Key skills and expertise

Bringing over 14 years of experience in international project management, the expert excels in education, training, and capacity building. Responsibilities have included managing EU-funded projects, coordinating joint police operations, and leading training courses across the Western Balkans. Career highlights include designing and coordinating a major police exercise in Southeast Europe and receiving a Knowledge Management Award in 2022. The expert is skilled in results-based project management, monitoring and evaluation, and has successfully implemented more than 30 training courses and 10 specialized e-learnings. Previously held roles include program manager and project manager.

Project experience and donor exposure

The expert has collaborated with the European Commission and GIZ in international development cooperation projects. Involvement includes project management, capacity building, and implementation of activities related to countering serious crime and border security. The projects, with budgets ranging from 240,000 to 830,000 EUR, were regional in scope, focusing on the Western Balkans and Moldova. The expert has been instrumental in transferring EU practices into border police services and managing joint police operations in countries such as Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Montenegro, North Macedonia, and Serbia.

Sectors and geographic focus

Worked across diverse projects involving sectors such as education, monitoring and evaluation, migration, training, border management, and institutional development. Roles have included program manager, project manager, and training specialist, with a focus on capacity building and project implementation. The expert's interdisciplinary expertise includes integrating EU practices into local governance and managing transnational crime projects. The geographic scope of work spans the Western Balkans and Southeast Europe, emphasizing regional security and development issues.

The expert has extensive geographic experience in the Western Balkans, including Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Montenegro, North Macedonia, Serbia, and Kosovo. Work has focused on border security, irregular migration management, and capacity building within local governance structures. The expert has coordinated joint police operations and training courses, demonstrating deep familiarity with regional development issues and cultural dynamics. Additionally, involvement extends to Austria, Bulgaria, Romania, Moldova, Croatia, and Slovenia, highlighting a broad understanding of Southeast European security and governance challenges.

Languages and education

With a background in language competence, the expert is a native Slovenian speaker and is fluent in English (C2) and Serbian (C1). Basic proficiency is held in German and Arabic, with the latter certified at A1 level by the Arabic Cultural Centre in Belgrade, Serbia. These language skills have been utilized in managing international projects and coordinating activities across multilingual teams in the Western Balkans and beyond.

The expert holds a Master of Arts in defense studies, with a specialization in irregular migration management, and a Bachelor of Arts in defense studies. Both degrees were obtained from the Faculty of Social Sciences at the University of Ljubljana, Slovenia.