Professional Experience Synopsis

Dr. Boukerrou has broad experience in project management, financial management, training program design, monitoring and evaluation, and partnership development as well as institutional and human capacity building including staff developments.  Dr. Boukerrou has extensive experience managing projects operations and finances in multiple settings and locations in the US and abroad.  In addition, Dr. Boukerrou has excellent partnership building skills leading to the development of successful and sustainable partnerships.

Dr. Boukerrou has excellent communication skills, a wide-ranging cross-cultural experience and an understanding of the private, non-profit, and academic environments.  He has very good technical writing and editing skills combined with and fluency in Arabic and French and elementary Spanish language capabilities.

These professional experiences have given Dr. Boukerrou a unique perspective on financial management, operations, human resources management as well as local and international development which allows him to efficiently and proactively perform in any position and to respond to supervisory needs and directions.  He has held a variety of managerial positions with private, non-profit, government, and academic institutions where he performed a variety of duties as indicated below.

Administration Management and Representation

  • Provided information and made relevant presentations to numerous stakeholders including local, state and national stakeholders.
  • Represented employer (FIU and past employers) at local, national, and international.
  • Lead or supervises research administration which includes proposal development, grant administration in addition to submission of progress reports and close out of awards in collaboration with office of research.
  • Provided guidance/expertise to staff members and ensured compliance with employer, state, and federal, policies and regulations.
  • Lead or supervised all business aspects (finance, human resources, IT, facilities, administrative services, and event coordination, etc.) for various organizations including procurement functions (service contracts, facility maintenance and asset management, etc.).
  • Prepared technical reports, semi-annual reports, annual reports, work plans, and monitoring and evaluation plans to inform or to meet contractual requirements.
  • Developed policies and standard operating procedures to guide the implementation of contracts and grants and overall business operations while keeping in mind compliance with local, state, national and in-country policies and regulations.
  • Managed state, federal, and international contracts and grants as well as private contracts from Fortune 500 companies and oversees private organizations.
  • Contracted and worked with sub-awardees from several countries.
  • Oversaw essential duties in emergency situations abroad.  Worked very closely with ORED during the political uprising in Burkina Faso to assess the situation, informed supervisor, and implemented an emergency plan with the option to relocate the office to another country, if necessary.
  • Served as point of contact/liaison between employer and USAID and other funding agencies while ensuring that requests from such agencies are met in a timely fashion. Worked closely with technical and administrative staff to ensure that all contractual requirements are met.
  • Efficient management of funding provided through cost saving.  Able to extend major grants and contracts reach with no additional funding.
  • Negotiated numerous awards and contracts with US government agencies (USAID, USDA), international organizations (IFAD, World Bank, Islamic Development Bank, etc.), and private entities both in the US and abroad.
  • Developed business and performance models and took action to increase sustained revenue streams to meet organizational objectives and sustainability.
  • Lead in the development and evaluation of various organizations portfolios through consulting missions.

Financial Management

  • Set financial and performance strategic goals and performance indicators in alignment with funding agencies goals and objective while considering the employer’s strategic plan/goals.  Worked very closely with employers to monitor progress.
  • Assessed program performance against budget and long-term strategy in many capacities (business owner, Vice President, Chief of Party, etc.).
  • Developed decision-making tools and systems to provide financial and operational information to funding agency Agreement Officers and employer senior leadership team.
  • Managed and oversaw all financial operations of several multi-million-dollar state and federally funded projects/programs while ensuring that the expenditures are aligned and consistent with approved planned program goals which included budget development, operations management, and approval of procurement and auditing of all expenditures.
  • Oversaw the design, implementation, and maintenance of the information technology infrastructure (servers, printers, etc.) and telecommunication networks (phone system, satellite communication system, etc.)..
  • Experienced in financial analysis and preparation of monthly, quarterly, and annual financial reports for internal use and submission to external funding agencies.
  • Identified and secured new funding opportunities from state, federal, in-country, international organizations for the implementation of research, training and education, and development assistance.

Human Resources Management and Development

  • Demonstrated leadership and team management skill in many capacities and various settings to reach or exceed expected goals.
  • Demonstrated communication and interpersonal skills and abilities, which have proven to be very useful in managing human resources and interacting with stakeholders in various settings.
  • Conducted professional staff development trainings.
  • Supervised up to 1,200 staff members either directly or indirectly.
  • Devised and implemented staff compensation schemes to reflect performance and budgetary constraints.
  • Identified and implemented professional development and trainings to improve the skills and knowledge of the administrative and technical staff.

Institutional and Human Capacity Building

  • Developed and implemented comprehensive institutional and human capacity building programs in various capacities.  More recently, as the WA-WASH Regional Director, implemented an extensive multi-year capacity building program for the benefit of several organizations in West Africa.
  • Developed and secured funding for an internship and scholarship program for the benefits of over 300 interns and 72 graduate students in West Africa.
  • Organized training programs in the US for participants from Africa, Asia, Europe, South America with funding provided by IFAD, USDA, USAID, UNEP, etc.

Partnerships and Funding

  • Raised funds from local, national, and international organizations to supplement funding provided by federal agencies.  Successfully obtained cost share contributions from various organizations
  • Collaborated with several colleagues both in the private sector, academia, non-profit organizations to prepare proposal, implement projects, and develop joint programs in the US and abroad.
  • Developed partnerships with various organizations both in the US and abroad to reach strategic goals and results.  Such partnerships have been very successful such as the WA-WASH Program which received recognition and an award from the President of Burkina Faso.