Cover Letter and CV Head of Mission, Amman, Jordan, Zulfiqar Ali
Cover Letter and CV Head of Mission, Amman, Jordan, Zulfiqar Ali
Cover Letter and CV Head of Mission, Amman, Jordan, Zulfiqar Ali
Dear Sir/Madam:
I am extremely interested in pursuing this position because I have all the necessary skills, knowledge and work
experience in performing the requirements of the post of Head of Mission, Amman, Jordan. I am in South Sudan
since last couple of months and working with Plan International Office, Juba South Sudan as Education Specialist
(Emergency) with Surge Team. I am an active cluster member and contributed to Education Cannot Wait Report
of South Sudan. I am aware of key interventions under Education Cannot Wait for SSD and we are implementing
and monitoring these interventions like teachers incentives, food for education, Teaching and Learning material,
emergency school feeding and youth engagement alternatives to violence.
I took lead role for emergency work for South Sudan, Iraq, Jordan and Pakistan while working for Plan
International, UNDP, UNESCO and UNICEF. I worked in Iraq for three and half years dealing with Syrian
refugees and IDPs emergency education response. I worked in multiple countries like Pakistan, Thailand
(Bangkok-on TDY for six months) Libya, Jordan and Lebanon dealing with emergency crises like earthquake,
floods, IDPs and refugees.
I have a combination of strong academic background in educational planning and management, public
administration and project management accompanied with 19 years of work experience in managing regular
and emergency education projects with UNDP, UNESCO, Save the Children, USAID, UNICEF, British
Council, Aga Khan University-Institute for Educational Development and WWF. I worked in Pakistan, Libya, Iraq
/Jordan and temporary duty assignments in Nepal, Kazakhstan and Thailand. I am in the MENA region since last
four years and having in depth knowledge of educational and crisis situation, which qualifies me the right
candidate for the post.
I have more than eight years of work experience in emergency and regular education projects with UN
(UNDP, UNESCO and UNICEF) in conflict and post conflict countries like Pakistan, Libya and Iraq. I
worked in multiple emergency responses like South Asian Earthquake, Floods, Refugees and Internally displaced
persons crisis. I worked with UNESCO for six years and started my job with UNESCO Islamabad, Pakistan as
Senior Project Officer Education (Emergency) on SB-4/3 scale. I was responsible to coordinate various projects
with multiple donors, government, education departments and one UN program development. Latter, I got an
opportunity to work with UNESCO Iraq Office based in Baghdad as Project Officer Education P 3 Step 4
and implemented EACI Phase I. I was associated with UNICEF Pakistan for two and half years and worked as
Project Officer Education (Emergency) at UNICEF Provincial Office Muzaffarabad, Pakistan. I got additional
responsibilities of education cluster coordinator and lead the education cluster from relief, recovery into
reconstruction phase.
I worked in Iraq and KRG extensively and effectively and build strong relationships with the Government of Iraq
(GoI) and Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG), UN Agencies, I/NGOs, CBOs and implemented regular and
emergency education projects for UNESCO Iraq Office. I took additional responsibilities of Emergency Education
Coordinator for Syrian refugees and IDPs response and developed and implemented a number of emergency
education projects for UNESCO Iraq Office.
I have five years International experience in education and worked in Iraq, Jordan, Libya, Nepal, Kazakhstan and
Thailand with UNESCO, Save the Children, and USAID on International assignments in emergency as well as
regular education projects.
I worked as Project Officer Education (emergency) with UNESCO Iraq Office and successfully implemented and
managed EACI Phase I project with achieved all the targets and even beyond the targets specified in the project
document. I initiated the EACI Project with the Government of Iraq and KRG and involved them in steering
committee meetings, developed partnerships with local and international organizations, submitted all the six
monthly and yearly reports with the database of OOSC to the EAC, EAA Foundation Qatar, organized midterm
and end term project evaluation, developed scale up strategy and proposal of EACI Phase II, which was approved
by the donor. In addition, I supervised international and national staff and contributed in donor reporting, initiated,
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organizing and conducting steering committee meetings, partnerships development through IPAs with I/NGOs,
UN Agencies. I used SISTER, DUO and B4U reporting, contracts management and budget execution system tools
of UNESCO. While working for UNESCO Iraq Office, following were my key achievements:
a) Enrolled 37,353 out of school children at basic education level through community awareness rising,
media campaigns, back to school campaigns, teachers and educational officials training, partnerships
with local and international organizations in providing accelerated learning programme;
b) Developed EACI Scale up Strategy and Proposal for EACI Phase II with the target of enrolment of
150,000 Out of School Children in 8 Governorates of Iraq and KRG;
c) Successfully implemented EACI Phase-I and donor reports and database of 37,353 OOSC submitted to
the donor and Government of Iraq and KRG;
d) Organized and facilitated Mid-term and final evaluation of EACI with the key stakeholders of the EACI
Project including 10 steering committee meetings held with the GoI, KRG, UN agencies and six
UNESCO implementing partners (/NGOs);
e) Managed ECD Project funded by UNHCR and trained 50 Syrian refugees teachers over a period of one year.
