Development Program Specialist at United States Agency for International Development (USAID) Philippines (2021-08 – 2025-08)
- Provided comprehensive program management support to USAID's education portfolio, assisting the Philippine government in improving basic, higher, and technical education outcomes. Served as the USAID Office of Education's primary point of contact for program operations, managing planning, budgeting, procurement, financial oversight, monitoring, reporting, evaluation, and host-government coordination.
- Strengthened U.S.-Philippine relations by providing program management support on bilateral education initiatives. Coordinated with host-government counterparts on bilateral meetings, strategy, project designs, approvals, funding, implementations, monitoring, and reporting.
- Ensured operational plans were aligned with strategic goals, approved budgets, and planning guidelines.
Managed the planning process: kept team members informed of relevant planning guidelines and requirements; curated an internal planning document that serves as a resource, working document, and tracking tool; monitored, reviewed, consolidated, and integrated inputs from different projects; and processed the required reviews, clearances, and submissions.
- Optimized financial resources through effective budget management. Developed and monitored the office's annual and multi-year budgets, formulated multiple budget scenarios, and facilitated budget deliberations. Reviewed project-level budgets and tracked financial performance across individual projects and the broader office.
- Facilitated timely project funding: managed the office procurement plan; ensured pre-obligation requirements were met, funding requests stayed within forward funding limits, and appropriate funds were used; and processed and tracked all procurement and funding requests.
- Supported informed decision-making through portfolio reporting, monitoring and evaluation. Consolidated and integrated project reports into portfolio reports for different reporting requirements with internal and external stakeholders. Reviewed implementation plans, M&E plans and progress reports of individual projects. Conducted field validations, stakeholder consultations, data quality assessments, indicators mapping and tracking, and data aggregations. Supported performance evaluations, gender analyses, and environmental examinations.
- Supported the development of projects: co-developed project concepts, parameters and approval documents; reviewed cost estimates and assessed funding viability and options; coordinated and conducted stakeholder consultations; and collected, processed and analyzed data.
- Enhanced portfolio accountability, compliance, and risk mitigation by monitoring project financial compliance, supporting project audits, and facilitating internal control and enterprise risk management reviews at the portfolio level.
Programme Analyst at United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) Philippines (2018-01 – 2021-07)
- Provided comprehensive project management support to UNDP and the Philippine Department of Energy in implementing the Development for Renewable Energy Applications Mainstreaming and Market Sustainability (DREAMS) Project, funded by the Global Environment Facility, to accelerate the development of renewable energy in the Philippines. Served as the primary contact for project monitoring and evaluation, and supported key project activities, including technical assistance and capacity building initiatives, budgeting, and procurement.
- Enabled informed decision-making by tracking project activities, outputs, and outcomes. Co-developed project workplans and performance reports, developed monitoring and evaluation plans, assessed performance against workplans, conducted field validations, documented lessons learned, reviewed assumptions and risks, and facilitated external evaluation.
- Supported technical assistance (TA) and capacity-building initiatives provided to National and Local Government partners: reviewed TA proposals, developed TA terms of references for procurement, and participated in the contractor selection process; co-developed tools and administered training needs assessments; and supported implementations by facilitating stakeholder engagements, monitoring of activities, and validating outputs.
- Reviewed budgets and spendings, tracked procurement actions, and supported project audits.
Social Enterprise Development Specialist at Peace and Equity Foundation (2016-01 – 2017-12)
- Provided project development support to the Peace and Equity Foundation's social enterprises (SEs) development program to promote community development.
- Co-developed an assessment tool and conducted due diligence to review SE proposals, assess management and organizational capacities, validate business models and operations, probe business plan viability, analyze financial reports and investment requirements, verify social development contributions, and identify risks.
- SEs engaged include cooperatives, civil society organizations, and private businesses that engage in: virgin coconut oil production, and coconut coir production to increase small coconut farmers' income; cut-flower growing and trading to support upland farmers; organic vegetable farming and trading to increase small farmers' income; herbal tea production to support urban poor communities; dairy production and organic chicken farming and marketing to increase farmers' income; and "missing-middle" financing to support small and medium enterprises in urban areas.
Portfolio Officer at Peace and Equity Foundation (PEF) (2011-11 – 2015-12)
- Provided comprehensive project management support to promote and replicate social development models through capacity building, technical assistance, and financing of development-oriented organizations to deliver community development projects.
- Ensured successful delivery of community development projects through diligent management of the project life cycle: engaged stakeholders, developed partnerships, appraised project proposals, and packaged project proposals for approval; conducted project orientations, reviewed project implementation plans, processed and tracked project loans and grants, monitored activities and results, conducted field validations, and reviewed progress reports; coordinated project evaluations and audits; and managed project closures and documentations.
- Developed partnerships with development-oriented organizations – including social enterprises, cooperatives, civil society organizations, for-profit corporations and sole proprietors – to pilot, scale-up, or replicate community development models that spur economic growth, improve access to basic social services, and increase community resilience to shocks.
- Conducted project appraisals to assess organizational capacities and operational efficiencies, scrutinize business plans, analyze financial reports and financial requirements, verify community development impact, and identify challenges.
- Engaged stakeholders including the government, industry, academe and other development organizations to accelerate or scale-up development projects. Organized and facilitated learning exchanges. Linked partners with technical experts, institutional partners, customers, suppliers, donors, and investors.
- Project portfolio: (i) diversified farming, hybrid goat farming, and organic rice production and marketing to increase small farmers' income; (ii) coffee production, processing, and marketing to support upland farmers; (iii) wild honey processing and marketing to provide opportunities to indigenous people communities; (iv) coastal-based enterprise development to increase fisherfolk's income; (v) community-based water projects to improve access to potable water; (vi) eco-tourism development to support rural economic development; (vii) socialized housing to support the urban poor and communities affected by natural disasters; (viii) birthing centers in urban areas to improve maternal care; (ix) solar lantern projects for off-grid areas electrification; (x) "missing-middle" financing and micro-financing to support micro and small enterprises; and (xi) disaster response and rehabilitation projects for communities affected by calamities.
Finance Officer at Peace and Equity Foundation (PEF) (2009-11 – 2011-10)
- Provided comprehensive financial management support to strategically plan, control and utilize financial resources for social development projects.
- Optimized financial resources through strategic budget management. Facilitated the preparation, review and approval of budgets. Monitored budget spendings, performed variance analyses, and facilitated budget reviews and realignments.
- Enhanced informed decision-making by preparing financial reports to support program and operational planning and implementation, including financial reports for donor-funded projects.
- Reviewed fund investment reports, project portfolio reports (grants, loans, equities, and guarantees), cash position reports, bank reconciliations, and other financial schedules.
- Improved financial stewardship, compliance, and risk management by supporting internal control processes. Reviewed payment requests to ensure all requirements were met before disbursement. Verified journal entries to ensure accurate accounting. Facilitated and coordinated external audits.
Planning and Development Associate at Entrepreneurs Accounting Academy (EAA) (2008-06 – 2009-09)
- Drove organizational sustainability by improving operational efficiency and accelerating product development. Spearheaded operational planning, created specialized bookkeeping training materials, and marketed training programs to enhance the financial management capacity of entrepreneurs and businesses.
Accountant at Individual Consultant (2004-01 – 2008-05)
- Boosted client operational efficiency by delivering finance and accounting services to micro-enterprises and civil society organizations. Maintained accounting books, prepared financial reports and tax returns, conducted accounting system reviews, and processed business permits of clients. Facilitated specialized training and mentoring, enabling local organizations to handle their own financial reporting.
