Zahra Batool
Islamabad
Summary
A dedicated and compassionate, experienced Project Management and MEAL officer with 8 years of experience in providing project support, monitoring and evaluation, protection, advocacy, and support for vulnerable populations in crisis settings. Skilled in assessing and addressing the needs of displaced persons, refugees, and other at-risk groups, with expertise in international humanitarian law, human rights, and emergency response coordination. Demonstrates strong analytical and communication skills in managing complex protection cases, advocating for policy changes, and facilitating access to vital services such as legal aid, shelter, and healthcare. Proven ability to work effectively in high-pressure environments, with a deep commitment to promoting the rights and well-being of individuals affected by conflict and displacement. Fluent in Dari, English and Urdu Languages and experienced in cross-cultural communication, ensuring sensitivity and respect for diverse cultural contexts.
Experienced with customer interaction and support through varied communication channels. Utilizes problem-solving skills to address and resolve customer concerns promptly. Knowledge of call center software and protocols, ensuring efficient and effective service delivery.
Overview
10
10
years of professional experience
1
1
Certificate
4
4
Languages
Work History
Call Center Assistant (Protection Assistant)
UNOPS
07.2025 - 09.2025
- Call Handling (Inbound & Outbound) Respond to incoming calls; make outbound calls when needed Provide callers with accurate and timely information.
- Data Entry & Record Keeping Take clear, concise notes of each call (caller notes) in required languages (often English + local languages). Maintain databases / information management systems.
- Sensitivity, Confidentiality & Protection Standards Treat callers with empathy, dignity, neutrality, respect, taking into account vulnerability, protection needs, etc. Adhere to confidentiality / data protection principles. Use protection standards as trained or advised.
- Escalation / Referral Identify urgent, critical or distressing cases, and flag them to supervisors or relevant protection partners. Use scripts / guidance, but when enquiries fall outside those, refer to higher level/supervisor.
- Quality Assurance, Training & Improvement Attend regular briefings, meetings, quality assurance/performance improvement sessions. Flag information gaps; suggest improvements in process, scripting, data handling.
- Working with Scripts / SOPs / Guidance Documents. Use developed intake forms, guidance notes, standard operating procedures (SOPs) during call handling. Ensure consistency with humanitarian / protection policies.
- Communication & Liaison Liaise with supervisors and other operators (or protection teams) to relay information, coordinate on referrals or follow-ups. Possibly interact with communities, partners, authorities, depending on the protection context. (Sometimes more relevant for Protection Assistants rather than purely callcentre roles.)
- Language Skills & Cultural Sensitivity Understanding of local context, culture, especially for protectionrelated issues. Implicit in many job descriptions
- Delivered exceptional customer support by addressing inquiries and resolving issues, enhancing overall client satisfaction and retention.
- Collaborated with team members to streamline communication processes, resulting in improved response times and operational efficiency.
- Utilized CRM software to document interactions and track case resolutions, ensuring accurate record-keeping and follow-up actions.
- Mentored new team members on best practices in customer engagement, fostering a collaborative and knowledgeable work environment.
Senior Project Assistant IAAP Protection
UN-IOM
11.2023 - 03.2025
- Inclusion & Accountability to Affected Populations (AAP) Implement AAP activities related to Resettlement Support Centers (RSCs): ensuring that protection, inclusion, and AAP standards/guidelines are upheld. Spearhead initiatives to promote meaningful and sustained inclusion of marginalized groups (elderly, people with disabilities, gender & sexual minorities, etc.). Review and advise on accessibility of facilities & services; ensure that activities and environments are inclusive.
- Case Management, Document Collection, Data Collection, Applicant's Biometric collection and Referrals.
- Informed visitors about the documents needed, regulations and procedures, timescales, etc.
- Informed and answered requests by e-mail, telephone
- Received and examined documents presented
- Question/guide/advise/help the visa applicant with procedures
- Conducted relevant interviews (for example, marriages of convenience; Child Protection in Urdu, English and Dari)
- Registered files in the software START indicated and according to the rules in force y US.
- Informed the applicant of the outcome of his application process and further what to do.
