07/2022 - now
Fedasil - Federal agency for asylum seekers, Belgium
Director @Arrival Centre, Director a.i. Arrival Department
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_Oversee the day-to-day running of the Arrival Centre for Asylum Seekers in Belgium
_Ensure equitable access to services for Asylum Seekers (medical including mental health, social support, housing) and prepare for transfer to phase two centres after initial detection of vulnerabilities and strengths
_Leadership & Change Management: Spearhead organisational change by introducing a more efficient way of working by strengthening middle management (15+ middle managers) & decentralising decision-making through clear standard operating procedures
_Resource Management: drive a more flexible human resource management by redefining the profiles at each level that are best suited for a transit centre with a partially humanitarian mission (team of 200+ staff)
_Contribute to the Management Plan 2023-2024 of the new Arrival Department and the implementation of strategic priorities
_Boost partnerships and consolidate & harmonise practices among partners of the Arrival Department
_Lead on prevention and safety of staff and residents and on setting up feedback and grievance redress mechanisms
_Lead advocacy
_Ensure compliance (e.g. budgets, HR, tender)
_Collaborate with the European Union Agency for Asylum
_Contribute to the implementation of the Migration PACT and lead the development of the inter-agency medical screening and vulnerability detection procedures
IT Skills
MS Office
AutoCad
Microstation Powerdraft
3ds Max
SketchUp
CS Photoshop, Illustrator, InDesign, Lightroom, Premiere Pro
Monday.com (management APP)
Languages
English
French
Dutch
Urdu
Portuguese
09/2021 - 06/2022
UNHCR - The United Nations Refugee Agency, Geneva
Deputy co-lead of the Global Shelter Cluster
_Represented the Global Shelter Cluster (GSC) in key fora (such as the Global Clusters Coordination Group chaired by UNOCHA)
_Followed trends in the Humanitarian and Development sector and kept team members abreast
_Oversaw the GSC strategy review and the development of the new strategy
_Co-chaired the Strategic Advisory Group with the deputy co-lead from IFRC
_Enhanced partnerships
_Managed the grants (budget, reporting, partnership agreements), co-defined activities and coordinated implementing partners (with a focus on
climate friendlier shelter response)
_Supported Research and oversaw Advocacy and Communication
_Supported country-level clusters
_Liaised with UNHCR Regional Bureaus and Country operations
01/2020 - 08/2021
Catholic Relief Services - Global
Homes & Communities Strategic Change Platform​ Global Coordinator
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_Desiged the process and tools for the implementation of CRS’ vision 2030 on global and country level
_Evaluated and adapted organisational structure for the implementation of the strategy
_Trained and built internal capacity to increase understanding and engage in systems analysis, housing value chains and urban resilience
_Built internal capacity for Markets System Development
_Identified opportunities during the reconstruction and recovery phase to build resilience in the housing and services provision systems to increase disaster risk reduction
_Aligned the vision and strategy with the New Urban Agenda and contributed to Sustainable Development Goal 11 (Sustainable Cities and Communities) as well as the Global Shelter Cluster’s strategy
_Strived to make the Nexus approach effective in the housing and urban sector
_Federated practitioners, academia, governments, civil society and humanitarian actors around the Safe & Dignified Homes and Communities concept
_Piloted the new strategy in The Philippines, Indonesia, Bangladesh, Myanmar, Nepal, Sierra Leone, Uganda, Malawi
11/2019 – 12/2019
International Federation of the Red Cross and Red Crescent, Bahamas
Senior Shelter Cluster Coordinator – post-hurricane Dorian
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_Federated the shelter/housing reconstruction humanitarian and development stakeholders
_Guided the information gathering, analysis process and evidence-driven approach to reconstruction
_Led the Shelter Cluster strategy development
_Liaised with and increased the capacity of government institutions so their leadership role was strengthened in the reconstruction process
_Organised training on humanitarian and protection principles for non-traditional humanitarian actors
_Brought local civil society and front-line services providers and the private sector into the cluster
_Managed strategic communication with journalists, public institutions, donors, philanthropic organisations, etc., through various media (formal reports, maps, social media)
04/2018 - 09/2019
UNHCR - The United Nations Refugee Agency, DRCongo
Senior Shelter / Housing Cluster Coordinator – conflict, protracted displacement
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_Increased access to dignified housing for displaced persons and returnees
_Developed the sector’s strategy in a consultative manner
_Trained and strengthened humanitarian actors’ capacity for analysing local building culture, local markets, land issues and customary law, environment, inclusion (gender, people with disabilities), urban displacement and accountability
_Developed a common understanding of the housing value chain in DRC
_Worked on the humanitarian-development nexus
_Set up a monitoring system for the delivery of services by partners (indicators, data collection, dashboard)
