Naved Mohammad

A seasoned and process-driven professional with Masters in Social Work (MSW) degree and 17 years of experience in program management, including over 14 years in Community-led WASH programming with INGOs and Multinational corporations, with around 1 year in humanitarian Emergency Response Covid-19 program management. Have well-rounded experience in strategic planning and execution, program design, and managing large-scale community outreach programs to improve access to health services, WASH in Emergency Response (Covid-19), training, etc.

Adept in establishing healthy relationships with Government agencies Ministries; business partners, donors, NGO partners, communities, Civil Society Organisations & like-minded organizations.

Have program management and grant-making experience in large-scale Rural WASH programs with administering grant sizes up to US$32 million from USAID; US$2 million WASH grant from Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation in collaboration with the State government on Faecal Sludge Management; AusAID (DFAT) WASH grant of AU$1.2 million for WASH advocacy program; around US$10 million Covid-19 emergency response grant from Project HOPE (U.S)/USAID & Other Pharmaceutical companies, projects with grant size of US$23,700 from International Commercial Banks for WASH project, and presently US$1.5 million grant from Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation for Gender, Equity, Disability and Social Inclusion (GEDSI) in WASH project with particular focus on Covid-19 impact. 

Resource mobilization, proposal & budget development on pressing issues (including Covid-19), grant pipeline development, strategy planning & implementation, undertaking due diligence process to identify new partner NGO or vendor (USAID & Non-USAID), Theory of Change (ToC) & program strategy development, log-frame, and Annual Workplan development, Annual operating plans, program management, government relations, Training module development, training execution & appraisal, SBCC strategy development and execution, budget management, Procurement, government relations, community relations, risk identification & mitigation, grant-making, grant management, strategic partnerships & stakeholder management, MERL, financial management, impact assessment, knowledge product development, best practice documentation, and people leadership are my forte.

Recipient of multiple awards for my outstanding performance in various organizations (Refer to Awards & Recognition section). Received scholarships from international organizations, such as WHO; UN-HABITAT & South Korean govt.; Gates Foundation; and The Dutch government etc. to attend technical training. I have published multiple papers, posters on WASH and made presentations at various international conferences, and attended technical training on WASH issues in the U.K, U.S, Europe, Africa, South Korea, Nepal, India, etc. 

CREA | Sr. Consultant, Gender & WASH project, funded by Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation | September 2021 ~ Present | Reporting to Sr. Project Director & Director

• Conduct a Formative assessment to develop a preliminary knowledge-evidence base about barriers, bottlenecks, and opportunities around the WASH ecosystem with an emphasis on the gendered dimension, inclusion, and impact of Covid-19 
• Undertake WASH Barrier Analysis with the special lens of Gender, Equity, Disability, and Social Inclusion of structurally excluded groups
• Steer and provide expert guidance on WASH and Gender dimension and overall program implementation
• Conceptualize and develop program strategy for implementation of Gender and WASH project and roll-out
• Develop a convergence plan involving CREA, BMGF, partners, and other identified groups 
• Finalize a training strategy, co-develop the training curriculum and modules on GEDSI in WASH for different stakeholders, and execute training programs for Gates Foundation partners, government, community, and other groups in the sanitation ecosystem 
• Develop and execute a blueprint for the Centre of Excellence (CoE) in alignment with CREA’s vision and mission to integrate the gender dimension into the current sanitation space. 
• Interface with partner organizations and other stakeholders such as government functionaries, departments, SHGs, and state technical units. Develop a plan for such engagement 
• Lead dialogue and collaboration with those involved in the successful monitoring and implementation of government mechanisms (with a gender and equity lens). Such collaboration may include documentation of good practice and/or demonstration of a pilot
• Contribute to the development of communication material on the subject to emphasize the gender and human rights issues - Develop knowledge product, a compendium of best practices, infographics, and IEC material aiming to integrate gender into the sanitation sector in India
• Inform the plan for documentation and collaborate with the MEL team for monitoring and evaluation of the project
• Deliberate on concerns of structurally excluded persons – PWD, TG, Dalits, migrants, religious minorities – any other – to be brought on board through engagement with activists and experts
• Position and represent CREA externally, nationally, and internationally as Gender in WASH leader

Project HOPE (U.S) | International Consultant for India | May 2021 ~ Dec. 2021 | Reporting to Director, Emergency Response (ER) & Senior Program Officer – Global Health in U.S; and India Country Lead in India