- Issued Certificates for medicals and travels. or other documents required by the applicant.
- Complaint & Feedback Mechanisms (CFMs) Manage or strengthen CFMs: ensure that feedback/complaints from beneficiaries are collected, processed, responded to, and tracked. Establish multiple channels for feedback; ensure transparency and Effectiveness.
- Vulnerability & Special Cases / Expedited Processing Liaise on vulnerable individual cases (children, persons with special needs, survivors of SGBV, etc.) Oversee or assist with expedited processing of refugee cases, where urgency demands faster processing. Maintain databases & SOPs for expedite cases.
- Child Protection & Best Interest Assessment / Determination Support screening processes for minors; ensure Best Interest Assessments (BIAs) / Best Interest Determinations (BIDs) are carried out properly. Facilitate documentation, counsel minors, ensure childfriendly processes and spaces.
- Monitoring, Reporting & Tools Development Monitor implementation of inclusion & protection tools and standards; collect, analyse, and report feedback, data, and performance metrics. Provide regular reports to management; flag issues, bottlenecks, gaps; suggest improvements. Contribute to development or updating of SOPs, guidance materials, and tools.
- Training & Capacity Building Train staff (including new hires / stakeholders) on inclusion, protection, feedback mechanisms, dealing with vulnerable populations, etc. Ensure staff understand and are able to apply protection / inclusion standards.
- Coordination & Liaison Coordinate with other IOM units (Protection, Compliance, Operations) and external partners (NGOs, government authorities, etc.) to align on protection / AAP measures. Participate in working groups, meetings, share best practices & lessons learned. Ensuring Accessibility Assess the physical, procedural, and informational accessibility of facilities & programming for all groups. Address barriers.
- Confidentiality, Data Protection & Ethical Conduct Maintain confidentiality and integrity of all paperwork, case information, and data. Adhere to data protection / privacy standards. Ensure staff behaviour, feedback handling, etc., comply with relevant ethical guidelines and codes of conduct.
- Coordinated multi-stakeholder meetings to streamline project timelines, enhancing collaboration and project delivery efficiency.
- Developed comprehensive project documentation, ensuring compliance with regulatory standards and improving operational transparency.
- Led capacity-building workshops for field staff, fostering skill development and improving project implementation effectiveness.
- Managed project budgets and resource allocation, optimizing financial oversight and ensuring timely project completion.
- Mentored junior project assistants, providing guidance and support to enhance team performance and project outcomes.
- Assisted in the development of strategic project proposals, contributing to successful funding applications and project expansion.
- Supported senior management in strategic decision-making by providing well-researched insights into market trends and competitor analysis.
- Implemented risk mitigation strategies to minimize potential negative impacts on project timelines and budgets.
- Reduced project timelines with proactive identification of potential roadblocks and swift issue resolution.
- Established a reputation for exceptional attention to detail, resulting in high-quality work products that consistently met or exceeded client expectations.
Protection Assistant Interpreter
United Nations High Commission for Refugees (UNHCR)
01.2022 - 11.2023
- Interpretation & Translation Provide interpretation (spoken) in protection-related interviews, intake sessions, counselling, community meetings, etc. ensuring accurate, unbiased, and culturally appropriate communication. Translate written documents: forms, consent documents, information leaflets, correspondence, meeting minutes, reports, etc. from local / relevant language(s) into UNHCR working language(s), and vice versa.
- Support to Protection Processes Assist during protection interviews: help clarify questions, ensure persons of concern understand their rights, the procedures, and implications. Help with registration, documentation, and verification processes when PoC submit documents or need official documents issued.
- Maintaining Confidentiality, Neutrality & Accuracy Always maintain confidentiality of information, especially where sensitive protectionrelated matters are involved (such as GBV, child protection, asylum status). Ensure the interpretation / translation is accuratenot altering meaning, avoiding bias, using correct terminology.
- Liaison & Coordination Work together with Protection Officers / Registration / RSD (Refugee Status Determination) teams, field teams, local authorities, implementing partners to ensure smooth communication. Travel as needed with field missions or to border points / points of entry / crossings to interpret during monitoring, voluntary return or other protection operations.
