Maria-Jose Oomen Liebers Member

Areas of interest and expertise:

research, migration, gender equality, poverty analysis, employment indicators, local development, micro-credit programmes, monitoring & evaluation, international diplomacy, migrant protection

• +10 years of experience in interdisciplinary research, for international organizations, academia, civil society, and the public sector. 
• Relevant academic background – MSc in Public Policy and Human Development, with a specialisation in Migration Studies and MPhil in Social Anthropology in recognised universities.
• +8 years of progressively responsible experience in international development, including multilateral organizations, local government and academic institutions in Latin America, the Pacific, and Europe;
• Extensive experience in policy-relevant quantitative research focused on south-south migration flows, labour and gendered migration flows, employment conditions, SDG indicators, post-disaster relief indicators, development performance indicators, impact indicators, gender-based violence indicators, longitudinal studies, poverty indicators (Multidimensional Poverty Index, MPI) and progress indicators (Social Progress Index, SPI) violence against children indicators, among others.
• Knowledge of decentralization processes and local development, including the drafting and presentation of law proposals and amendments.
• Experienced in project/programme design, management, and monitoring and evaluation, and impact evaluation – focused on gender equality, women’s empowerment, violence against women, micro-credit programmes and schemes, and early childhood development.
• Extensive experience in qualitative research and analysis, ethnographic research, focus groups, participatory observation, and in-depth interviews.
• Sound expertise in grant and proposal writing, mainly for academic institutions and local government.
• Experience in facilitating and organising workshops and conferences – for academic institutions, international organizations, local government and high-level diplomatic fora.
• Dynamic change-maker with excellent leadership, multi-cultural communication, team-work and diplomatic skills.
• Ability to manage and supervise large teams, particularly under pressure and in crisis contexts (COVID-19 pandemic)
• Fluent in Spanish, English, and Italian. Working knowledge of French.