Rima Al Qaisi

Mrs. Rima Qaisi, a Jordanian national, experienced in, Governance and Organizational Development, Government Performance Improvement Frameworks (EFQM Excellence Model) Monitoring and Evaluation, Research & organizational Learning, Advocacy and Policy Reform. Specialized in Strategic Planning, Sectoral value chain analysis, Performance Management and Project Management, she earned her Master of Business Administration (MBA) from Lancaster University -UK and the B. Sc degree in Industrial Engineering from University of Jordan. She has around 22 years of professional experience, of which 14 years included hands-on experience in international donor development programs, mainly USAID funded activities specifically in designing, formulating livelihoods projects proposals, youth employability and work force development programs to bridge the gap between supply and demand in the labor market including the design of profession competencies' based technical and vocational training, enabling environment, policy advocacy and reform programs, employers engagement and parents engagement programs and civic participation interventions. She is also specialized in economic competitiveness programs for different sectors, private enterprise development (MSME), and programs to enhance the management systems, quality and sustainability of health services. Rima has proven track record in working with public Sector, private sector NGOs and Community Based Organizations (CBOs). Operation Management Rima possessed number of top management positions including the Country Director for the International Youth Foundation and currently the Chief of Party for "Resilient Youth Socially and Economically Empowered" Project. Throughout her management experience, Rima was engaged in designing and managing fair and transparent implementation of Human Resources policies and Standardized Operational Procedures (SOPS), she was involved in staff recruitment including advertising Jobs through the different available channels, formulation of interviewing panel, screening of CVs, design of job testing, interviewing guidelines and final selection of the most suitable candidate. She also has intensive experience in developing organizational structures that would support the implementation of project activities and achieving outcomes, she also engaged in managing the preparation of Job descriptions that clarifies main job goals, tasks and set of qualifications and competencies needed for the different positions within the organogram. Also she was overseeing the execution and improvement of transparent and fair periodic staff performance evaluation and clear identifications of job and career development goals. As part of performance evaluation she engaged in developing development plans for underperforming staff members and following their progress. Rima worked with Hay Group as Associate Performance Management Trainer and delivered several workshops on performance management system. Rima also have previous experience as material handling manager where she was responsible for inventory management and stock lists and re-ordering points. Rima has intensive knowledge in managing projects procurement and ensuring compliance with project policies related to thresholds, sole sourcing, RFQ and public bidding conditions, throughout her experience Rima was engaged in vendor selection and bids opening and evaluation, covering both technical and financial proposals in addition to managing necessary derogations. She is responsible for the development of the project procurement plan including main consultancies, events and equipment. Rima has the technical experience related to best government procurement practices and had the chance to lead the implementation the Conditions Precedent (CP) submitted by the US government to the GOJ, in relation to improving the efficiency and effectiveness of vaccine planning and joint procurement. She has long experience working with USAID projects and managing compliance with USAID Acquisition Regulations As the COP for RYSE Project, she was involved in the office setup including mobilization of the team, selection of the office location and site, preparing office set up procurement plans (furniture, office supplies, communication, cleaning and security equipment and services) she also managed the leasing agreement and rent payments and procurement of project vehicle. Rima managed to obtain the approval of the RYSE project by the government of Jordan under the Jordan Response Plan through the Jordan Response Information System for Syrian Crisis (JORISS) Her experience as a lead for number of components included the preparation of annual plans and budgets for the components under her purview, identifying modalities of implementation and providing an estimation of the different activity/intervention expenses and approving payments. As a result of her combined technical and management experience she has high ability to accurately estimate the cost for activity implementation including LOEs and other activity expenses based on market prices. As the COP of RYSE, Rima is responsible for following the project budget spending by the consortium management unit and five different partners, developing projections and reporting on burn rates against projections. She was involved in the design