Jonathan Nasonaa Zakaria
Social Development Practitioner
Tamale
Summary
Proficient project management expert with over ten (10) years of experience and success in providing high quality programmatic and technical leadership assistance to program teams and government partners at both the national and sub-national levels to successfully design and manage development programs and projects. Experienced in implementing donor-funded including USAID projects in Ghana. Exceptional strengths in planning, building partnerships and professional relationships, efficient management of resources and staff development. Confident in handling tasks independently and in teams, exhibits multi-tasking and effective communication skills whiles consistently dedicated to motivating teams to achieve desired results within specified timelines.
Overview
19
19
years of professional experience
Work History
Regional Coordinator; Partnerships & Programs
Global Communities
03.2022 - Current
- Provides overall responsibility for the planning, implementation, documenting, and reporting of all COVAX project activities in Northern, Upper East and North-East regions of Ghana.
- Oversees the preparation of work plans and budgets, support implementation, and monitors adherence to approved work plans and deliverable schedule by government partners
- Manage regional financial budgets effectively to achieve project targets with optimal financial commitments for the regions.
- Coordinates regular physical and virtual technical knowledge and experience sharing / review and learning meetings with the government teams, development partners and other relevant stakeholders
- Promotes partnerships, implementation strategies, and ensuring adherence to USAID program and financial requirements.
- Provides technical assistance to the implementing partners, district officers, and the field teams on effective programmatic and administrative functions including monitoring, learning and reporting processes.
- Supports capacity building of program officers and teams, and provides technical assistance and backstopping on program implementation
- Establishes and maintains relevant partnerships with government departments, development partners and other stakeholders for the successful implementation of the project
- Conducts regular field monitoring, evaluation, assessment and learning trips to track performance and support project improvement strategies
- Coordinates donor visits, compiles success stories / project impact reports and other narratives.
- Ensures efficient utilization of funds in compliance with donor financial management policies and other related guidelines
Program Specialist
The World Bank
07.2019 - 11.2021
- Provided technical and programmatic assistance to the Ghana’s Ministry of Gender Children and Social Protection in the implementation of the Livelihoods Empowerment Against Poverty (LEAP) program to address poverty and inequality.
- Supported the development of program work plans and budgets
- Coordinated activity implementation, monitoring, and the delivery of quality and timely results and reports.
- Enhanced program efficiency by streamlining processes and implementing innovative strategies.
- Supported the ministry to organize policy review engagements, stakeholder discourse and Technical Working Group meetings with relevant stakeholders.
- Established a robust system for tracking and reporting on key performance indicators, allowing for a data-driven approach to program enhancements.
- Coordinated training sessions for staff on new tools and promoted a culture of skill development within the government LEAP management team.
- Led in developing field visit tools and protocols for program teams and partners, coordinated field monitoring trips, facilitated monitoring data collection, analysis and compilation of field reports
- Designed and implemented monitoring and evaluation systems to track progress towards desired outcomes.
- Coordinated weekly and monthly (physical and virtual) review meetings with various teams to provide updates on implementation progress, promote shared learning, discuss emerging challenges and resolution strategies as well as build staff capacity
- Natured and maintained positive working relationship with the ministries, agencies, development partners and other stakeholders for successful management of the project.
Senior Research Coordinator
University of Ghana
09.2018 - 06.2019
- Successfully managed teams and coordinated the implementation of a UNICEF-funded international research on Time to Teach in the Northern Sector of Ghana
- Relevant contribution and successes include the following
- Facilitated the development of research protocols and ethical principles, and managed the ethical approval processes
- Facilitated capacity building of research teams on the research protocols and ethical principles, and ensured adherence to agreed protocols and principles in the data collection processes
- Coordinated the selection and training of enumerators and supervisors on the data collection tools and processes
- Supervised teams and coordinated the smooth and efficient day-to-day operation of the research and data collection activities and addressed emerging challenges
- Coordinated logistics and other administrative assignments for the success of the project
- Managed budget to meet financial objectives for spend rate and funding.
- Supported the compilation of daily, interim and final reports for the research to meet the standard requirements of the donors
- Facilitated routine updates meetings with relevant stakeholders
- Served as the primary administrative point of contact for data collectors and as the principle operational liaison for research subjects in the operational communities
- Monitored the progress of research activities in the field and prepared periodic reports as required
- Resolved emerging challenges, improved operations and ensured successful and timely completion of the project.