• Manage Project HOPE emergency response programs (end to end) through partner NGOs in India. The program components include Covid-19 - Emergency Response, health, map WASH issues, WASH response, Covid-19 infrastructure strengthening at government hospitals, emergency preparedness, campaigns and awareness generation on Covid Appropriate Behaviour, and Covid vaccination hesitancy, Covid vaccination drives, and leverage support from government from State Health Missions to meet vaccine demand, and Education in Emergencies (EiE) 
• Plan and organize training programs on WASH in Emergencies for varied stakeholders
• NGO Partner/Vendor selection – Undertake due diligence process & risk assessment, (USAID grant & non-USAID grant), onboarding of new partner, partner proposal & budget review process and finalization, and grant-making
• Work with the U.S finance team & India Country lead for grant agreement development and grant payments to partners, grant management
• Liaise with government (Centre & State), and Covid Nodal officers (bureaucrats) to seek their buy-in for COVID-19 Emergency Response programs
• Collaborate with Director, Emergency Response in U.S & India Country Lead in program strategy development and program execution 
• Financial and budget management – Manage Program budgets, grant-making process, wire transfer, audit compliance 
• Logistics administration, steer and supervise procurement process for equipment, and supplies during ER program
• Monitoring, Evaluation, Research & Learning (MERL), regular Touch-base with partner NGOs. Day-to-day management of partners and keeping track of the progress, monitoring visits, developing Situation Reports based on ground zero information
• Weekly updates meeting with the HQ team to review the progress and issues
• Quantitative & qualitative weekly and monthly reporting – Program & Finance for HQ, communication, success stories and data, best practices documentation, final project reports, and dissemination 
• Represent Project HOPE at different forums and meetings

Freelance Consultant – Social Development, NGOs | Self-Employed, New Delhi | Jun 2020 ~ April 2021 

Provide technical support to NGOs conceptualizing and developing social development project proposals on Community WASH, WASH in Health care facilities, Covid-19 emergency response and WASH, School WASH, and setting up KPIs, the result framework indicators for the projects 

Gap Inc./USAID India HQ, New Delhi, Program Manager – Sustainability & WASH | Aug 2018 ~ May 2020. | Reporting to the Chief of Party (in the U.S.) and Director - Global Sustainability (in India)

• Undertake research analysis, and baseline studies, develop heat maps to identify & locate strategic priorities, develop plans contributing to Gap Inc. global sustainability targets with a special focus on WASH
• Develop program strategy/Theory of Change for Women + Water Alliance, establish KPIs, and manage external evaluation for KPIs performance
• Develop strategic work plans, community engagement plans, partner convergence plans, and advocacy plans with partner NGOs, and execute projects focusing on rural water access, water quality, and security plan development. Support NGO partners develop & implement rural WASH projects in rural communities and ensuring the completion of program activities
• Conduct a due-diligence process to select new community-based NGO partners, follow USAID’s SoPs, guidelines, and due diligence procedures, risk assessment interviews, make partner selection memos, review existing partners’ performance, develop a risk mitigation plan 
• Manage sub-awards/investments and funding processes (grant-making), and grant administration. Support contract management process
• Support Centre of Excellence (CoE), formed under Gap Inc. & Arvind mills Ltd. WASH partnership, and other water stewardship & sustainability initiatives of Gap Inc. 
• Drive implementation of gender-sensitive & inclusive WASH governance program called “Women + Water Alliance” (global USAID Cooperative Agreement to Gap Inc.) through implementing NGO partners (WaterAid, CARE, Water.org, and ISC), evaluation NGO partners (ICRW & i4DI) partners, and system partner (Goodera), and external stakeholders, such as government agencies, business partners, communities, etc. and capture impact and disseminate learnings 
• Drive implementation of Gap Inc.'s life skill development flagship program for girls and women called P.A.C.E. in rural communities. The program aims to inculcate among girls the agency to negotiate, decision-making, problem-solving, WASH awareness
• Steer Gap Inc. WASH private sector investment initiatives in the supply chain – Business case for WASH 
• Explore & co-develop innovative financing & other opportunities with partner NGOs to meet the WASH needs of the communities, such as credit financing, blended financing, PPP financing model, etc.   
• Identify capacity-building needs & lead training program initiatives through the partner organization on WASH
• Monitor & audit program performance & quality control through regular touch-base meetings with partners and vendors, field monitoring visits, and timeliness of program deliverables to satisfaction. 
• Review partners’ budgets and quarterly spending for compliance, allocability, and reasonableness for compliance and risk mitigation.
• Tracking and reporting on budget, working with Gap Inc. finance team in San Francisco for reallocation & single audit 
• Forge strong relationships within Gap Inc. & external stakeholders. 
• Led government engagements at the National Ministry & State government departments for execution of the Women+Water Alliance program with the support of government flagship programs. Developed a long-term government engagement strategy for W+W Alliance. 
• Lead reporting compliance - Ensuring partners adhere to donor guidelines and Gap Inc. guidelines both for consistent reporting, developing reporting tools & make the final submission of high-quality reports to USAID.
• Provide regular program & financial performance & impact updates to the Senior Leadership Team of Gap Inc. in U.S HQ
• Collaborate with communication manager in communication strategy development process, content curation guidelines, ensuring partner NGOs follow communications strategy, branding & marketing guidelines, and develop communication assets, infographics, stories of change, and knowledge products to maximize social impact

