Thomas Evans

Experience

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  Shraddha Saaburi Sandihi

  Jan 2011 - Sept 2011

  Education Officer

  •Managed and oversaw the implementation of the organizations’ youth livelihood activities which focused on vocational skills training for young people•Worked as part of a team to strengthen and improve the organizations education curriculum which is targeted at children and youth with disabilities such as autism and down syndrome •Led teacher training in order to build capacity in using and facilitating the revised curriculum •Managed and oversaw the implementation of the organizations youth livelihood activities which focused on vocational skills training for young people•Significantly strengthened communication skills through learning to communicate with children and youth who were unable to express themselves in an orthodox manner Show less

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  Consortium of Humanitarian Agencies

  Dec 2011 - Dec 2011

  Researcher

  •Conducted extensive research on the links between education and employment for Youth in Colombo and Batticaloa•Delivered a presentation to Sri Lankan Ministry of Education officials focusing on ways to reduce the unemployment levels of youth in Sri Lanka through their effective engagement in livelihood and skills training

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  Norwegian Refugee Council

  Mar 2012 - May 2012

  Monitoring and Evaluation Officer

  •Completed comprehensive evaluation of the Teacher Emergency Package which was used to revise and adapt the approach of the programme, now known as TEP Plus •Managed all components of the research project: designed all research tools, organized and carried out field missions across the Kivus for data collection, held interviews and focus groups with relevant stakeholders, met with government agencies, supervised project staff, led the data analysis process and wrote the final report•Worked in close collaboration with Ministry of Education officials from the DRC to ensure effective mobilization of beneficiaries Show less

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  Africa Development Corps

  Dec 2012 - Nov 2015

  Country Manager

  • Responsible for the conception, design, start-up and implementation of ADC Uganda’s programs: UNICEF funded Peace Building Education and Advocacy (PBEA) Program targeting South Sudanese child and youth refugees, and host communities in the Adjumani and Kiryandongo refugee camps; and the USAID/RTI School Health and Reading Program (SHRP), improving education systems and child literacy • Held regular progress meetings with UNICEF, UNHCR, the Ministry of Education and Sport, the Office of the Prime Minister, the local authorities and stakeholders, and RTI to provide updates on program implementation; this included highlighting challenges within the implementation process and discussing ways forward• Established multi-sector partnerships with other NGOs, CSOs and government agencies to implement WASH, ECD, peace building, and sensitization campaigns on the rights of children and child protection; these collaborations led to the development of a referral pathway for children demonstrating Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder symptoms• Developed activity budgets and implementation plans for programs including payment and procurement schedules• Conducted regular field visits to refugee camps and rural areas to guarantee successful implementation, and remotely managed ADC’s field teams to ensure activities met donor requirements; continuously tracked indicators to ensure ADC achieved the deliverables outlined in donor approved work plans• Recruited and managed 47 permanent ADC staff members (2 expat and 45 local staff) as well as periodic consultants• Participated in national level UNHCR working group focusing upon challenges, advocacy and best practices Show less