- Administrative & Reporting Tasks Keep record/logs of interpretation tasks, calls, meetingminutes, translation assignments, etc. Submit translations and interpretation outputs in required formats (soft/hard copies); meet deadlines. Assist with organizing meetings, setting up interviews, arranging necessary logistics for interpreters (rooms, times, coordinating with staff) when needed.
- Language & Cultural Competence High proficiency in the relevant languages (spoken and written), including understanding dialects or cultural nuances. Awareness of cultural sensitivities and protection standards; being able to interpret in ways that respect dignity, privacy, and local custom.
- Other Duties Acts as point of contact for persons of concern regarding queries where language barrier is involved. May be asked to help with translation of communication materials Possibly arrange or assist with travel/arrival formalities (for international staff or persons of concern) when language support is required.
- Assisted in the development of training materials for new interpreters, enhancing service delivery and comprehension.
- Coordinated with multidisciplinary teams to address protection needs, effectively streamlining case management processes.
- Conducted cultural orientation sessions for refugees, promoting awareness of available support mechanisms and local resources.
- Translated sensitive documents, ensuring clarity and accuracy in communication regarding refugee rights and services.
- Mentored junior interpreters, fostering skill development and improving overall team performance in providing essential support.
- Implemented feedback mechanisms to refine interpretation practices, resulting in enhanced service delivery and client satisfaction.
- Developed strong relationships with community leaders to facilitate collaboration, improving access to protection services for vulnerable populations.
- Developed and delivered comprehensive training programs to improve the skillset of security personnel.
- Provided daily briefings on situational awareness, equipping staff with relevant information for their safety and wellbeing.
- Participated in cross-functional teams tasked with addressing complex security challenges, contributing valuable insights and expertise.
- Evaluated visitor credentials before granting access, mitigating risks associated with unauthorized individuals entering the facility.
- Established a safe working environment by adhering strictly to health and safety regulations.
Monitoring and Evaluation Accountability and Learning Assistant
Tameer e Khalaq Foundation
01.2020 - 12.2021
- Monitoring & Data Collection Support project staff in collecting quantitative and qualitative data on TEACH project activities (e.g. student attendance, teacher performance, classroom observations). Conduct regular field visits to schools / learning centres to monitor implementation fidelity & quality of services. Use digital tools (e.g. tablets, mobile apps, or data collection platforms) or paper forms as required for data collection. Assist in the development / adaptation / translation of monitoring tools and forms.
- Data Quality & Validation Check data for completeness, consistency, accuracy. Follow up with field staff where there are discrepancies. Assist in data verification / validation exercises. Maintain and update data management systems or databases, ensuring records are well organized and up to date.
- Accountability & Feedback Mechanisms Help establish / maintain feedback and complaints response mechanisms so that learners, teachers, parents can provide suggestions, concerns, or complaints. Collect feedback proactively (e.g. from beneficiaries during monitoring visits, suggestion boxes, hotlines or meetings) and ensure that responses are documented and communicated back. Work with the IRC policies (e.g., Safeguarding, Child Protection, Code of Conduct) to ensure feedback handling is safe and confidential.
- Learning & Continuous Improvement Assist in analyzing data (both quantitative & qualitative) to identify trends, challenges, lessons learned. Support preparation of dashboards, summary reports, or visualizations (for internal project teams) to inform decisionmaking. Participate in learning reviews / reflection sessions where project staff discuss whats working / what needs adjustment.
- Evaluation & Assessments Assist in baseline, midline, and endline surveys or other assessments needed to measure project impact and outcomes. Help with the design of survey instruments, sampling, and coordination of field teams / enumerators for evaluations.
- Information Management & Reporting Maintain project databases, dashboards, trackers for performance indicators. Generate regular reports (monthly, quarterly) with updates on MEAL indicators, feedback trends, suggestions for improvements. Ensure data is stored securely and in line with IRCs data protection and information management policies.