WaterAid U.K in India Country Office, New Delhi, Project Manager (Project Lead) | May 2014 ~ Jul 2018 | Reporting to Director – Program & Policy

• Contribute to the development of ‘WaterAid India country strategic plan’
• Accountable to provide visionary leadership and steering strategic direction, and ensuring WaterAid policies are translated by NGO partners to successfully implement WASH development programs, supported by different donors, such as BMGF, DFAT (AusAID), USAID, International banks, and WaterAid U.K. unrestricted funding
• Develop program strategy, prepare multi-year program budgets (MPB), Annual Operating plan & budget, review budget burn rate, and re-forecasted budgets 
• Lead in providing oversight, technical direction, and implementation of strategies to ensure successful implementation of annual programs 
• Supervise technical processes, that is Tender processes – Detailed Project Reports (DPRs), Bills of Quantities (BOQ) & Bills of Materials (BOM) for WASH infrastructure 
• Identification of new NGO partners/vendors, review current partnerships, conduct due-diligence process, document review Agreement/contract development & management with the support of the finance team 
• Review NGO partners’ proposals and budgets, support partners to better align their proposals with WaterAid’s annual operating plan, and make a recommendation to WaterAid India SMT for review and approval. 
• Grant-making & administration, grant management, contracts, donor management & donor reporting. 
• Strategy planning seeks stakeholders' buy-in (Govt. & Community) in the project to ensure long-term sustainability, scalability, and replicability of the project outcomes.
• Ensure agreed deliverables are accomplished in a given timeframe and progress is assessed against project result framework indicators/Key Performance Indicators (KPIs).
• Empowering & developing the capacities of the team members & different stakeholders – partners, govt. officials, and community members.
• Supervise SBCC strategy and related IEC development process for the WASH program 
• Prepare Monitoring and Evaluation plan & tools with the support of the KLM team, and undertake monitoring visits at partners’ projects by using a result-based management approach, review expenditures with the finance team. 
• Manage monthly, quarterly progress cum impact reports, semi-annual reports, MIS, etc. & dissemination of learning.
• Represent organisation on National & International development sector platforms and foster relationships with sector stakeholders & develop partnerships
• Collaborate with finance and admin team to discharge the role related to program finance and administration 
• Provide regular progress overview to Director - Program & Policy to further update WaterAid India board members.
• Team management - Provide leadership, strategic direction, and day-to-day management for high-performance team members. Manage recruitment, train recruits, mentor & coach team member, conduct an annual appraisal
• Lead marketing communications like Website/Content development for websites and publications, video & photo documentation, process documentation, case studies, social media blogs, branding, knowledge products, etc.

ChildFund International (U.S), New Delhi, ‘Partner Support Coordinator – North’ and ‘Team Leader’ | Jun 2011 ~ May 2014 | Reporting to Director Program Implementation

• Providing strategic direction to partner NGOs for various child-centric community development programs focusing on Mother & Child Health, WASH in a humanitarian setting, Early Child Care & Development, education, livelihood and skill development, SHGs, and Microfinance, while ensuring compliance
• Provide overall operational leadership in strategic planning, developing project design, operating plan & budget, undertaking proposal & budget review process & provide budget allocation recommendation to Senior Management Team (SMT). Oversight of the grant-making & administration of annual $2 million unrestricted funding, and program management of 11 NGO partners spread across North India 
• Identification, selection & finalization of new partners, undertaking the due-diligence process, reviewing documents, and developing a partnership exit strategy
• Undertake overall leadership & oversight function to ensure effective implementation of government-funded project Mission Convergence – SSSK, social security schemes entitlement project for marginalized people
• Undertake monitoring visits to review partners’ programs, and finance, identify critical risks and provide direction to partners for course correction
• Provide technical direction to partners in mapping issues, developing, and executing awareness campaigns & interfaces
• Facilitate Internal audit, third party audit, and assurance audit from ChildFund U.S. office
• Undertake a training-need assessment of partner NGOs, develop training modules/curriculums, and impart training. Also generate high-quality program reports, documentation of best practices, success stories, and content writing for the newsletter, etc.
• Lead a team of mid-senior level professionals comprising 11 members, inspiring and coaching them from time to time.

