· Coordination in a multi-stakeholder environment and institutional context specially for Emergency Response & Recovery
· Specific Skills Disaster Risk Assessment, Community Mobilization, Inter-Agency Coordination, Needs Assessment and rolling out coordinated action for achieving targets based on the commonly accepted needs; Organize capacity building and skill development programs;Public Health, Micro Planning for Polio Response, Emergency Management & Leadership, Emergency Response and Recovery Planning, Training Module Development and Training on range of development and humanitarian issues;
· Ability to developand sustain partnerships with People, Agencies, Institutions and Government
· MS-Office; Data analysis, GIS Mapping using several Google and web/mobile based applications; basic knowledge on website management& use of DevInfo (User & Admin Apps) for data management and analysis
· Presentation and Documentation Skills
· Languages: Spoken and Written knowledge of English, Hindi, Bengali, Tamil ; Spoken knowledge of Malayalam and Santali (tribal language, spoken in Bengal, Bihar and parts of Odisha); French (Basic, learning)
· Education: Master Degree in Public Administration
Present Engagement:
Project Manager : Youth Employability Program under the Tata Affirmative Action initiative at Tata Consultancy Services (TCS). Major Tasks: Lead a team of eight professionals and over 80 trainers and volunteers to build employable skills among under-privileged (socially excluded and economically weak) youth in India. The approach is to get adequate trainers qualified for soft skills, and build and manage multiple partnerships for mobilization and job opportunties for the youth. Strategic planning and implementation based on talent pool and market intelligence is critical to implementation of the program. As an outcome, once the youth get employed, the vulnerability of the family reduces, and builds resilence in the community.
Previous Experiences:
Consultant, Disaster Risk Reduction, UNICEF-India Country Office, New Delhi (Apr 2015 Feb 2016) commissioned through RedR India
Tasks include support in management of partnerships, preparation of project documents, preparation of TORs, preparation of data based analytical reports using analytical tools, review programs and policiesto provide inputs to National and State governments, and various sections within UNICEF to influence key decision in favor of children and adolescents. Task also includes designing and delivery of trainings on Child Inclusive Risk Assessments for Risk Informed Planning for government officials from SAARC countries and UNICEF Staff, and training on Post-Disaster Recovery Planning and Coordination to UN Disaster Management Team. Support included developing UN response for Chennai Floods and assessment of few others in post-disaster scenario.
Project Manager, MHVM - for Risk Informed Development Planning UNICEF: assignment through RedR India (from July 2014 till 20 Feb 2015)Under this project three State Governments (Assam, Rajasthan and Bihar are enabled for risk informed planning through multi-sectoral (Health, Education, Nutrition, Livelihood and WASH, database integration and laying it with Hazard, Demographic and Economic data for risk assessment using DevInfo system based multi-hazard vulnerability indexing tool. Reason for leaving: End of assignment and completion of task.
Team Leader for the United Nations Disaster Management Team (UNDMT) assignment through RedR India (July 2013 May 2014) led a team of nine, and coordinated recovery planning in the State of Uttarakhand, India in post disaster situation till end of mission. Included preparation of sectoral plans for WASH, Health, Nutrition, Protection & Education of Children, Shelter, Food Security and Livelihoods, and coordinated the same by establishing platforms for Government, International NGOs, civil society, corporate agencieswith participatory funding of over 35 million $,. Coordination with line ministries and designing recovery planning were key activities.
State Emergency Response Coordinator(Apr 2011 June 2013)in West Bengal State for Core Group Polio Project (CGPP) supported by UNICEF &USAID: In response to the last polio outbreak in India; guided over 295 member staff team with 4 partner agencies; Trained layers of staff for social mobilization, designed specific interventions, coordinated with agencies and government for bottleneck / problem resolutions, monitoring, coordination with WHO, Rotary, UNICEF and government stakeholders to improve vaccination, quality delivery and overall program planning.
State Inter Agency Coordinator, West Bengal:(May 2009 July 2010)Post-Cyclone Aila emergency response coordination in West Bengal, India, set the State Inter Agency Group as a model for interagency coordination in the country. Memorandum for agency participation and funding established. Key activities included releasing SITREPs, organize coordination meetings and capacity building programs, undertake Emergency Needs Assessments, and organize State DRR Congress etc. Position was funded by UNICEF West Bengal State Office
Director, Social Welfare Institute, Raiganj, West Bengal: (May 2003 April 2009) Organizational management, planning and overall staff and financial management; capacity building of staff; and manage relationship with resource agencies. Provided overall guidance and leadership to the organization to build it from having just 54 staff to over 500+ organization. Key program partnerships for Polio and RI (from 2004 2006) and for CBDRR with UNICEF from 2007-2008. Managed CBDP programs of Caritas India and CRS as well, and Polio and RI with Manos Unidas (Spain).