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  Relief International

  Nov 2015 - Sept 2019

  • Develop medium and long-range country strategic plans.• Ensure delivery implementation of ECHO, OFDA, HPF, UNDP, and RDPP programming; actively monitor projects to ensure they are on track with deliverables and quantitative targets.• Identify and diagnose off-track projects and actively determine feasible strategies to correct such problems.• Supervise and plan assessments, field research, and data collection in support of program design.• Ensure effective ongoing direct communications and networking with donors that produces actionable and timely business intelligence.• Lead and ensure that preparation of funding proposals are of the highest quality and closely responsive to donor requirements.• Track funding and program trends to understand specific donor priorities and resources.• Cultivate new relationships with new donors and partners, and act as focal point for consortium programming.• Ensure that operations in support of projects, in particular procurement and logistics, are efficiently and effectively carried out.• Conduct ongoing sub-office and field visits to enable direct staff support and observation of activities.• Assess staff training and capacity building needs and ensure training opportunities are provided.• Act as a Point of Contact for Child Protection, Sexual Exploitation and Abuse and Harassment, and Code of Conduct policies, and train staff and beneficiaries on reporting misconduct mechanisms.• Ensure that all HR personnel practices, contracts, taxes, compensation, registrations, residence permits, and departures are in accordance with local laws and RI policies.• Overall responsible for the safety and security of all RI country staff, volunteers and visitors.• Strictly enforce compliance of all safety and security policies and procedures by all staff members. Show less • Responsible for the strategic oversight of all of RI’s programming which consist of Livelihoods, WASH, and Health programming funded through ECHO, OFDA, HPF, UNDP, and RDPP; direct supervisor for all RI’s Program Managers in these sectors• Direct line manager for RI’s Head of M&E and supervise RI’s M&E department, developing and implementing a new strategy and approach to improve the quality of monitoring at all field locations and activity sites• Engaged with donors, stakeholders, partners, and RI’s Regional Support Office to realign RI’s country strategy and programming to adjust to the changing Iraqi context and the move from an emergency response to an early recovery phase; led the design, mobilization and implementation of new programming developed in line with the changing context and for the sectors of Livelihoods, WASH and Health• Developed and instigated the use of new tools for programs teams to ensure more field activity oversight, increased levels of accountability, improved program quality, and stronger program performance in relation to indicators• Acting Country Director during Country Director absence• Worked directly with the Country Finance Manager to lead the development of RI’s Iraq country budget• Coordinated with all department heads to develop a RI Iraq contingency planning framework• Represent RI at governmental meetings, key country level coordination meetings and donor meetings, as well as being the in country focal point for all donors • Established inter-departmental monthly grant review meetings for all programs which is now being used as a forum to strengthen departmental coordination and ensure program activities are compliant with grants and in line with approved budgets, logframes, policies, and deadlines• Worked with the M&E department to analyze comprehensive needs assessment that were used to facilitate course correction in areas where programmatic challenges were being experienced Show less • Designed, managed and provided strategic oversight for the successful implementation of RI’s OFDA and ECHO funded programs in Syria and Turkey• Managed several multi-million dollar budgets ensuring planned spend down was met, simultaneously tracking financial and material resources and preparing budget adjustments and cost modifications as required; developed monthly, quarterly and yearly work plans, as well as program mobilization plans to initiate new programming• Constantly assessed the program’s financial expenditure against the donor approved deliverables, reported variances and held monthly grant review meetings with senior managers to track program implementation• Developed and disseminated lessons learned in coordination with M&E and contributed to timely course correction as needed, engaging with technical leads and relevant department heads to quickly overcome program challenges• Worked in close collaboration with Protection Advisor to mainstream child protection and other protection programming elements into RI’s Syria programming• Oversaw partner’s activity implementation to ensure targets were met, the sub-grant agreement was adhered to, and that implementation occurred within the scope of donor approved rules and regulations• Coordinated with M&E to review the Indicator Performance Tracking Table on a bi-weekly basis, carry out rapid needs assessments, KAP surveys, baseline data collection, mid and end-term evaluations and third party monitoring• Coordinated with technical advisors of health, WASH and protection to ensure quality program implementation• Built capacity of RI and partner staff through the identification of staff improvement areas, regular progress meetings, and the creation of individual staff performance plans; two national Deputy Program Managers were promoted to the position of Program Manager through this systematic capacity building strategy• Part of Senior Management Team responsible for developing country strategy Show less

  • Country Director

    Oct 2018 - Sept 2019

  • Program Director

    Sept 2017 - Nov 2018

  • Program Manager

    Nov 2015 - Aug 2017
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  Global Communities

  Oct 2019 - Oct 2020

  NES Director

  • Full oversight and accountability for the performance and effectiveness of program and support departments; USAID, OFDA, and UNICEF funded programming.• Ensuring 100% compliance with all donor and organisation regulations and internal policies as well as achievement of key deliverables and programmatic objectives.• Day to day management of the HQ office and established satellite offices, in three other areas of NES, and the support office in Dohuk, Iraq.• Representation to relevant local authorities, government officials, and administrative departments in both NES and Iraq.• Representation and coordination with other humanitarian NGOs, including the NES Forum, INSO, and Clusters.• Day to day management of all staff, ensuring that staffing is appropriate to the needs of the program response as well as the safety and security of all staff working on the mission; oversight and management of security staff in coordination with the safety and security department to determine the risk level and the acceptable access routes and implementation locations.• Ensure that emergency response and resilience programming is timely, efficient, well-coordinated and monitored and evaluated. Show less

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  Terre des hommes foundation

  Sept 2021 - Jul 2023

  MCD Head of Programmes Jordan and Palestine

  • Ensuring compliance with donor and organization regulations and internal policies as well as achievement of key deliverables and programmatic objectives.• Identify and diagnose off-track projects and actively determine feasible strategies to correct such problems.• Develop and instigate the use of new tools for programs teams to ensure more field activity oversight,increased levels of accountability, improved program quality, and stronger program performance in relation to indicators.• Direct line manager for MEAL, grant and program focal points; in this capacity maintain oversight of M&E targets and indicators, contribute to program designs and reports, and ensure technical and programmatic oversight of all aspects of project cycle management. Show less

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  Danish Refugee Council / Dansk Flygtningehjælp

  Jul 2023 - now

  Head of Programme