f) Developed funding proposal for emergency and regular education programmes and mobilized funds from
Qatar, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, Japan, Swiss, UN and UNICEF with a total volume of USD 17.5 million;
g) Managed emergency projects for IDPs and Syrian refugees crisis and established 20 prefab secondary schools
and renovated 48 secondary schools to enable 23,000 out of school children into schools;
h) Developed strategy documents for UNESCO Iraq Office like Bridging Learning Gaps for Youth and Scale
up Strategy for Out of School Children in Iraq;
I was working as Emergency Education Specialist for UNDP and implementing USD 32 million FATA recovery
programme in Peshawar. I focused on UNDPs work in crisis prevention and recovery on increasing the resilience
of communities to natural and man-made disasters, mitigating their impact, and preventing conflict through
rehabilitation and early recovery. In this framework, I took lead role in raising USD 10 million from USAID and
Euro 10 million from European Commission for education component to provide access to quality education for
IDPs in return areas and host communities. The project is poised to improve approximately 100,000 IDPs
childrens access to quality education services by rehabilitating 600 schools, capacity building of 2000 teachers,
120 Agency Education Officers and Education Managers, activating and mobilizing 600 Parent Teacher
Committees (PTCs) in rehabilitated schools and providing equipment and educational supplies to 600 schools and
32 Agency Education Officers (AEOs) offices over a period of 24 months.
Currently, I am deployed to a surge team to respond to famine crisis in South Sudan and responsible as global lead for Plan
Internationals Education programming in humanitarian crises and emergencies. I am representing Plan International
externally in key education in emergencies fora, positioning Plan International as a leading agency in Education in
Emergencies in South Sudan. I am managing a portfolio of Emergency Education of USD 12 Million and also engaged in
funds mobilization for the organization. In addition I am providing technical advice and guidance to Plan Internationals
Country Office in South Sudan.
Head of Mission, Amman, Jordan, post will offer both an exciting as well as a challenging position for me to
further harness professional skills and commitment to work for women and children (out of school) particularly
affected by crisis. It will also give me an opportunity to apply my learning and experience managing emergency
education intervention across the globe. I will utilize my professional knowledge and competencies of managing
development as well as emergency response education projects of Pakistan, Nepal, Thailand, Kazakhstan, Iraq and
Jordan to implement EACI Phase II in Iraq, where I worked for 3 and half years. I am fluent in English and can
speak Pashto, Persian, Arabic, Kurdish and fair knowledge of French.
Attached to this covering letter is my CV, which will give details of my professional international experience and
qualification. I would welcome the privilege of speaking with you further and look forward to hearing from you.
Sincerely yours,
(Zulfiqar Ali, Education Specialist (Emergency), Plan International South Sudan Office)
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CV of Zulfiqar Ali
Apartment # 8, Building # 1, Muhammad Al Fartikh Bulding, Ahmed Al Shobaki Street, Dera Gubar,
Amman, Jordan
Mobile: 00923452111691, 00962-775454704, E-mail: [email protected]
[email protected]
Education
1997-1998 Master of Public Administration (MPA) with 1st Division Karachi University
2001-2003 M. A (Educational Planning & Management) with 1st Division AIOU Islamabad
2002-2003 Diploma in Social Enterprise Development Programme- McGill University Canada.
2009-2010 Masters in Project Management (MPM) with 1st Division SZABIST Islamabad
Professional Skills
More than 19 years work experience in managing educational projects with focus on primary and secondary
education with WWF, British Council/DFID, AKU-IED/USAID, UNICEF, UNESCO, NDP, USAID and Save the
Children.
Analytical report writing and data management skills.
Monitoring and Evaluation of Educational Projects with focus on Participatory M & E.
Public-private and community partnerships for educational projects.
Working knowledge of multi stakeholders like government, donors, NGOs, private sector and civil society for
educational projects.
Knowledge of needs assessment for capacity building programmes, develop training modules, manuals and resource
material and delivery of high quality training.
Decision-making, community participation, problem solving and managerial skills
School management and school development planning skills for school improvement
Effective communication in English, Urdu, Sindhi, Pashto and local languages of N.As and fair knowledge of Persian,
Arabic and French language.
