Summary
Overview
Work History
Education
Skills
Accomplishments
Certification
Languages
References
Timeline
Generic

Haifa BEN SAOUD

Https://www.linkedin.com/in/bensaoudhaifa

Summary

Project Manager and consultant with 12+ years of experience leading donor-funded initiatives in governance, economic development, social innovation, and community resilience. PMP and PMD Pro certified, skilled in planning, executing, and monitoring multi-stakeholder projects with international partners. Known for system thinking and a human-centered approach, able to bridge HQ strategy with field realities and translate complex visions into measurable outcomes. Experienced in engaging governments, civil society, and private sector actors across North Africa and international networks. Recognized for bringing structure, empathy, and impact to diverse, cross-cultural environments.

Overview

12
12
years of professional experience
1
1
Certification

Work History

Portfolio Director (U.S. State Dept.–funded portfolio)

FHI 360
Tunisia
11.2023 - 04.2025
  • Led execution and strategic oversight of 3 programs (health innovation, economic resilience/handicrafts, climate resilience), coordinating 3 cross-functional project teams and support staff (~30 people).
  • Acted as the HQ–field bridge, instituting weekly/monthly governance cadences, shared Smartsheet dashboards, and bi-monthly performance reviews to align delivery, risks, and decisions across donors, ministries, and HQ backstops.
  • Strengthened compliance (Tunisian labor/regulatory + USG rules): prepared audits, improved documentation controls, and standardized close-out checklists—ensuring clean handovers when a stop-work/termination was issued in 2025.
  • Built team capability (capacity-building + coaching): redeployed roles, clarified RACI, and mentored rising leaders; one direct report progressed from Coordinator to Senior Program Officer leading a team of 3.
  • Managed stakeholder relations with line ministries and national entities (Tourism/ONAT, Agriculture , Health and Higher education ), sustaining delivery through leadership gaps and organizational uncertainty.

Senior Program Officer – Economic Resilience (Handicrafts)

FHI 360
Tunisia
11.2020 - 11.2023
  • Re-designed post-COVID operating plan (workflows, KPIs, risk controls) and restructured the team (from 8 to 10) to restore velocity and quality; earned donor commendation after review.
  • Resolved a critical impasse with the Ministry of Agriculture, preventing project termination and unblocking implementation across partner networks.
  • Secured $800K supplemental funding by translating delivery data and outcomes into targeted strategic recommendations aligned with evolving donor priorities.
  • Supported the award/launch of a $5M health innovation program by covering end-to-end team leadership (9 months) while the COP focused on proposal and startup.
  • Catalyzed a $7M climate-resilience bid: mapped stakeholders, initiated 3 partnerships, and shaped proposal inputs (problem framing, learning agenda, implementation logic).
  • Protected/reactivated the early-phase research collaboration with Virginia Tech, establishing a new collaborative process with global HQ backstops to stabilize delivery.
  • Tools/approach: MS Project, Smartsheet, Waterfall + hybrid delivery, MEL co-design with the M&E team.

Freelance Consultant

COMMITT
11.2019 - 12.2020
  • Provided strategy, facilitation, and service-design support to NGOs and programs in healthcare, telecom, microfinance, and entrepreneurship.
  • Designed remote co-creation workshops (COVID period), prototyped training formats, and produced concise decision briefs for senior stakeholders.
  • Contributed to proposals and advisory work with UNDP Tunisia (freelance) and local partners; delivered 10+ workshops and trained 100+ participants in project management/design thinking.

Program Manager / Network Development (Entrepreneurship & Access to Finance)

Mercy Corps
Tunisia
06.2016 - 12.2019
  • Built a national network of local associations to fund entrepreneurs; negotiated with the Ministries of Finance/Industry/Employment and aligned with banks, MFIs, and international donors (AFD, EU, DFID, DCI Monaco, Hivos).
  • Secured €1M, 3-year financing to sustain and expand the network’s regional coverage; established simple MEL and reporting routines to track pipeline and outcomes.
  • Drove stakeholder coordination (public–private–civil society) and produced operational playbooks for partner onboarding and compliance.

Project Coordinator – Regional Youth Mobility (EU-funded)

We Love Sousse
Tunisia
09.2015 - 06.2016
  • Piloted delivery in Tunisia as consortium lead; managed cross-border partners in Algeria, Libya, Morocco; ensured contract compliance, planning, and reporting.
  • Coordinated events, stakeholder engagement, and knowledge-sharing across the network.

Project Officer – Oasis Sustainability (PACO3)

CARI / RADDO
09.2013 - 11.2014
  • Liaised with the Moroccan partner and French HQ; coordinated with partners in Tunisia, Algeria, Mauritania, Chad, Niger.
  • Managed timelines, partner deliverables, and documentation for capacity-building and sustainable resource-management activities

Education

Master of Science - Engineering & Technology Policy

National Engineering School of Tunis
07-2019

National Engineering degree - Electrical engineering

National Engineering School of Monastir
07-2011

Skills

  • Project and portfolio management
  • Planning and budgeting
  • Risk management and forecasting
  • Donor compliance
  • Contract management
  • Stakeholder engagement
  • Public sector collaboration
  • Private sector partnerships
  • NGO relations
  • Civil society engagement
  • Methodologies and tools expertise
  • MS Project proficiency
  • Smartsheet utilization
  • Waterfall and hybrid delivery methods
  • Participatory MEL design
  • Facilitation and training skills
  • Workshop design and delivery
  • Community consultation strategies
  • Cross-cultural dialogue facilitation
  • Strategic development planning
  • Proposal writing expertise
  • Fundraising strategies
  • Multi-actor partnership development
  • Sustainability planning initiatives
  • Cross-cultural leadership skills
  • Team management capabilities
  • Regional partner coordination

Accomplishments

  • International Visitor Leadership Program (IVLP) – Selected by the U.S. Department of State (2023) as one of Tunisia’s emerging leaders in women and entrepreneurship
  • Represented Tunisia at NY NOW International Fair, supporting artisans in bilateral contract negotiations with U.S. partners.

Certification

  • PMP® – Project Management Professional - July 2025

Languages

Arabic
First Language
English
Proficient (C2)
C2
French
Proficient (C2)
C2

References

References available upon request.

Timeline

Portfolio Director (U.S. State Dept.–funded portfolio)

FHI 360
11.2023 - 04.2025

Senior Program Officer – Economic Resilience (Handicrafts)

FHI 360
11.2020 - 11.2023

Freelance Consultant

COMMITT
11.2019 - 12.2020

Program Manager / Network Development (Entrepreneurship & Access to Finance)

Mercy Corps
06.2016 - 12.2019

Project Coordinator – Regional Youth Mobility (EU-funded)

We Love Sousse
09.2015 - 06.2016

Project Officer – Oasis Sustainability (PACO3)

CARI / RADDO
09.2013 - 11.2014

Master of Science - Engineering & Technology Policy

National Engineering School of Tunis

National Engineering degree - Electrical engineering

National Engineering School of Monastir

Similar Profiles

CREATE PROFILE
Haifa BEN SAOUD