Trainings and Capacity Building:
Community Mobilization for community organizers and supervisors on village and institutional capacity and need assessment; panchayat and district level planning; social mobilization on immunization, polio eradication, sanitation and behavior change communication, Mock Drills for response management. (Years of experience: 2004 2013, over 25 trainings) for over 10 agencies
Emergency Response and Recovery Planning and Coordination Trained high level select professionals for UN Disaster Management Team (UNDMT) in recovery planning and coordination (2 batches, in 2015 & 2016; the first one done while in contract with RedR for UNICEF) where the professionals learn to assess needs based on damages, development deficits and social vulnerabilities to rollout social sector recovery plans in disaster impacted areas for community and economic recovery; trained senior staff of CORE Group and its partners as Rapid Response Team; Trainings on response and recovery to NGO and International NGO staff, Doctors and Public Health Personnel, government officials, elected representatives of government on Emergency Response, Water & Sanitation in Emergencies, WASH Cluster coordination in emergencies in Nepal for WASH Cluster with UNICEF, risk assessment, emergency needs assessment, Contingency Planning, Mock-Drills etc. in Bangladesh, Nepal & India (Years of experience: 1998 2013, over 30 trainings good number of them as RedR India trainer), Preparation of training module and training of UNICEF staff / Govt officials in Mainstreaming DRR (3 trainings), several trainings on CBDRR to staff / volunteers of World Vision ADPs, UN and other international / national agencies. Training on Child Centered Risk Assessment (CCRA) for SAARC countries Disaster Management Authority representatives and UNICEF staff from South Asia (3 trainings); Facilitation of Round Table on School Safety (UNICEF ROSA)
Others: Leadership, Youth Motivation, Preparation of Perspective Plan for organizations, Gender Issues (Years of experience: 2000 2012, over 25 trainings)
Program Monitoring and Accountability:
Set up several monitoring tools for ensuring quality of development programs, community based programs and immunization programs using Excel, Android applications, field monitoring and data analysis. Appropriate information management and government led systems were placed for monitoring response of multiple agencies in the aftermath of cyclone Aila in West Bengal and cloudburst in Uttarakhand.
Polio Eradication: Besides various formats, Google Fusion Tables were used in analyzing and mapping polio immunization data(CGPP / UNICEF / USAID supported)
Research, Documentation and Publications:
· Prepared an Approach Paper on Understanding Risks for Mumbai East Ward of the Mumbai City, India as part of Urban Risk Reduction, with RedR India
· Prepared study document on Child Centered Climate Vulnerability Assessment (CCCVA) for UNICEF Moldova
· Documented relief process in Malda district, West Bengal, India
· Researched and documented with CRS the extent of Migration in Aila affected Sunderban districts (2003)
· Documented training processes for CKS as part of trainings for SRAN / Welthungerhilfe and World Vision (2010 2011)
· Have Published "Rural Disaster Preparedness - A tool kit for Field Workers" (156 pages) - in Bengali language (2005)
· Conducted several ENAs and coordinated ENA reports and Training reports including the most recent Uttarakhand floods in June-July 2013 (2009 2013) some of these as RedR India consultant
· Led the West Bengal team as a core member of the Sphere India / Plan supported Education in Emergencies Study (2011)
· Guided researches / studies done by students from Rabindra Bharati University (4) and Seattle University (8) since 2004 - 2013
· Dissertation Submitted: "Philosophy of Meaning".
· Dissertation Submitted: "Theology of Ecology- Ecology in Soteriological Dimensions".
· Prepared IEC Materials like leaflets, hand outs and audio cassettes for awareness building on disasters (Flood, Dengue, Diarrhea, Polio Eradication, Risk informed development planning)
· Helped 3 Oxfam India partners prepare organizational Emergency Contingency Plan in Bihar.
· Several documents as part of assignment as Team Leader, Uttarakhand Emergency Response, UNDMT
* Risk Profile of Bihar State using DevInfo system and several analytical papers for UNICEF India as Consultant, Disaster Risk Reduction