Proficient on MS Project, SAP, Primavera, MS Word, MS Excel, MS Power Point and Internet.
Working Experience
March 01 2017 till to date Plan International South Sudan Office
Education Specialist (Emergency)
I am deployed to a surge team to respond to famine crisis in South Sudan and responsible as global lead for Plan
Internationals Education programming in humanitarian crises and emergencies. I am representing Plan International
externally in key education in emergencies fora, positioning Plan International as a leading agency in Education in
Emergencies. In addition I am providing technical advice and guidance to Plan Internationals Country Office in South Sudan.
Supporting Plan country office during emergencies on the assessment of education needs and the design and
evaluation of programs ensuring a portfolio of high quality Education in Emergencies programming globally. Provide
technical support and leadership on Education programs during humanitarian crises.
Disseminating learning, undertaking capacity building, mentoring, training (with others) and providing support to
Plan staff on education and ECCD in emergencies.
Supporting high level advocacy on education and ECCD in emergencies. Preparing talking points for Plans CEO
and other senior management members. Leading Plans work and engagement on the Education Cannot Wait Fund.
Developing and publishing regular policy position papers on Education in Emergencies and Girls/ Adolescent girls to
influence the wider humanitarian community.
Leading and representing Plan in relevant professional and sectoral networks, clusters and coalitions and using these
fora to improve Plans relevance, to influence externally, and to build Plans professional profile and explore
additional strategic partnerships
Identifying opportunities and establishing dialogue towards partnerships with other humanitarian agencies
Leading Plans involvement with the Global Education Cluster, Inter-agency Network for Education in Emergencies
(INEE), Global Coalition to Protect Education from Attack, UNHCR Accelerated Education working group and other
relevant networks/groups and mobilizing support and engagement from the wider organization and National Offices
where appropriate.
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Working with national offices and country and regional offices to increase the quantity and scale of education and
ECCD in emergencies grants.
Identifying and developing relationships with various types of donors for Education and ECCD in
Emergencies, coordinating national office engagement with those donors; and supporting national offices to build
profile with bi-lateral and multilateral donors and to develop grants.
April 2016 to March 2017 UNDP FATA Recovery Programme, Peshawar, KPK
Emergency Education Specialist
UNDPs work in crisis prevention and recovery focuses on increasing the resilience of communities to natural
and man-made disasters, mitigating their impact, and preventing conflict through rehabilitation and early
recovery. We have implemented and monitored emergency situations and programmes on drought, flood and
earthquake relief assistance, facilitated early recovery coordination, provided relief and rehabilitation for Internally Displaced
Persons (IDPs) and the communities in crisis affected areas.
1. Coordination with Education Department of FATA/KP in order to present project and facilitate process to identify
priority schools for rehabilitation and reconstruction for Out of School Children in return areas of IDPs
2. Analysis of rehabilitation assessments carried out in return areas of FATA to identify potential entry points for
schools rehabilitation
3. Support the FATA Secretariat to develop and maintain a database and map of damaged schools and their current
status
4. Ensure design, implementation and monitoring of all activities under the education component of the project
5. Based on the project document, develop a detailed work plan for the roll-out of activities under this component and
identify and engage potential implementing partners
6. Assist in procurement activities related to education component of the project and manage contract with schools and
stakeholders involved
7. Coordinating with project team and implementing partners to ensure accurate and timely data is provided on all
components of the project
8. Prepare regular reports and ensure reporting is in line with UNDP and donor reporting requirements;
9. Coordinate with communication focal point for production of communication material that can be used for reporting
and project outreach
10. Provide policy advice on education to project team and other stakeholders and carry out regular research on
education trends and policy internationally.
11. Use research to provide the project management team with recommendations on how to improve the quality of the
project.
1st March 2013 to December 31st, 2016 UNESCO Iraq Office, Amman Jordan
Project Manager Education P 3 (International Assignment)/Emergency Education Coordinator
1. Design and implement project work plans and activities, while ensuring compliance with specific
assigned objectives and outputs of the Education Project targeting Out of School Children".
2. Plan, organize, implement, monitor and evaluate all project activities.
3. Ensure proper partnership with and provide technical advice and assistance to national counterparts
(MOE, MOHESR etc.) and other partners in the planning, management, and implementation of the
project as well as participating in meetings and ensuring follow-up on implementation of
recommendations and agreements, undertaking as necessary missions in this regard.