- Capacity Building & Support Support field & project staff training/orientation on MEAL tools, data collection protocols, use of feedback mechanisms, and data quality. Provide guidance to enumerators or data collection teams as needed.
- Coordination & Liaison Coordinate with project leads, IRC country MEAL Manager, Education/TEACH team to ensure MEAL components align with project targets. Work with stakeholders (school management, teachers, community) to facilitate monitoring and accountability.
- Other Responsibilities Document success stories, case studies, and learning products. Assist with donor reporting needs as required. Perform any other tasks assigned by supervisors that support MEAL goals.
Female Representative REDD+ Project
Balochistan Forest and Wildlife Department
02.2018 - 11.2020
- Community Engagement & Mobilization Engage women in target communities (villages, tribal areas) to raise awareness of REDD+ goals (forest conservation, climate change, emissions reduction). Organize womens groups / womenforums / discussion circles to share information, gather inputs, facilitate community decision making. Conduct home visits, group meetings, focus group discussions (FGDs) with women to understand their needs, concerns, traditional knowledge on forest use etc.
- Awareness, Education & Information Dissemination Translate project messages into local languages / dialects; use culturally appropriate means (oral, visual, storytelling, etc.) to raise awareness among women. Distribute information materials (leaflets, posters) in ways accessible to women (consider literacy, mobility, cultural norms). Work with other stakeholders (forest officials, NGOs, local leaders) to ensure outreach strategies include gender considerations.
- Gender & Social Inclusion Ensure that women and marginalized groups are represented in project committees, planning forums, decisionmaking bodies. Facilitate womens participation in consultations, meetings, workshops; help remove barriers to participation (mobility, cultural norms, times of meetings). Provide feedback from women to project management about project impacts, benefits, challenges.
- Monitoring & Reporting Collect data from women / female beneficiaries (qualitative & quantitative) about project outcomes, satisfaction, challenges. g. via FGDs, interviews, surveys. Monitor key gender sensitive indicators: participation rates, access to benefits, changes in womens knowledge, empowerment, livelihood improvements etc. Report regularly to project supervisors on progress, challenges, womens feedback, opportunities for improvement.
- Liaison & Coordination Liaise with local womens groups, community elders, tribal leaders, religious leaders, committees to gain buyin and support. Coordinate with projects technical staff (forest department, climate / environment teams), other NGOs or government agencies to ensure gender inclusion in all project activities. Work with local institutions (schools, health centers, womens organizations) to integrate REDD+ messages and training.
- Capacity Building & Support Support / organize capacity building or training sessions for women: on forest conservation practices, sustainable livelihood options, REDD+ related household or community actions. Facilitate skills development that may help women benefit from alternative livelihoods or project incentives (for example nurseries, agroforestry, nontimber forest products).
- Safeguarding, Cultural Sensitivity & Ethics Be aware of gender, cultural and religious norms in the community; ensure all engagement is respectful, safe for women, sensitive to local traditions. Ensure confidentiality and safety, especially if dealing with sensitive subjects or women in vulnerable situations. Avoid putting women at risk (social backlash etc.) by planning meetings, visits etc. thoughtfully.
- Support REDD+ Implementation & Feedback Mechanisms Provide inputs from women communities into project design, in particular about forest management, benefit sharing, safeguards. Help in setting up / maintaining community feedback and grievance mechanisms accessible to women, ensuring that they can voice concerns or complaints. Follow up on feedback from women, ensure their concerns are addressed, and that they receive information on what actions were taken.
- Logistics & Administrative Tasks Assist with organizing meetings, mobilizing female participants (arranging transport if necessary, selecting accessible venue/timings). Maintain records of meetings, attendance, feedback.
Monitoring and Evaluation Officer
RIZ Consulting
02.2016 - 01.2018
- Planning & System Design Assist in developing / adapting the M&E framework / Monitoring Plan aligned with NEAP and provincial targets (i.e., defining indicators, outputs, outcomes, data sources). Contribute to designing monitoring tools and protocols for different components of the polio project: e.g. vaccination campaigns, active surveillance, AFP (Acute Flaccid Paralysis) reporting, mobile populations, highrisk areas. Support the design and implementation of baselines, midline / endline assessments and other evaluation studies.