_Increased funding for the sector (tenfold) and advocated through all media, including social media
08/2017 - 03/2018
UNHCR - The United Nations Refugee Agency, Lebanon
Shelter Officer - Urban strategy for increased access to housing and services for Refugees
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_Increased access to dignified housing and essential services for refugees
_Guided day-to-day implementation of Shelter programmes
_Strengthened the humanitarian-development nexus
_Devised the Area Based Approach through a consultative process
_Supported municipalities in responding to the protracted refugee crisis
_Advocated and mobilised funds
10/2016 - 07/2017
IOM - UN Migration, Central African Republic
Emergency Programme Coordinator
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_Spearheaded the emergency and recovery programme in a context of protracted displacement, growing pockets of return and dispersed conflict
_Enhanced existing and developed new data gathering and analysis tools to track population movement and developed products to support humanitarian, recovery and development programming
_Oversaw day-to-day programmatic, financial and technical aspects of emergency and recovery programmes
_Contributed to humanitarian, recovery and development programming (Humanitarian Response Plan, UNDAF)
_Supported decision-making in high-level humanitarian fora (HCT, UNCT)
_Identified new programme opportunities and developed project proposals targeting various donors
_Supported voluntary return and (re)integration of displaced persons through housing and community infrastructure provision
_Ensured compliance (e.g. budgets, HR, tender)
09/2014 - 10/2016
UNHCR - Central African Republic, Chad and Yemen
Senior Shelter and CCCM Cluster Coordinator
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_Federated Cluster partners around agreed upon strategies and fostered partnerships
_Assessed the needs for emergency shelter, NFI, CCCM activities as well as reconstruction of housing and settlements and developed strategies
and technical solutions
_Contributed to the Humanitarian Needs Overview (HNO), the Humanitarian Response Plan (HRP)
_Produced settlement / neighbourhood profiles to programme for return and reintegration of the displaced population
_Advocated and mobilised resources
_Supported local authorities in the reconciliation and recovery process as well as Housing - Land - Property related issues
_Set-up an information management system to effectively manage data and develop decision-making tools
_Negotiated humanitarian access with local power brokers and liaised with military forces
_Supported UNHCR’s programming and implementing partners, provided day-to-day technical inputs
06/2013 - 06/2014
Prime Minister’s Office – Unit for Construction of Housing and Administrative Buildings, Haiti
Senior Technical Advisor for Recovery, Housing and Urban Development
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_Provided technical inputs for the day-to-day implementation of recovery, permanent housing for displaced persons and slum upgrading projects (road infrastructure, universal access, essential services, housing and housing finance, land tenure, disaster risk reduction)
_Devised and advised on the mechanisms and tools needed to densify the existing urban tissue vertically and plan safe extensions of cities
_Liaised with activities in the sector of disaster risk reduction and provided support to community-based preparedness
_Supported data gathering and development of urban monitoring, analysis and information management tools
_Co-authored and supported the implementation of Haiti’s first Housing and Habitat Policy
_Coordinated the activities of donors, UN agencies and NGOs to align their efforts with the National Housing Policy and the regional and urban development plans in collaboration with the Resident Coordinator’s Office and OCHA
_Authored and implemented a plan to transit from emergency to development (e.g. scaling down the humanitarian cluster system, augmenting local capacity)
12/2012 - 02/2013
Humanitarian coordination mechanism for NGOs, Haiti
Housing and Urban Development Policy Analyst
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_Analysed Haiti’s first Housing and Habitat draft policy to achieve a better comprehension by humanitarian and development actors and identified implementation hurdles and opportunities
_Drafted recommendations for the implementation of the policy about durable solutions for displaced persons
_Analysed and mapped existing mechanisms, tools and actors who can support the implementation
_Produced guidelines to support owner-driven recovery and (re)construction of housing
_Advised the Unit for Construction of Housing and Administrative Buildings of the Prime Minister’s Office (reconstruction lead)
01/2012 - 05/2013
LATITUDE platform for urban research and design
Co-founder & Managing Director
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Urban development, recovery and displacement-related projects:
_Developing a framework for the reintegration of Haitian Field Staff to effectively contribute to the “relief–development” continuum - Preliminary research with Massachusetts Institute of Technology’s SIGUS Group on the effective reintegration of Haitian humanitarian staff in national public and private sectors. As well as reflecting on how to cope with the draining of national sectors’ human resources in favour of international organisations during large-scale humanitarian interventions.
