Muhammad Ullah

I am an international development and human rights programmes professional with over 12 years of work experience specialising in planning, monitoring, evaluation, learning, strategic development, and grants management. Holding a master’s degree in project management, I have worked on large multi sectoral programmes across Asia including in countries with fragile contexts. I have developed and implemented strategies, plans, systems, and tools and compiled donor and internal evaluation reports for projects and programmes covering issues of climate change resilience and environment, human rights, transnational and organised crimes, conflict prevention and gender mainstreaming. I have experience of working on small to large multi-sectoral programmes and projects funded by USAID, SIDA, ECHO, UNDP, EC, AusDFAT, AmplifyChange and DFID and many private foundations. I am skilled in Microsoft Office suite (MS Word, MS Excel, MS Power Point, and MS Project), SPSS, Primavera, and participatory research methodologies. I am currently working with Palladium-Make it Possible in its Bangkok, Thailand office.

Over the last 12+ years, I have worked with several international organisations, including Palladium-Make It Possible, FORUM-ASIA, Voluntary Service Overseas (VSO) International, and human rights and feminist movements such as Aurat Foundation in Asia. In these roles, I have demonstrated my leadership in driving strategic directions and vision setting, quality assurance and monitoring, evaluation & reporting standards for multi-sectoral and multimillion-dollar grants and built the capacities of individuals and staff in +10 countries. I have contributed significantly to the development, implementation, and reporting of small to large-scale grants, from $0.2 million up to $40 Million, on themes of human rights, democracy, poverty, climate change & environment, transnational crimes, and women empowerment. I have also served in mid to senior leadership positions and managed organisational and programme operations and transitions, especially in areas of multi-year strategy development, planning, monitoring & evaluation, and resource mobilisation efforts across sectors.

I have experience in the development, management, and monitoring of complex, multi-level, and multi-location large programme operations funded by donors such as USAID, AusDFAT, DFID/FCDO, Sida, and private and faith-based foundations such as OSF, Misereor, Bread for the World, AmplifyChange, and UN agencies, including UNDP and UNHCR. Additionally, I am tri-lingual and have experience working with diverse teams in remote and onsite office settings. 

In my most recent position at Palladium-Make It Possible, I have demonstrated my expertise in developing and adapting monitoring, evaluation, reporting, and learning strategies, plans, results frameworks, and trackers, tools, and user-friendly templates for effective implementation and adaptation of programmes and projects. I have proactively managed the collection, analysis, and utilization of an evidence base that underpins programmes and projects` adaptive approaches, including working with donors, implementing partners, and community groups to support them to include Monitoring, Evaluation, Reporting, and Learning in their programmes/projects. I have also led the development of reporting and compliance standards and compiled progress reports for a range of donors and other stakeholders, including executives/board members and government agencies.

I have also developed the Organisational Strategic Plan (2023-27) for FORUM-ASIA on themes of human rights, civic space, democracy, climate change, and environment, considering the organisation`s learning and contextual changes. I have served as part of the Senior Management Team (SMT) in the role of SMT Advisor to oversee FORUM-ASIA operation, especially in areas of fundraising and strategic planning. I managed to secure new grants worth $1M from USAID, $1M from a consortium of donors, and $2.5M from Sida and convinced donors for long-term funding instruments for the organisation.

I have Masters's in Project Management and certified in project management and specialised courses from institutions such as Humentum and Coursera. I am fluent in English, Urdu, and Pashto and have beginner-level proficiency in Arabic and Thai. I am skilled in results-based management and outcome harvesting strategies, and SPSS, Primavera, and Microsoft Office.