- Data Collection & Field Monitoring Oversee or conduct field visits to districts / union councils / vaccination sites to monitor implementation of polio campaigns (pre, intra, postcampaign). Support the independent monitoring / community feedback / doortodoor validation of vaccination coverage. Verify that data collection (by vaccinators, field staff) follows agreed standards check completeness, correctness, timeliness. Monitor AFP / environmental surveillance data, missed children, refusals, zerodose cases etc.
- Data Management & Analysis Ensure good data flow from field to province to national level: data entry, cleaning, consolidation. Use relevant information systems / dashboards (e.g. ICIMS, IDIMS, NEOC dashboard) to track performance and coverage. Analyze quantitative data (e.g., campaign coverage %, missed children) and qualitative data (community feedback, reasons for refusal etc.). Identify trends, gaps, patterns (for example districts repeatedly missing targets, or communities with higher refusal rates).
- Reporting & Use of Information Prepare regular reports (weekly, after each campaign, monthly/quarterly as needed) on key indicators for campaign performance, surveillance, missed areas etc. Provide feedback to field teams, district health authorities, provincial and national polio programme managers. Help ensure that monitoring / evaluation results feed into planning for subsequent campaigns or adjustments (e.g. in strategy, resource allocation).
- Capacity Building & Training Train field monitors, vaccinators, data collectors, district level staff on correct data collection, monitoring tools, reporting requirements. Develop guidance / SOPs for field staff for M&E activities (precampaign checklists, independent monitoring, adverse events, etc.).
- Quality Assurance & Verification Carry out data quality assessments, spot checks, verification of field data vs records. Followup in cases of discrepancies (for example between reported coverage and independent monitoring). Ensure data is reliable, valid and timely.
- Coordination & Stakeholder Liaison Coordinate with district / provincial health departments, Polio Eradication Initiative partners (e.g., WHO, UNICEF, EOC) for M&E activities. Liaise with partners for joint monitoring, shared dashboards, data sharing. Participate in review meetings, planning sessions (provincial / district / national).
- Evaluation & Learning Support evaluations of polio campaigns: operational research, effectiveness studies, pilot interventions. Document lessons learned, success stories, obstacles; share learning for continuous improvement. Ensure evaluation findings are integrated into future polio campaign strategies / policy adjustments.
- Use of Feedback & Accountability Oversee mechanisms for community feedback, complaints or issues about vaccination campaign (refusals, adverse events, access etc.). Monitor feedback, analyze why issues arise, feed that into improving campaign delivery.
- Other Duties Assist with emergency / outbreak response monitoring when needed. Support logistical or administrative tasks related to M&E when required. Ensure compliance with data security, confidentiality, ethical standards.
Education
Education Management, Education Elementary, Education Development, Educational Administration
University of Balochistan
01.2017
Masters of Education - Economics and Finance, Business Economics, Development Economics, Education Elementary, Education Development, Educational Administration
University of Balochistan
01.2016
Skills
Written Skills
Certification
Protection Case Management (Geneva, Switzerland)
Timeline
Call Center Assistant (Protection Assistant)
UNOPS
07.2025 - 09.2025
Protection Case Management (Geneva, Switzerland)
08-2024
Senior Project Assistant IAAP Protection
UN-IOM
11.2023 - 03.2025
Protection Assistant Interpreter
United Nations High Commission for Refugees (UNHCR)
01.2022 - 11.2023
Monitoring and Evaluation Accountability and Learning Assistant
Tameer e Khalaq Foundation
01.2020 - 12.2021
Female Representative REDD+ Project
Balochistan Forest and Wildlife Department
02.2018 - 11.2020
Monitoring and Evaluation Officer
RIZ Consulting
02.2016 - 01.2018
Masters of Education - Economics and Finance, Business Economics, Development Economics, Education Elementary, Education Development, Educational Administration
University of Balochistan
Education Management, Education Elementary, Education Development, Educational Administration
University of Balochistan
Languages
Pashto
Urdu
Farsi
English