of a financial report template to be used by project implementing partners on monthly basis. She also holds the ultimate responsibility for approving re-allocations between budget lines and ensuring compliance with the pre-set budget flexibility rate stated by the donor. She is also the project budget holder and possess the authority to approve payment and purchase requests and review supporting documents. Previously as the country director of IYF, she was provided with the Letter of Authority to process all IYF financial transactions and signing checks, while also review bank reconciliation on monthly basis and follow up discrepancies. As part of her overall management of RYSE project she personally engaged in developing number of SOPs related to technical reporting, financial management, branding and visibility guidelines, M&E verification procedures through documentation and in the field. Rima was the lead in managing USAID M&E audit for the USAID-Funded Youth for Future project. Monitoring and Evaluation Rima was leading the Monitoring & Evaluation, Research and Learning work at the International Youth Foundation, responsible for the management and implementation of the M&E Result Framework developed for the Jordan Youth for Future Program. Rima has intensive experience in defining the theory of change, the development and implementation of Results / Logical frameworks, including the identification of activity groups, outputs, Intermediate outcomes and impact indicators. Also have experience in the development of performance management plans, designing data collection and quality control tools and processes, she provided several trainings to Project partners on M&E concepts and practices. She has strong research and analytical skills proved through the design and development of learning publications and analysis of the M&E database using SPSS. Including the design and production of number of learning publications on Life skills training, Job retention, ILO-IYF Apprenticeship model in addition to producing periodic analysis of the project's outcomes. She was also responsible for managing the collection and reporting of indicators at the various levels and leading the discussion of results within the management weekly reports and USAID monthly, quarterly and annual reports. Rima was the focal point managing USAID M&E audits. She also initiated some efforts with The National Center for Human Resources Development (NCHRD) on planning the development of a national employment frame work to monitor and evaluate the results and performance indicators for the various employment initiatives in coordination with DOS. Governance and Organizational Development: (NGOs, SMEs &Government) Mrs. Qaisi, is one of the founders of King Abdullah II Award for Excellence for the private sector (Jan.1999-Nov.2001). She is EFQM Certified Leader for Excellence- Level 1 and Accredited Trainer She is also an accredited assessor for several local and regional Excellence awards in Government Performance adopting the EFQM/ RADAR Model. Her last assessment tasks included assessment of organizational capacity for the Ministry of Education and Ministry of Justice. Rima through her work with International Youth Foundation (IYF) has the chance to intensively work on building the capacity of over 28 community based organizations located in the different governorates of Jordan to be able to design and implement youth development programs in their communities. She also worked as the Management Capacity Building Manager for the Health Finance and Governance Project in Jordan managed by Palladium Group (USA). Responsible for the design, development of Organizational Capacity assessments for selected Project partner. She is responsible for the Design and manage the implementation of all capacity strengthening activities with partners covering Knowledge Management, Data availability and Use, Monitoring & Evaluation, Strategic Planning, Operational Planning and Requirements of King Abdullah II Award for excellence in Government Performance and Transparency Rima has the chance to intensively work on building the capacity of over 28 community based organizations located in the different governorates of Jordan to be able to design and implement youth development programs in their communities Worked previously with Abt Associate (JCAP) on the development of the M&E situational analysis for the National Reproductive Health/ Family Planning Strategy (2013-2018), this included analyzing the gaps in the basic information foundation and developing recommendations to enhance the effectiveness of the strategy's M&E approaches. Also included training and coaching to build the capacities of the strategy's partners. Previously with Abt Associate, she worked on enhancing the governance and management systems for number of NGOs providing family planning and reproductive health services through their network of clinics in the different governorates of Jordan, including the Jordanian Association for Family Planning and Protection (JAFPP), the Islamic Center Charity Society (ICCS), Hussein Labor Clinics (HLC) and Institute for family Health (IFH). Supporting them in assessing their organizational capacity, strategic planning, human resource management, performance management, process re-engineering, sustainability and business