A higly motivated, spiritually driven and result oriented team leader/ program manager with more than 20 years diverse experience of managing integrated and thematic programs/projects (both developmental and disaster response), leading diverse teams of professionals including managers, managing partnerships of varied natures, operations (finance, admin/ logistics and security) with varied international development organizations (INGOs) across Pakistan.
I have sound knowledge, skills and diverse experience in areas of program development, implementation (strategizing and consolidation, integration, phase in, phase out), planning (strategic, operational, long term), resource mobilization, sustainability and fundraising, building, developing, leading and working with large and diverse professional teams, building and maintaining partnerships relationships with various entities resulting in outreaching ,sustainability and enhancing impacts, participatory monitoring (also result based), end evaluations and reporting, financial management (budgeting, internal controls, administration/logistics , security ) and HR procedures development, maintenance and implementation.
I am enthusiastic to work for Islamic faith based development entities to work with/serve the most vulnerable and powerless segments of our communities. I am eager to learn and practice leadership and management skills, demonstrate creativity and integrity in all actions with focus on building and maintaining pleasant working relationships and promote values driven team work environments to achieve excellence in individual and team performance for obtaining organization’s operational and strategic objectives. I possess a pro-active and assertive management style, a ‘can do’ attitude towards seemingly unsolvable problems and am comfortable with being the ‘go to’ team leader/manager in an organization.
Undertook various assignments/initiatives (paid and volunteered) in partnerships with individuals, firms and corporate entities along with initiating personal real estate and Construction Industries related supply chain businesses.
Conceived, initiated and established a private development entity, registered with Security and Exchange Commission of Pakistan with aim to providing funds/projects management and professional services with special focus on WASH throughout Pakistan.
* Provided leadership to below projects (disaster response and developmental) under Country WASH program in KPK and Sindh) with an average annual budget of around US$ 5 million resulting in achieving around 100% outputs delivery and its financial and narrative periodical reporting
Internally displaced Persons(IDPs) response in KP/FATA-District Bannu/NWA (implemented by MOJAZ Foundation funded by GFFO )
Humanitarian assistance to drought affected population in Tharparker funded by GFFO and implemented by AWARE
WASH integrated project (funded by UNICEF) in KP (Dir District) and implemented by PVDP.
Integrated WASH project (funded by UNICEF in three districts of Sindh) and implemented by Plan International team of around 50 staff)
* Established operational monitoring, recording and reporting mechanism (covering operational planning, actual progress tracking/analysis, periodical participatory reviews and internal/external progress reporting –narrative and financial ) following donor specific standards/ guidelines
· Led Plan International Program Support Office Multan (previously flood response office) program, projects and operations (with over 50% of country grant portfolio), covering five country programs including education, livelihood, health, governance and disaster preparedness and response with advocacy, gender mainstreaming and other cross-cutting themes, program quality policy with an average annual budget of US$ 7 million, across three provinces (Punjab, Sindh and KPK).
· Provided overall leadership to 50+ projects of various nature, duration and portfolios (disaster response, recovery and developmental) through management of multi-disciplinary project teams and Implementing Partners (IPs) as well as operations(finance, administration, logistics, security, IT and communications) with special delegation of authority from the Country Director.
· Established operational monitoring, recording and reporting mechanism (covering operational planning, actual progress tracking/analysis, periodical participatory reviews and internal/external progress reporting – both narrative and financial ) following organization and donor specific standards/ guidelines/standards
· Led external engagement and partnership building initiatives with provincial and district governments, academia, media and civil society organizations/ networks as well as donors locally and globally.
· Provided overall leadership in maintaining and enhancing as high performing teams in projects and functional disciplines(support services, M&E , advocacy and communications)
· Introduced systems, restructuring, policies/procedures and operational protocols to increase organizational efficiency by reducing costs and response time of operations in field offices spread over in Punjab and Sindh.
· Ensured exemplary program integration among different projects interventions and effective coordination mechanism among the project teams and their implementation partners resulting in achieving team synergies, costs saving, high quality program delivery and impacts.
