Donato Serena

Experience

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  Caritas Italiana

  Jul 2003 - Mar 2005

  Project Manager

  International Civil Service within Caschi Bianchi’s Caritas Italian Project.Responsible for:• Planning a project for the betterment of street kids, • project start-up, recruitment of local staff (educators)• Development of a M/E system. • Conducting regular visits to project sites to monitor program progress;• recruitment, training and orientation of Education team; • Writing monthly narrative activity reports and others reports as needed according to Italian Caritas’s specific requirements). • Mobylizing additional funds for the project through contacts with Italian Private sector.Secondary duties:• Partnership with Micro credit and academic fostering projects.• Representation of Italian Caritas to liaise with Caritas counterparts from Rwanda and Goma (DRC) Show less

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  Vis Volontariato Internazionale per lo Sviluppo

  Apr 2005 - Jul 2006

  Chief Operations Officer

  Assigned within the project financed by the EU (European Union) and by the Italian Ministry of Foreign Affairs to Citè des Jeunes Buterere, in Bujumbura(Burundi); the project strives to provide professional development opportunities to under-privileged young people and to help them acquire adequate skills in various labour sectors (Mechanics, plumbing, electrical, etc.). Responsible for the logistics organization:• co-ordination of schools, purchases, custom clearances on shipments from Italy• public and government relations; • Responsible for overseeing the Buterere Labour Office in the creation of jobs suitable for those youths, upon completion of their professional development training, through partnerships with local companies. Show less

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  AVSI

  Sept 2006 - Oct 2008

  To develop strategies, objectives and activities for new AVSI Projects in Burundi- To draft a procedure manual (HR and Finance aspects) to submit for approval to AVSI HQ.- To assure the liason between Burundi Office, the Regional Office (East Africa) and HQ.- To keep contacts with traditional donors (EU,UNICEF, MAE) and create relations with new ones to subscribe new proposals and new projects.- To supervise and evaluate AVSI team in Burundi (5 international staff and 25 national staff supervised).- To assure security for foreign and local staff on the field.- To coordinate activities on the field to produce results, quality performances, durability. - To coordinate foreign and local staff in AVSI Project activities.- To keep contacts with NGOs, International Organisms and local Organisms. Show less • RESPONSIBLE FOR THE PROJECT’S EDUCATIONAL ACTIVITIES AND FOR THE LOGISTIC AND ADMINISTRATIVE SUPPORT WITHIN THE PROJET MAE 7944, FINANCED BY THE ITALIAN MINISTRY OF FOREIGN AFFAIRS.Coordinate educational activities through the constant involvement of the local person responsible for social activities and of the local person responsible for the teaching staff’s developmental activities.• Schedule and coordinate development courses for teachers, trainers and social educators, and functional literacy courses. (10 local staff supervised).• Schedule and coordinate professional development courses in accordance to project plans.• Perform tutoring tasks on the educators’ behalf. • Schedule and coordinate the schools’ rehabilitation activities in accordance with project plans.• Collect documentation and contribute towards the preparation of the annual report.• Participate in the evaluation and monitoring activities. (mission in the field, mid-term and final evaluation of the project). Show less

  • Country Representative

    Jul 2007 - Oct 2008

  • Project Manager

    Sept 2006 - Jul 2007
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  UNOPS

  Nov 2008 - Oct 2017

  • Support the Head of Programme and the Director to monitor the targets agreed with Regional office and to give sustainability to the office (delivery, Management expenses, Net revenues, etc.)• Member of SNOH PMO, manage and supervise a Portfolio of 13 M USD in 2016 and 10 M USD 2017 (main donors: UNDP, UN Secretariat/DPKO, WB, EU).• Supervise and evaluate Project Managers in the field and reinforce their capacity in Project Management, UNOPS procedure and rules through trainings and workshops. • UNOPS Country Manager a.i. in 2015 in CAR (2 months) and 2016 in Mali (2 months): supervise UNOPS team in country, responsible for relation with the donors and participate to the relevant UN corporate meeting representing UNOPS. Show less • Supervise a Portfolio of 10M USD (projects funded by UNDP GEF, Government of Japan and UNEP)• Preparation of Financial and narrative reports for the donors.• Review and comment on operational aspects of projects; identify operational and financial problems and resolve them by taking appropriate action.• Assist Project managers in the field for project start-up and project closure• Supervise and evaluate Project Managers in the field and support local staff in CIOH• Focus on clients’ services, keeping them informed on portfolio progress; provide written and oral feed-back to the Head of Programme. Show less

  • Portfolio Specialist

    Oct 2012 - Oct 2017

  • Associate Portfolio Manager

    Nov 2008 - Oct 2012
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  UNOPS

  Dec 2017 - May 2024

  Deputy Chief of Mission/Head of PMO

  Deputy Head of UNOPS Country Office and Head of PMO in UNOPS Niger; technical assistance to MCC/MCA Programme (Millenium Challenge Corporation/Account) and specialized services in Operations and Programme Management.

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  Independent Consultancy

  Sept 2024 - now

  International Consultant

  - Provide high-level consultancy services in international development and emergencies, with a focus on project and program management, risk management, leadership, and stakeholder management.- Support clients in the design and implementation of strategic initiatives, ensuring alignment with organizational goals and international standards.- Provide risk analysis, mitigation strategies, and fostering collaborative partnerships among stakeholders.- Enhance team dynamics, and promoting effective governance across projects.- Manage multi-disciplinary teams and advising on complex operational and programmatic ( in conflict and post conflict zones) challenges in diverse, multicultural environments. Show less