development. Rima worked with Deloitte Consulting on leading the initiative for supporting the establishment of the regulatory body for the Development and Free Zones in Jordan (DFZC) through the implementation of effective PPP framework with private master developers in the designated special economic development zones, her responsibilities included the development of the DFZC governance and management systems. Rima was also involved in the preparation of the local economic development Plan for the development and free Zones Commission, preparing guidelines on the role of master developers toward Local Economic Development as part of their social corporate responsibility (SCR). She was involved in managing the team of consultants working on the current National Investment Policy Reform specifically the DZC law amendments and transitioning of the Free Zones Corporation (FZC) and Jordan Industrial Estate corporation (JIEC) under the Purview of Development Zones Commission (DZC). Before that , she acted as the medical tourism sector lead and was involved in: the Needs assessment and value chain analysis of the medical tourism sector, mapping key stakeholders, designing proper interventions and activities and preparing a fully integrated action plan to enhance the productivity and competitiveness of the medical tourism sector in Jordan covering areas of organizational development, workforce development, quality of services , gender integration, market access and demand generation activities. Previously She also participated with Chemonics International in the establishment and implementation of the Small Scale Enterprise Component as part of the National Linkages Program aiming at developing Forward, Backward and B2B linkages between Micro-small businesses and Medium - large businesses and also participated in the design of the Jordan Upgrading and Modernization Program (JUMP), currently under Jordan Enterprise Development Corporation (JEDCO), providing technical assistance and grant scheme to support for SMEs development in Jordan. Rima has more than 8 years of experience working on Institutional upgrading and capacity building of private sector organizations (SMEs) with EU program and USAID program. She managed to conduct over 50 diagnostic assessment studies to private SMEs in Jordan and help them implement related upgrading plans, her missions included collecting and reviewing the firms' data and information, assessing existing systems and methods of operation against international best practices, developing SWOT analysis, submitting gap analysis and upgrading plan with clear priorities to overcome weaknesses and enhancing strength points. She Workforce, Youth and Community Development Specialize in the design and implementation of Youth development & employability programs in Jordan tailored to the specific characteristics of the targeted group. This covers proposal writing, assessment of needs, partnerships creation, and identification of main interventions, planning implementation and following up achievement of targeted objectives. Programs include: school to work transition models, Apprenticeship, youth technical / vocational training and job matching programs, life skills training, career counselling, entrepreneurship, civic engagement, creation of youth friendly services, parent's engagement, youth workers' capacity building and community outreach. Currently Rima is the Chief of Party Managing a consortium of five partners (Danish Refugee Council, Jordan River Foundation, Mercy Corps, INJAZ and generation for Peace) implementing youth empowerment project "Resilient Youth Socially and Economically Empowered". A 18 US$ millions project funded by Novo Nordisk Foundation and led by the Danish Refugee Council, Focusing at empowering at least 25,000 displaced Syrian refugees and conflict-affected youth and Jordanians affected by the conflict in host communities and camps to become the much-needed positive change agents in a region marred by war and political instability. She is responsible for the ultimate monitoring and quality assurance for three main components including Civic Engagement, Implementation of Graduation Model to help Youth and their House Hold members graduate from poverty and Enhancing youth inclusive enabling environment. Rima previously was the Regional Director for the International Youth Foundation (IYF) in Jordan, leading the planning, implementation and monitoring of vulnerable groups' development and engagement programs. Also responsible for managing the relationships with existing national and international partners and contributing to other donor discussions and relationship development efforts. Partners included among others: The International Labor organization (ILO), the World Bank, Ministry of planning and International cooperation MOPIC, Ministry of Labor, ETVET council, ETVET fund, Vocational Training Corporation, National Center for Human Resource Development (NCHRD), Center of Accreditation and Quality Assurance (CAQA)), and Ministry of Social development. In addition to a wide base of partner community based organizations in the different governorates (28 CBOs). Mainly she was leading the design and implementation of $ 4.84 million poverty alleviation project in partnership with World Bank and MOPIC (Integrated Outreach Workers