Senior Evaluation Specialist within a niche global consulting team providing high quality technical assistance to a range of clients along the research, design, monitoring, evaluation continuum, including support to strategic planning, community engagement, private sector engagement, business development, project management, development of monitoring and evaluation frameworks and training in knowledge management approaches. Clients have included the private sector, government agencies (local, state and national), UN agencies, development banks, leading international NGOs and local/indigenous NGOs. I bring extensive hands on experience and advanced capacity for problem solving ensuring flexibility and the capacity to quickly comprehend and address the unique context and needs of each individual client. This diverse experience across time, sector, organisation type and region ensures sophisticated appreciation of the ‘bigger picture’ and the perspectives, mind set, capacity and constraints of different stakeholder groups.

Core competencies include the ability to:

• blend experience with new ideas, ensuring approaches that are appreciative of current trends and practise, while also considerate of what is known to have worked – and not worked - in the past
• construct findings that are rigorously evidence based, while also being positioned with nuance within the specific context and information needs of different stakeholders
• utilise a toolbox of quantitative and qualitative evaluation approaches, and tailor to the unique context and needs of individual clients (including consideration of feasibility and efficiency of approaches)
• ensure approaches are reflective of cultural norms, while also ensuring active consideration of gender issues and inclusion of marginalised groups
• calibrate training approaches to existing capacity and the information needs of different client groups
• work inclusively and harmoniously with local staff to ensure ownership and confidence in approaches
• foster strong, mutually supportive teams
• build respectful and constructive relationships with key clients and key stakeholders

The umbrella under which the vast majority of my work sits is the resilience of rural communities. Areas of particular interest include value chain development, private sector engagement, rural employment, gender and strategies for knowledge management that bring genuine clarity to program performance.

In 2011, I completed a Masters of Assessment and Evaluation at the University of Melbourne, with the aim of further strengthening and consolidating my evaluation understanding and capacity. An impact of this study has been capacity for deliberate blending of qualitative and quantitative analysis into my work.