· Led the flood response 2010, 2011 operations (diverse grants funded) on front lines and onwards early recovery, rehabilitation and development projects with total budget portfolio of around US$ 30 million during 2011-2013.
· Managed support services effectively (finance, admin, IT, security) through a special delegation of authority from the country director (line manager).
· Provided leadership to multi-sectoral/functional teams including project managers and teams of Implementing Partners to achieve agreed objectives by ensuring adherence to organizational policies, quality standards and timely/ quality program delivery.
· Successfully managed operationalization and implementation of Plan Pakistan’s Child Cantered disaster risk management program (both disaster response and preparedness) in six districts of Punjab and Sindh through one national lead and 28 district based CSOs partners.
· Developed and implemented 3 years Long Term Plan (2013-15) for Plan International (Pakistan) multi sectoral development work for South Punjab along with resource mobilization targets of above US $ 40 million to complement the Country Strategy Plan 2011-15, based on a comprehensive child rights situational analysis and response plans for all five thematic areas.
· Led the program consolidation, designing phase out and shift in program strategy of right base programming.
· Managed on ground implementation of country programme strategy into projects and actions, covering all five thematic areas with an average annual budget of PKR 70 million
· Established partnership with provincial and district governments in various thematic areas.
· Developed five years Long Term Plan for Chakwal program with focus on program consolidation/phase-out
· Undertook various new initiatives (e.g. CBO’s maturity index, participatory community level reflection and learning approach and community led/ managed communal funds mechanism of PKR 8 million.
· Established Child Rights Consortium (CRC) in Chakwal for initiating and leading development work with street children in Chakwal- an alternate and innovative approach to working in partnership
· Managed a paradigm shift from pure service delivery interventions to right based Programming.
· Contributed as Member to the Asia Reference group for Plan International strategic review process during 2007-08 which led Plan International transforming globally.
· Led the initiation of integrated program (multi-sectoral ), its implementation, monitoring and evaluation including managing human resources of diverse caliber (a team of around 30 including doctors, engineer, finance and development professionals) in Plan International program Unit Vehari
· Practically translated the country programme strategy into projects and actions covering all five thematic areas with an average annual budget of PKR 60 million
· Initiated and led Public-Private Partnership (PPP) with District Government Vehari led to establishment of children complex at DHQ (first ever district in Pakistan having neo-natal intensive care facilities )
· Conceptualized and implemented strategy for “working with children” resulting in formation of Children Assembly in Vehari.
· Designed and implemented Annual Program Participatory Reviews (APPR –a Participatory Monitoring tool adapted later at Global level))
· Ensured adherence to Plan\'s program, sponsorship and financial standards-(sponsorship quota and compliance, budget utilization (bench mark PU Vehar at the regional level in FY 05 Q3 with 76 % spending)
· Asia Regional Office Program Review Team marked the PU Vehar development work as “really impressive”.
· Managed Actionaid partnership program-covering strategic and operational aspects of 150 short and long term partners throughout Pakistan
· Managed Country Office (CO) finance unit operations (3 years budgeting, outstanding financial reporting, routine accounting and orientation of new Finance Manager) for three months.
· Developed and maintained formal coordination mechanism and with all Development Area partners (total 12 organizations) and ensured regular feedback on key issues related to program, finance and sponsorship
· Led participatory monitoring & evaluation /mutual learning of the AAPk partnership program
· Managed a multi-disciplinary and gender balanced professional team
· Managed smoothly Actionaid Pakistan first fully decentralized integrated rural development program in district Haripur with a team of around 40 members
· Managed shift in program strategy from “’direct implementation to “Community managed”
· Successfully developed and implemented institutional and programmatic phase-out
Acquired hands on experiences/skills by handling difficult and challenging situations effectively both at team and community level while managing program and operations during global transformation/restructuring
Managed finance decentralization, budgeting, analysis, reporting, auditing and capacity building of CBOs.