Program) in Zarqa, Amman, Irbid and Ma'an aiming at building case management studies to 22,400 poor households in Jordan, and referring them to supporting services including employability, starts up projects support, national monetary aid, health insurance and disability services through 11 national entities and building database on youth profiling and services utilization, The design and implementation of a $273 K Apprenticeship Program in Irbid, Zarqa, Amman, Tafileh and Maan ,The implementation of a School to Work Career Counseling program ($263K) in 5 universities funded by World bank and managed by ETVET covering outreach to 10000 university students. Advocacy & Policy Reform Previously in IYF, Rima was leading the Enabling Environment and Policy Reform interventions, responsible for the design and planning of evidence-based policy and procedural reform interventions to support youth employability and civic engagement in Jordan. Main areas addressed through her work included: responding to the National Employment Strategy initiatives mainly on enhancing women participation in the workforce (the activation of Article 72 of the labor law related to the establishment of day care facilities in the workplace and simplifying the daycare licensing process for employers through development of new instructions), enhancing employment retention by addressing transportation challenges &working conditions and policies to support the adoption and sustainability of employability models for vulnerable groups by the related public sector partners including the integration of quality life skills training programs (Passport to Success - PTS) and career counseling model into Jordan's national vocational educational system. Her work also covered building the capacity of public sector institutions to be able to respond to these changes such as the establishment of a change unit in the VTC and changing their internal procedures. Also worked on the design and implementation of Employability One -stop Shop model in three MOL employability directorates. Worked on the design of a national employment system (FURASS) to ensure availability of labor market information and was involved in the design of a sectoral based employability approach to ensure better match of labor market supply and demand. Also worked with the Center of Accreditation and Quality Assurance to proceed with the accreditation process for the Passport to success and Youth Workers Training Programs which covered introducing the national standards for this program to become the base for certification of youth workers and training providers, in addition to the formulation of a steering committees that would lead the accreditation process for the training programs. In support of improving working conditions, she also worked with the International Labor Organization (ILO) on the pilot implementation of Non-Formal Apprenticeship Program and Occupational Health and Safety Standards (OSH) for the Automotive Repair Sector. She was also involved in the design of Employer Ambassador Award to recognize a model employer who exemplifies the qualities of a youth-friendly work environment and fully complies with the Labor Law. She was also engaged with several partners on the creation of youth friendly services that offers productive activities for youth within communities, mainly promoting civic engagement and skills to help them participate in the workforce. This included working with The Higher Youth Council (Ministry of Youth) on the development of their youth centers to become youth friendly services hubs. Her international Policy working experience included working in Morocco, Tunisia, Egypt and Jordan as AGADIR Agreement-Transportation Expert. Worked with a team of consultants from AGADIR countries on a study to reduce transportation costs among AGADIR countries and with the EU and to study the feasibility of developing fixed sea shipping line to serve this purpose. Compiled all the inputs and analysis into the study Final report. Also worked as a Trade Development Expert, participated in the Coordination of laws and legislation related to foreign trade in AGADIR Agreement countries, Identified and reviewed existing regulations and laws relating to the foreign trade in each AGADIR individual member state and provided an initial screening of all categories of laws. This included conducting field visit to AGADIR member states to meet and collect data from the related entities contributing to foreign trade activities in each country and analyzed the different laws related to foreign trade in each individual member state and compared it with the other countries while referring to EU best practices in the different areas. Mrs. Qaisi has excellent research and analytical skills and high level of technical report writing, and showed high ability to lead and work with team of people. She was able to demonstrate high understanding of business operations and Sensitivity to cultural differences. Through her previous experience she proved to have Excellent interpersonal and coordination skills, a very good oral and formal communication and presentation skills, training and event planning and management skills and she managed to conduct several stakeholders' presentations and workshops and organize several trade missions to conferences and exhibitions.