Sarah Unninayar

Senior Programs and Database Manager at English At Large
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Contact Information
Location
Greater Boston
Languages
  • Russian Professional working proficiency
  • Spanish Limited working proficiency
  • English Native or bilingual proficiency
  • French Elementary proficiency

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Julia Monaghan

I had the pleasure of working with Sarah for almost seven years while we were both at Pathfinder International. During this time, Sarah and I collaborated on a number of major projects--including initiatives to strengthen the quality and consistency of our capacity building portfolio, efforts to evaluate the effectiveness of a multimillion dollar performance-based financing portfolio, and in the leadership of a number of USAID proposals--including the recent $120M Transform: Primary Health Care program now funded by USAID in Ethiopia. Sarah is thoughtful and detail-oriented, and is great at critically examining a problem or an idea from a number of different perspectives, for example through GIS or a systems lens--meaning the work she leads is always comprehensive and multi-dimensional. Sarah is also just a wonderful team member--someone who you can count on to push through with you to a tough deadline, to help solve a complex problem, or to bring some pragmatism to a strategy or idea. She's a phenomenal colleague and I hope I have the chance to be on a team with her again!

Anna Tomasulo MA MPH

Sarah and I worked together at Pathfinder International over the course of a few technical publications. This work included travel, qualitative data collection, content development, and editing. I feel fortunate for every opportunity I had to work with Sarah. She is deeply collaborative, committed to delivering high-quality work, driven, and supportive of her colleagues and friends. I've consistently looked to Sarah for advice and as a role model at work. It has been such a pleasure to work with her and I hope that we will have the opportunity to work together again in the future.

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Experience

    • United States
    • Individual and Family Services
    • 1 - 100 Employee
    • Senior Programs and Database Manager
      • Jul 2021 - Present
    • United States
    • Higher Education
    • 700 & Above Employee
    • Program Manager, HaSET
      • Jun 2019 - Jun 2021

      • Manage an $11.3M portfolio of maternal and child health research grants in Ethiopia, with a $4.8M Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation grant awarded and four NIH proposals submitted during my tenure • Build a strong team culture of efficiency through process improvement related to meeting management, document organization, budget projection, and roles and responsibilities definition • In a start-up environment, develop and roll out project-specific human resources and administrative policies aligned across four host institutions in the US and Ethiopia • Engage in manuscript development, GIS analysis, and long-term strategic planning • Lead overall program management, including workplan development and oversight, budget projection and management, reporting, and funder and partner engagement • Supervise three direct reports in Boston and three dotted-line reports in Ethiopia; mentor student researchers Show less

    • United States
    • Education Administration Programs
    • 300 - 400 Employee
    • Senior Project Manager, Grants and Operations
      • Jun 2018 - Jun 2019

      • Managed a $17.4M Bill & Melinda Gates-funded umbrella project and 8 state-level support grants • Led reporting, budget forecasting, funder engagement, and proposal development for JFF’s postsecondary team, resulting in two new awards • Ensured compliance with JFF and donor regulations throughout project start-up, implementation, and close-out, including oversight of subaward processes and contracting with vendors • Supervised one direct report and manage groups of staff to complete discrete projects, such as an RFP process resulting in $560,000 in grants to 9 states • Conducted after action reviews, lead role clarification exercises and RACI development, and implement process improvements to streamline reporting and ensure on-time submission of donor deliverables Show less

    • United States
    • Non-profit Organizations
    • 700 & Above Employee
    • Senior Technical Advisor for Capacity Building and Geographic Information Systems (GIS)
      • Apr 2016 - Feb 2018

