Carolyne Gasheri Kirimi
Nairobi
Summary
International Development Professional with 8 years of experience working with various donor funded organizations in thematic areas such as Agriculture, Climate Change, Health, Energy, WASH, Education, Civil Society Strengthening and Social and Economic Inclusion among others. Experienced at leading strategic partnership processes for donor funded organizations while leveraging on key skills in relationship building, resource mobilization, proposal development, critical thinking and team collaboration. Now, with a MSc International Development Degree from The University of Edinburgh, I am eager to bring my expertise and skills at The Alliance of Bioversity International & CIAT as a Partnerships Officer, Africa Region to lead the resource mobilization and partnership activities at the regional and country level
Overview
8
8
years of professional experience
Work History
Partnerships Coordinator
SNV Netherlands Development Organization
04.2022 - Current
- Led the partner mapping process for both new and existing partner. This helped the organization to identify mutual partners they can leverage on across the projects and avoid last minute decisions on partners to work with.
- Developed and maintained a consolidated database of all partners across the various projects in the organization for easy coordination and knowledge sharing.
- Worked closely with the Country Director to define the partnership process in SNV Kenya. Led a team of six experts comprised of the country management team and project advisors to refine the partners process in the organization, strategically positioning the organization to both partners and donors.
- Participated in the selection of consortium partners and led partner system checks ensuring alignment with the organization, project and donor requirements.
- Streamlined the partner onboarding process for partners through conducting partner system checks and due diligence checks for both consortium and implementing partners. Developed a new partner systems due diligence check with more streamlined checks and trained the project team on the same.
- Led the drafting of various contracts such as partner agreements, partner sub award agreements, grantees agreements for Small Investment Funds and MOUs for County Governments and Private sector. Ensured that donor contracts terms are reflected in the partner contracts.
- Supported the business development team by researching on prospect funding opportunities aligned with the organization. Coordinated the development of proposals through consolidation of technical information from the project advisors, ensuring on time submission of the proposals.
- Organized partner-focused events to strengthen relationships, exchange ideas, and share best practices among collaborators. This also helped the organization to meet strategic partners aligned to the organization long term mission.
- Supported the project manages with monitoring of contracts and relationships with partners, regularly reviewing health of the partnership, determining areas for discussion and improvement.
- Identified areas of organization improvement during partner systems checks ad supported with capacity building for the implementing partners.
- Ensured integration of Gender , Equality and Social Inclusion (GESI)at the Partners level through training and capacity building on GESI mainstreaming.
Regional Procurement and Partnerships Officer
Aga Khan Foundation East Africa
04.2020 - 02.2022
- Coordinated the procurement and contracting of goods and consultancy services for projects funded by USAID, GAC, EU, CIFF and FCDO. Ensured on time support for project procurements while ensuring compliance with specific donor requirements.
- Maintained a database for all partners in Aga Khan East Africa and developed strategies for engagement and knowledge sharing across projects.
- Drafted various contracts for the partners including MOUs and managed them from inception to close out.
- Supported with relationship management of partner contracts through monitoring performance and resolving any disputes between partners and project teams.
- Managed the contracting process for partners under USAID YETU Project while following specific donor guidelines for contracting and reporting.
- Standardized the procurement processes by reviewing the existing procurement manual and templates to identify any gaps and risks and share recommendations for the same such as adding approval thresholds and anti-fraud clauses that would make the manual more efficient for use.
Supply Chain Associate
One Acre Fund
11.2018 - 03.2020
- Successfully led the end-to-end procurement process of agricultural products (over USD 5 million) from planning and sourcing through delivery to warehouses across Sub Saharan Africa (Kenya, Tanzania, Zambia, and Malawi).
- Independently developed and maintained various supply chain plans and strategies such as staggered ordering, ordering for products early and storing them in cold storage facilities, locking prices with suppliers earlier on in the year and bulk purchases for non-perishable products.
- Successfully lead the Kenya country team towards restructuring the ordering strategy for tree seeds as well as signing long term agreements with suppliers. This reduced the need to hire casuals to repackage seed by 20% as well as reduced costs of follow up deliveries
- Successfully developed standardized Long-Term Agreements (LTA’s) and Service Level Agreements (SLA) for all key suppliers, service providers and other regional logistical providers.
- Successfully negotiated for returns and compensations clauses on all supplier contracts and thus saving the organization USD 10,000 that was previously spent on holding excess inventory and reimbursements to clients.
- Coordinated communication between internal departments and external partners, facilitating smooth execution of end-to-end supply chain activities.
- Maintained domestic and international supplies by coordinating with international contacts to source materials and manage distribution.
- Resolved issues through negotiations and led contract compliance and vendor performance reviews.
- Assisted in the development of risk management strategies, mitigating potential disruptions in the supply chain process.
- Implemented data-driven decision-making processes for better demand forecasting and inventory control.
Procurement Associate
One Acre Fund
11.2016 - 11.2018
- Successfully supported the sourcing and delivery of over 2000 MT of seed in Kenya through working with various suppliers as well as teams to ensure on-time delivery of seed. Responsible for planning and coordinating the sourcing and delivery of seed to all One Acre Fund warehouses in Kenya.
- Developed strong relationships with key suppliers, fostering long-term partnerships and securing favorable pricing agreements.
- Successfully provided training on supply chain processes, quality control and supplier relationships to the warehouse team which in turn enabled them to fulfill delivery of orders on time.
- Negotiated tentative and cost-effective agreements with suppliers for buy backs generating Ksh. 1.2M.
Education
Master of Science - International Development
The University of Edinburgh
United Kingdom11-2024
Bachelor of Science - Procurement And Supply Chain Management
South Eastern Kenya University
Kitui, Kitui District, Kenya06-2016
Skills
- Relationship Management
- Partnership Development
- Proposal Writing
- Negotiation
- Stakeholder Management
- Problem-Solving and analytical skills
- Team Collaboration
- Adaptability and Flexibility
- Effective Communication
- Critical thinking
- Strong planning and organization skills with a proven track record of meeting deadlines
- Ability to work well in a multicultural and multidisciplinary environment
- Exceptional attention to detail
Accomplishments
Commonwealth Distance Learning Scholarship |September 2022-Date
Awarded a Commonwealth distance learning scholarship to pursue an MSc International Development degree at The University of Edinburgh. The scholarship is funded by the UK Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office.
Languages
English, Swahili
Native language
French
Beginner
A1
Affiliations
- References are available upon request.
Timeline
Partnerships Coordinator
SNV Netherlands Development Organization
04.2022 - Current
Regional Procurement and Partnerships Officer
Aga Khan Foundation East Africa
04.2020 - 02.2022
Supply Chain Associate
One Acre Fund
11.2018 - 03.2020
Procurement Associate
One Acre Fund
11.2016 - 11.2018
Master of Science - International Development
The University of Edinburgh
Bachelor of Science - Procurement And Supply Chain Management
South Eastern Kenya University
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