4. Supervise and liaise closely with the four Roving National Monitoring Officers, as well as other UNESCO national
staff in country to ensure proper management and control of project activities in country; liaise closely with other UN
agencies involved in the implementation of the programme. Liaise closely with the Education Sector at UNESCO
Headquarters and other UNESCO offices and institutes to strengthen project outputs and build synergy with other
UNESCO programmes and activities.
5. Work closely with civil society, non-governmental organizations, education institutions, and both central and
decentralized governmental actors, primarily those at the national, governorate, and local levels.
6. Participate in relevant project coordination mechanisms established involving main stakeholders (Ministry of
Education, civil society, sister UN Agencies, etc.) and represent UNESCO and the project in these mechanisms.
7. In coordination with the MOE, co-chair the National Technical Committee (NTC) for out-of-school children, and
serve as key UNESCO focal point for policies pertaining to out-of-school-children.
8. Conduct periodic programme reviews with government counterparts and other partners as well as preparing
analytical and periodic reports and documents for project activities.
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9. Coordinate with the Operations/Procurement departments in UNESCO Iraq (including those based in Amman) on
timely delivery of project activities, as well as requesting disbursement of funds, and monitoring of programme
financial status.
10. Lead all reporting, monitoring and evaluation activities related to the projects, including the development of
monitoring and evaluation tools, as well as continued implementation and management of such tools.
11. Contribute to the design and preparation of new projects/programmes for implementation in Iraq, including the scale-
up strategy for the EACI project.
12. Coordinate emergency education projects for UNESCO Iraq Office and mobilize funds for emergency education
interventions in Iraq
13. Undertake any other pertinent professional duties as may be assigned by the Director of UNESCO
March 28, 2010- June 2012 United States Agency for International Development
Education Advisor
1. Education Advisor provides advice, seasoned judgment, professional-level input, and
conceptualization to education programs and education program decisions in
Pakistan.
2. The Specialist plays an active role in the oversight of education program/project design, budgeting, and analytical work for
Sind education strategies.
3. Provides substantive assistance and support to conceptualization and drafting of relevant education sections of the overall
USAID Mission education strategy, other concept papers, and relevant documents.
4. Serves as a senior member of Mission technical review teams for education-related concept papers, the evaluation of solicited
or unsolicited proposals, and proposed sub-grants under USAID-funded programs.
5. Takes a leadership role in suggesting changes to aspects of existing education program activities in the Sind, and throughout
Pakistan, as requested.
6. Plays an active role in drafting strategy documents, and plays an important role in the process of designing new program
elements.
7. Assists in defining the tasks for assessment or design teams, drafts Scopes of Work, and participates in developing strategies,
results frameworks, activities packages, budgets, background documentation, and performance monitoring plans for education
programs in Pakistan.
8. Monitors USAID programs and projects in the Sind education sector, under the supervision of a General Development Officer
and/or his/her designee, and the Education Team Leader, Mission Director, and Deputy Mission Director in Islamabad.
9. The Specialist establishes and maintains working relationships with host-government counterparts, political agents, donor
agencies, private-sector organizations, and a wide range of NGOs, research institutions, universities, etc.
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10. Assists superiors, Mission management, other Mission and USG staff, and visiting officials in preparing for and participating
in field trips, public meetings, conferences, and negotiations with the GoP; including event planning, managing field activities
and logistics, serving as control officer for field site visits, interpreting between English, Urdu, etc.
June 16, 2008 March 27, 2010 United Nations Educational, Science and Cultural Organization
(UNESCO) Islamabad.
Senior Project Officer Education (emergency)
1. Draft succinct quarterly and annual progress reports, with inputs from other officers and field
office, for reporting to Government, Donors, and UNESCO HQ.
2. Take lead in overall planning, implementation, monitoring of emergency education projects with
special emphasis on earthquake, IDPs, floods crisis in Pakistan.
3. Ensure ownership and institutionalisation of the training initiatives like MSEE and INEE training to
ensure minimum standards in education with the government of NWFP.
4. Support ERRA in coordinating education sector related interventions with Earthquake Reconstruction and Rehabilitation
Authority under the ERRA-UN Early Recovery Plan. This entails preparation of reports with the inputs of education
sector stakeholders; attending meetings, conducting follow-ups, etc.
5. Take lead in early preparation for planning, implementation and monitoring of UNESCO interventions for Central
Emergency Response Fund, Flash Appeal and Early Recovery. This includes linking global and local researches, theory
and practice on education in emergency issue.
6. Coordinate UNESCO plans and activities with OCHA, other UN, INGO and NGOs to ensure effective, coordinated and
holistic educational emergency response and in strengthening of relationship with provincial educational authorities,
PDMAs and NDMA.
7. Provide necessary support to other colleagues for programme development and implementation under Techncial
Vocational Education and Training.
