Team lead-Emergency Officer

Summary: Led FAO Somalia’s largest cash-based intervention, managing $91M in assistance for 298,000+ vulnerable households. Spearheaded program design, partner coordination, and compliance while integrating social protection and climate resilience into emergency operations. Grantee Support: Provided technical advisory to local partners on adaptive project design and reporting frameworks. Responsibilities include: • Program Design & Implementation: o Developed comprehensive project proposals and work plans for cash-based interventions, ensuring alignment with FAO's strategic objectives and donor requirements o Led the end-to-end implementation of CFW/UCT projects across all regions of Somalia, from beneficiary selection to final evaluation o Established monitoring frameworks using ODK and other digital tools to track project outputs against targets • Partnership & Coordination: o Occasionally served as FAO's focal point for cash working groups, coordinating with UN agencies, NGOs, and government ministries o Participated in technical working group meetings to harmonize targeting criteria and avoid duplication with other humanitarian actors o Was in a team that negotiated and managed partnerships with the major mobile money operators and financial service providers • Financial Management & Compliance: o Created budgets averaging $20M, ensuring proper allocation across program components o Developed sector specific financial tracking tools to monitor expenditure rates and identify potential underspending o Conducted financial reconciliations with implementing partners during closeout of projects • Team Leadership & Capacity Building: o Managed a team of 8 programme officers and field technical coordinators o Developed and delivered training modules on cash programming for 200+ partners o Established a mentorship program for national staff to build local expertise • Reporting & Knowledge Management: o Prepared 60+ donor reports (weekly, monthly, quarterly) meeting strict deadlines o Documented and reviewed case studies and success stories used in reporting and for advocacy and resource mobilization o Led after-action reviews after each project cycle to capture lessons learned Achievements: • Scaled CVA Delivery: Directed the distribution of $91M in cash transfers with 98% timeliness, reaching lactating mothers, disabled individuals, and orphaned children to meet basic needs. • Systems Strengthening: Capacity building of partners and Somalia’s Ministries on cash transfers (reducing duplication by over 25%), government-led monitoring of programmes and enhancing local ownership. • Efficiency Gains: Revamped cash-based workflows, cutting payment processing times by 30% and improving accountability through AAP (Accountability to Affected Populations) frameworks.

Regional Grants Officer

Summary: Managed $24M in grants across the Horn of Africa, ensuring donor compliance, timely reporting, and strategic alignment with regional humanitarian goals. Responsibilities include: • Grant Administration: o Maintained a grants tracking system for 16 active awards across 3 countries o Developed standardized templates for narrative and financial reporting o Conducted pre-submission quality checks on all donor reports • Compliance Monitoring: o Tracked 120+ grant deliverables and milestones o Organized quarterly compliance review meetings with country teams o Maintained an audit-ready filing system for all grant documentation • Donor Relations: o Prepared briefing packages for donor meetings and field visits o Coordinated responses to donor queries within 48-hour turnaround time o Facilitated grant modification processes when program adjustments were needed Key Achievements: • Grant Oversight: Streamlined reporting systems for 16 grants, including DFID and Norwegian Ministry of Finance, improving transparency and accountability. • Donor Relations: Served as the primary liaison between HQ and field offices, resolving bottlenecks and maintaining donor confidence. • Grant Mobilization: Secured $24M for the Horn of Africa demining initiative (DDG), ensuring 100% on-time donor reporting and compliance.