Program Officer
UNICEF
01.2015 - 08.2018
- Led in providing technical and programmatic assistance to ten (10) districts in Northern and Upper East regions of Ghana to successfully plan and implement the USAID-funded LEAP1000 program in Ghana
- Provided programmatic, operational and technical support to program staff and MMDAs to plan and implement project activities as well as monitor project progress to ensure achievement of targets
- Coordinated leadership and capacity building for districts government teams and other stakeholders in the implementation of the program
- Maintained detailed documentation on all aspects of the LEAP program, creating an accessible knowledge base for future reference.
- Coordinated inter-sectoral partnerships with other sectors as well as led in the integration of cross-cutting themes into the program deliveries
- Coordinated the planning of regular review sessions with government, development partners, CSOs and other key stakeholders to share project progress, analyze and respond to emerging challenges.
- Developed and maintained good partnership with allied organizations and stakeholders including USAID-funded SPRING and RING projects to enhance project effectiveness and avoid duplication.
- Conducted regular field trips to monitor and provide on-site technical and programmatic assistance to the implementing MMDAs, and to collect data to measure progress towards addressing vulnerabilities.
- Coordinated the field level operations of a mixed method, longitudinal research and evaluation of the project.
Programs Manager
Children Believe
05.2010 - 01.2015
- Managed the national program team and provided technical, programmatic and advisory support to five (5) Civil Society Organizations (CSOs) to design and implement integrated development programs on livelihoods, education, health and Water, Sanitation and Hygiene activities in 15 districts in northern Ghana
- Coordinated the process of the development of a six-year strategic plan and budget forecast for the Ghana Country Office and all five implementing partner organizations.
- Leveraged technology tools for enhanced project tracking, reporting, and information sharing among team members.
- Facilitated the development of country office and partners annual, quarterly and monthly operational plans, budgets and reports ensuring consistent compliance with donor program and financial requirements, policies and procedures.
- Coordinated annual and quarterly review meetings with implementing partners and key stakeholders to share implementation successes, challenges and lessons learnt as well as review work plans to achieve set targets.
- Provided technical support and coaching to program partners in the design and formulation of fundraising ideas, documentation of concept notes, proposals, and networking.
- Improved program efficiency by streamlining processes and implementing cost and time-saving solutions and promoted staff buy-in of new initiatives.
- Led in the compilation of donor reports including human-interest/success stories on the impact of the program on the lives of deprived children and their families
Programs Coordinator
Tuma Kavi Development Association
04.2005 - 04.2010
- Led a ten-member program staff in the design and management of Canadian-funded integrated development programs on WASH, Education; Health & Nutrition and Youth & Women’s Empowerment programs in Northern Region of Ghana
- Successfully recruited staff, effectively managed team dynamics and managed staff performance
- Coordinated the efficient management of project resources and ensured that program staff used the appropriate systems and available resources to maximize productivity
- Coordinated cross-functional teams to ensure timely completion of program deliverables, maintaining project schedules and meeting objectives.
- Coordinated the identification of staff capacity needs, promoted individual talents development and supported staff capacity building to enhance performance
- Successfully facilitated regular program team meetings to track performance and address immerging challenges.
- Implemented evaluation tools to measure program effectiveness, utilizing data-driven insights for continuous improvement.
- Supported the development of Medium-Term Development Plans
- Partnered with MMDAs to conduct community needs assessments in all partner communities and supported communities to develop their community development plans
- Facilitated routine participatory review sessions with community leaders, District Assemblies and other relevant stakeholders
Education
M.Phil. Peace & Development Studies -
University of Cape Coast, Ghana
B.Sc. Agricultural Technology - undefined
University for Development Studies
Certificate in Project Planning & Management - undefined
Ghana Institute of Management and Public Administration
Skills
Timeline
Regional Coordinator; Partnerships & Programs
Global Communities
03.2022 - Current
Program Specialist
The World Bank
07.2019 - 11.2021
Senior Research Coordinator
University of Ghana
09.2018 - 06.2019
Program Officer
UNICEF
01.2015 - 08.2018
Programs Manager
Children Believe
05.2010 - 01.2015
Programs Coordinator
Tuma Kavi Development Association
04.2005 - 04.2010
M.Phil. Peace & Development Studies -
University of Cape Coast, Ghana
B.Sc. Agricultural Technology - undefined
University for Development Studies
Certificate in Project Planning & Management - undefined
Ghana Institute of Management and Public Administration
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