8. Promote Minimum Standards for Education in Emergencies, Chronic Crises and Early Reconstruction as the key
principle for educational response in emergency situation. This entails advocacy for holistic educational response
by educational stakeholders.
9. Promote visibility of programme activities through the preparation of regular updates (website features, activity briefs,
etc) and ensure, with the support of IT person, that UNESCO Islamabad website is regularly updated.
10. Provide back-up support to the field based officers.
December 2003 December 31, 2005 USAID/Aga Khan University Institute for Educational
Development Karachi
Coordinator ESRA USAID Project
Compile and consolidate quarterly and six monthly progress reports of ESRA Project, AKU-IED;
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Liaise with all stakeholders of the project for effective communication and follow up of programmatic activities;
Conduct needs assessment with educational officials of District Education Departments, PITEs and BCEWs in selected
districts of Sind and Baluchistan;
Assist programme coordinators in selections of the candidates for Certificate Courses and MEd Programme.
Help academic team in development of training materials, programme handbooks, leaflets and other dissemination
material;
Undertake field visits and follow-up activities to selected districts to facilitate the programme activities; and
Work with other team members and support them in development of policies relating to
finance and administration
1998 2000 World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF)-Pakistan NAs Gilgit
Environmental Education Officer
Worked with WWF-P as an Environmental Education Officer. My responsibilities were to train the teachers, to set up
environmental clubs, to review curriculum and provide teaching aids to the schools. I arranged quiz competitions and
coordinated Eco-tourist Guides training. In addition to this I arranged Silk Route International Festival and environmental
awareness walks/workshops with WWF-P.
1995 1996 Cambridge Grammar School Karachi & Hunza Model School Aliabad Hunza
Senior Science Teacher
Worked for two years as a Senior Science Teacher with English Medium Schools. During this period various teachers
training workshops were attended with Volunteer Service Organization (VSO UK), Hunza Educational Resource Project
(HERP) and Aga Khan Education Services (AKESP) Pakistan. My responsibilities were to teach science subjects in
elementary and secondary classes. Besides teaching I coordinated various educational programmes, cultural events, co-
curricular activities and quiz competitions for students.
Publications/Reports
Donor Reports for EAC, EAA Foundation, Qatar for UNESCO
Mid-term and final evaluation report of EACI Phase I (with the consultant support) for UNESCO
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Scale up strategy and EACI phase II proposal (with the International consultant support) for UNESCO
Final report of KSA fund for IDPs for UNESCO
CERF, ERF, UNICEF and UNHCR Final reports for emergency response for UNESCO
Funding proposals for KSA, Japanese, EC, Swiss, CERF, ERF, UNHCR, UNICEF for UNESCO
Weekly Report /Visit Reports for Mission Director for USAID
Quarterly and Annual Reports of multiple Projects for UNESCO
Exposure Visit Report to AKU-IED Karachi for UNICEF
Exposure visit report of Educational Managers to Sindh for UNICEF
Needs Assessment Survey Report for AKU-IED
Quarterly and Six Monthly Reports for AKU-IED
Programme Reports for AKU-IED
AEOs, Teachers and SMCs Training Reports for British Council
Training material for NAEP
Eco-tourist Guides Training Report for WWF-P
Marketing research of Garment Products for KHDP
Marketing Research of Money Changers of Karachi for Dow Jones
Internship report of Aga Khan Hospital Karachi for AKUH
Professional Membership
1. Ex. Chairman Aga Khan Education Services, Regional Education Board for Hunza.
2. Member Executive Committee Hunza Educational Resource Project.
3. Member of Education Communication Interest Group of IUCN-NACS.
4. Member of Professional Development team PDCN-IED AKU/AKESP
Languages
Speaking Reading Writing
English Excellent Excellent Excellent
Urdu Excellent Excellent Excellent
Arabic Good Good Good
Kurdish Good Good Good
Persian Fair Fair Fair
French Fair Fair Fair
Personal Data
Date of Birth 21-03-1974
Nationality: Pakistani
NIC # 42201-9886551-7
Passport # KU1795512 valid till 13 August 2017
Place of Birth Hunza, Gilgit Baltistan- Pakistan
References
1. Jim Sawatzky, Chief Technical Specialist, UNDP- [email protected]
2. Louise Haxthausen, Director, UNESCO Iraq Office in Amman- [email protected]
3. Fayaz Shah, Project Officer, UNICEF Islamabad [email protected]
4. Hugh Delaney, Education Specialist, UNICEF Muzaffarabad. [email protected]
5. Dr. Keith Prenton, CTA NAEP, British Council Islamabad. [email protected]