. Following were the main roles and responsibilities:

Develop monthly project work plan with scope, goals and targets
Assist the Department Head in building strategic partnerships with organizations
Prepare weekly progress reports on departmental activities
Execute departmental activities as per the workplan such as events, trainings, workshops and community outreach
Develop a strategy for community and institutional outreach
Supervise the execution of the Outreach Program

Major Achievements:

Successfully conducted 25 social activities including a talent hunt contest, football series between local teams, theatre program and mentoring sessions with industry experts such as Yusuf Bashir Qureshi and Mahira Khan
Developed a strategy document for outreach through a Community Ambassador Program

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Executive, Alumni Affairs and Resource Mobilization
IBA - Institute of Business Administration
Jul 2013 - May 2014 | Karachi, Pakistan

Key Responsibilities
- Assist the Alumni Manager in developing a fundraising plan for the year
- Execute the yearly fundraising plan and outreach activities as planned
- Coordinated with the IBA Alumni for upkeep of Alumni Database and query resolution
- Composed and compiled articles for the quarterly Alumni Magazine and Alumni Website.
- Expand the offerings of IBA Alumni Card''s discount/privileges section
- Coordinate with international Alumni Chapters around the globe with respect to fundraising activities and Alumni donations.

Major Achievements
- Organized and led the major fundraising event in 2013, "Dinner with the President, H.E. Mr. Mamnoon Hussain". The event managed to raise around 9 million rupees in donations from Alumni and corporate partners to be contributed to the Endowment Fund at IBA Karachi. The event was attended by foreign dignitaries as well including - Consul-Generals of different countries.
- Added more than 12 new partners to the Alumni privilege card

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Teaching Assistant
IBA - Institute of Business Administration
Jan 2013 - Jun 2013 | Karachi, Pakistan

Education

The University of Melbourne Australia
Masters, , Master of Development Studies‎
Gender Studies, Social Impact Assessment, Monitoring And Evaluation, Project Management And Design
Percentage 81%
2018
Institute of Business Administration (IBA)
Bachelors, Bachelors in Business Administration, Bachelor of Business Administration‎
Accounting & Finance
CGPA 3.5/4
2013

Skills

Expert Adaptive Management
Expert Capacity Building
Expert Collaborative Learning
Expert Configuration Switches
Expert External Liaison
Expert Handling Assignments
Expert Meetings Coordinating
Expert Networking Skills
Expert Partnership Management
Expert Relationship Management
Expert Terminal Housekeeping

Languages

Expert Urdu
Expert English