National Institute of Public Cooperation and Child Development (NIPCCD), Government, New Delhi, Project Officer – ICPS | Nov 2010 ~ Feb 2011 | Reporting to Additional Director NIPCCD, GoI

Responsible for developing training curricula/syllabi, modules, manuals, and other IEC materials on Integrated Child Protection Scheme (ICPS). Organize national & regional level training programs and consultations with principal magistrates, and police personnel on their roles in ICPS. Facilitate data collection for national-level research studies on Juvenile Justice Indicators.

International Youth Centre, New Delhi, Program Officer | Apr 2007 ~ Oct 2010 | Reporting to Senior Program Officer

Design & manage Youth and community development programs, child Education programs, WASH programs, Entrepreneurship Development Programs for Youth, skill development & livelihood training, etc. I was responsible for NGO partner selection, grant-making, grant management, program management, managing reporting, and day-to-day management for various activities related to training & development programs for Youth at the pan India level.

Rajiv Gandhi Foundation, New Delhi, Program Assistant | Oct 2006 ~ Dec 2006 | Reporting to Senior Program Officer

Conceptualize and develop programs for the welfare of disabled persons. Facilitate grant applications review process, support SPO in the grant-making process, coordinate with corporate donors, implementation of ongoing programs focusing on improving the accessibility to a disabled person and improved WASH services, conduct monitoring visits, and prepare reports.

Navjyoti India Foundation, New Delhi, Program Coordinator | Jul 2005 ~ Oct 2006 | Reporting to Program Manager

Leadership and manage various programs - Child Education, Remedial Education, Adult education, Health, Vocational Training, skill development, and WASH awareness program in Delhi slum colony, supported by MSDF, CIF, HP Foundation, Room to Read and Social Justice Department of Govt. Responsible for liaising & influencing the Govt. Schools, and preparing monthly reports & MIS.

Academics:

• Masters in Social Work (MSW) in 2005. 
• B.Com. (Hons.) in 2002. 
• Diploma in Computer Application, certificate course (MS Office, internet), in 2003.

Training/Workshop/Conferences/Seminars attended

• Water & Health Conference (Where Science meets policy), The Water Institute, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, North Carolina, United States, 29 Oct. ~ 02 Nov. 2018.
• Successfully completed Short Course on “Faecal Sludge Management”, at IHE DELFT, Netherlands, 02 ~ 20 July 2018. 
• “40th International WEDC – Water, Engineering and Development Centre, Conference” at Loughborough University, United Kingdom, 23 ~ 28 July 2017.
• Successfully completed the training course, “International course of Integrated Urban Water Management and Sanitation 2015”, jointly organised by UN-HABITAT & International Urban Training Centre in Gangwon Province, Republic of Korea.
• Training on “Sanitation Safety Planning” conducted by WHO, SEARO, 16 ~ 19 Aug. 2016.
• “WASH in School (WinS) leadership Course” organized by UNICEF and Administrative Staff College of India (ASCI) in New Delhi.
• 4th International Faecal Sludge Management (FSM) Conference” Chennai, India, 19 ~ 23 Feb. 2017.
• Training workshop on Gender, Social Equity, and WASH, organised by WaterAid, 15 ~ 17 Jan 2018. 
• “People’s SAARC”, Kathmandu, Nepal, in 2014, to amplify the voices of CSOs on the WASH agenda at the SAARC Summit.
• Successfully completed “Training Program on Achieving Universal Urban Sanitation” organised by Administrative Staff College of India (ASCI), Hyderabad, Telangana, 14 ~ 16 March 2016.
• “Non-profit Management Foundation”, certificate course, facilitated by Leslie Crutchfield, Advisor philanthropy, LinkedIn Learning (May 2020).
• “Grant Writing”, certificate course, facilitated by Karl Kapp, Scholar & writer, LinkedIn Learning, June 2020.
• Training on “Grant and Financial Management” by “mango – UK” - (March 2016).
• Successfully completed “Partnership in the Practice training course” organised by ‘Partnerships in Practice, UK’. 
• Successfully completed the “Professional Development Programme (PDP)” hosted by The Oxford Group - UK. To create the foundation of excellent management skills & competencies by developing people, performance, and change management skills.
• Successfully completed Training on “FCRA, Taxation - Service Tax & Income Tax for NGOs by AccountAid.