      • Spearheaded Pathfinder’s GIS initiative, formed an internal community of practice, and provided GIS support and training to projects in Bangladesh, Egypt, Ethiopia, Haiti, India, Kenya, Mozambique, Niger, Tanzania, and Uganda--through use of webmaps, graphics, static maps, and story maps• Conducted spatial analysis using project and demographic data to support proposal development and program learning • Co-managed the development of an award-winning mobile app and web portal for monitoring and documentation of compliance with US government regulations (family planning and environmental)• Served as interim operations manager for a multi-country Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation-funded project during start-up, encompassing partner coordination, workplanning, and onboarding new staff• Co-led the design and formalization of capacity building systems and tools for local implementing partners, as well as job aids and training for Pathfinder staff• Designed and implemented capacity assessment, development, and monitoring efforts for local partner organizations and governments in Bangladesh, Ethiopia, Haiti, and Mozambique, related to operations, financial management, M&E, and program implementation• Conducted qualitative and quantitative data collection and analysis on the impact of a performance-based grants program, leading to poster presentations and (pending) journal article publication• Served as the lead technical writer for USAID and privately funded proposals ($120M in funding), including co-development of technical narratives, management sections, and M&E plans Show less

    • Technical Advisor for Program Systems
      • Mar 2011 - Mar 2016

      • Provided project management support (backstopping and STTA) to projects in Bangladesh, Botswana, Ethiopia, Kenya, and Mozambique• Designed and launched a performance-based grant mechanism and data quality audit as part of Pathfinder’s portfolio of subawards, implemented successfully for 24 NGOs in Bangladesh• Developed standard program management systems and tools, including for project start-up and close-out, workplanning, reporting, budget management, and grants management• Developed and led domestic and international trainings on program systems and grants management • Designed, posted, and maintained content on the SharePoint-based Program Systems Electronic Manual• Supported development of Pathfinder’s Online Data System and cleaned data for import Show less

    • Web Content Developer/Editor
      • Jan 2009 - Dec 2010

      SUPPORT Project - Contracted through Checchi and Company Consulting, Inc. and the Louis Berger Group • Wrote and edited outreach materials including press releases, fact sheets, and talking points • Managed the USAID/Afghanistan website and coordinated a website upgrade/redesign • Supported and edited evaluations of USAID/Afghanistan projects and USAID policy documents • Coordinated publication printing, document translation, and map design • Supported the Afghanistan Information Management Service (AIMS) to translate and digitize Russian-made settlement maps • Planned high-level events, including the dedication of Afghanistan’s first national park, Band-e-Amir Show less

    • United States
    • International Trade and Development
    • 200 - 300 Employee
    • Program Officer, Global
      • Nov 2006 - Aug 2008

      • Created and managed a multi-faceted youth leadership program – CIPE’s first global youth initiative - Developed and ran an international internship program matching young professionals from developing countries with chambers of commerce across the US - Planned four international youth conferences; fieldwork in Afghanistan, Pakistan, and Romania• Trained two new staff members, and managed consultants, assistants, and interns• Oversaw the production of a series of studies on women’s business associations• Tracked projects and managed budgets using CIPE’s Grants Management Database • Wrote and edited USAID and National Endowment for Democracy (NED) proposals and reports Show less

    • Program/Editorial Assistant
      • May 2005 - Nov 2006

      • Edited proposals for USAID and NED; wrote and edited academic articles• Fulfilled USAID and NED project reporting requirements and monitored project budgets• Co-wrote CIPE’s Policies and Procedures Manual• Planned roundtables, conferences, and other events; made international travel arrangements • Wrote content for, designed, and laid out newsletters, annual report, and brochures

    • Ion Ratiu Library Fellow
      • May 2004 - May 2005

      • Maintained the department website, library, and course reserves• Created lesson plans on post-Soviet countries for primary and secondary school students

    • Library Assistant
      • May 2002 - May 2004

      • Created an Access-based online database of Russian-language fiction• Processed Russian language materials to be added to the library’s collection

Education

  • Georgetown University
    MA, Russian, Eurasian, and East European Studies
    2004 - 2005
  • Georgetown University
    BS, International Policy, School of Foreign Service
    2000 - 2004
  • Saint Petersburg State University
    Russian Language
    2002 - 2002

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