Water management, disaster risk reduction and urban policy-related projects:
_Restoring the water cycle in the neighbourhoods of Brussels in collaboration with its inhabitants. These projects aimed to propose and test mechanisms and tools to restore the water cycle in the city to reduce flooding and encourage environmentally friendly urban development policies.
_Living With Water as a response to Climate Change in the Veneto Region. Research on how territories can be transformed starting from a number of water-related threats and opportunities. The main objective was to propose water management strategies to create more resilient territories.
Article: “Veneto 2100, Living With Water: from resistance to resilience”; co-authors: Vanin F., Ranzato M., ISSN 2051-1361
_Floating Urbanism. Research the morphology, development and future of water-based settlements in the Amazon River Basin (Brazil, Peru, Colombia) and the Lower Mekong Basin (Cambodia and Viet Nam). The objective was to give inputs for implementing the “Room for Water Policy” of The Netherlands adopted to respond to climate change challenges based on the lessons learnt from elsewhere.
10/2010 - 12/2011
UN-Habitat - secondment to the Ministry of Planning and Development Cooperation, Haiti
Urban Planning and Design Expert for post-disaster recovery
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_Supported the government of Haiti for strategic planning (5 regions, 18 cities, including the earthquake-affected urban areas)
_Designed and led the participatory planning process (consultation workshops, communication strategies, reporting, etc.) by including central and local authorities, residents, the private sector, youngsters, practitioners, the academic sector and various groups of civil society, including women’s associations
_Drafted technical plans
_Integrated and advised on slum upgrading, housing, return and reintegration projects for displaced persons
_Defined strategic projects as leverage for development
_Coordinated interventions on different levels (national, regional, municipal, neighbourhood and household level)
_Liaised with and advised on activities in the sector of disaster risk reduction
03/2010 - 07/2010
Doctors Without Borders - North-Kivu, Congo
Construction Manager for medical infrastructure
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_Executed construction and rehabilitation of medical infrastructure (design, tendering and works supervision)
_Recruited, trained and mentored staff (60 to 120 professionals at a time)
_Implemented water, sanitation and hygiene activities
_Organised the overall maintenance and logistics of the General Hospital of Masisi and regional health centres
_Managed budgets, contracts and reporting
_Liaised with the United Nations stabilisation mission in the DR Congo
_Ensured compliance (Budget, HR, tender)
08/2007 - 02/2010
Architecture Office Lowette - Brussels, Belgium
Civil Engineer-Architect
_Headed feasibility studies
_Designed projects for clients and competitions (housing, offices, large-scale workshops)
_Drafted tenders and bills of quantities
_Implemented projects and oversaw construction work
08/2003 - 07/2007
Vrije Universiteit Brussel, Belgium
Training Coordinator for international programmes
_Produced project proposals for funding for the “Scientific and Technological Information Management” training
_Coordinated the implementation of training programmes and provided technical support (trained over 120 professionals)
_Managed budgets, contracts and reporting
_Conducted monitoring, evaluation and learning activities