Karen Kamau

I am a versatile, result-oriented professional with 12+ years of comprehensive experience in projects planning, implementation and management. I have strong financial budgeting, management, monitoring and reporting skills. I have proven organizational, inter persona and critical thinking skills. I am a confident and strong communicator able to coordinate various strands of work efficiently and effectively, staying on top of the details while ensuring set objectives are achieved. I enjoy music and spending time with my family, when not working.

International Centre of Insect Physiology and Ecology – ICIPE
Programme Manager September 2019 – Date
Animal and Human Health Themes
▪ Planning, budgeting, and reporting:
Preparing and reviewing projects and project activities budgets, financial reports, and claim statements. Financial assessment of new project partners and assessing partner financial reports. Preparing meetings and training reports as activities progress.
▪ Resource mobilization:
Review proposal submission requirements and ensure compliance. Budget preparations and resource allocations. Have worked on 25 funding applications with international and local donors with over 25% being successful and others under review.
▪ Manages contractual matters:
Prepare partner agreements, administer the same and monitoring to ensure these are followed through by receiving periodic reports.
▪ Monitoring and Evaluation:
Developing monitoring and evaluation templates for the researchers. Setting up regular review meetings for various teams. Preparing monthly reports for presentation to the Senior Management Committee. Monthly check on the budget burn rates of all the projects under the two themes, red flagging any major irregularity and developing solutions for the various projects.

International Centre of Insect Physiology and Ecology – ICIPE
Project Manager Jan 2018 – Date
Eastern Africa Network of Bioinformatics Training (EANBiT)
▪ Manages the training fellowships:
Call administration, managing the selection process, awarding of fellowship, fellows on-boarding, conducting periodic evaluation, attaching to suitable research institutions, managing their research project activities. Successfully managed four rounds of fellowship awards with 44 awardees in total.
▪ Manages contractual matters:
Prepare partner agreements, administer the same and monitoring to ensure these are followed through by receiving periodic reports. Prepare staff contracts and terms of engagement. Managing diverse projects partners, masters’ degree fellows and other technical staff under the project.
▪ Planning, budgeting, and reporting:
Preparing projects and project activities budgets, financial reports, and claim statements. Monitoring projects expenditure. Financial assessment of new project partners and assessing partner financial reports. Preparing meetings and training reports as activities progress.
▪ Monitoring and Evaluation:
Convening Steering Committees and Working Groups meetings to monitor project progress, evaluate performance and chart the way forward. Maintaining communication and good relations with all partners including regular visits. Receiving and reviewing fellows’ periodic (quarterly) reports and developing reports. Managed to set up a fellow’s evaluation system.
▪ Project management:
Project implementation, coordinating the project calendars, procurement processes, trainings, meetings, and travels. Ensuring proper filing and maintaining internal and external communication. Successfully oversaw over 10 training courses including 5 rounds of an annual 5-week residential training course on Bioinformatics, held in two different cities. One training brought together 21 participants and 27 trainers from various countries in-person while another round brought together 45 participants virtually.

International Centre of Insect Physiology and Ecology – ICIPE
Project Officer April 2016- Dec 2017
Adaptation for Food Security and Ecosystem Resilience in Africa (AFERIA) project
▪ Project management:
Assist with project implementation, organizing the project calendars, procurement processes, trainings, meetings, and travels. Ensuring proper filing and maintaining internal and external communication.
▪ Manage contractual matters:
Assist in the preparation of partner agreements and monitoring to ensure these are followed through by receiving periodic reports. Prepare staff contracts and terms of engagement. Overseeing projects partners and technical staff.
▪ Monitoring and Evaluation:
Convening Steering Committee meetings to monitor project progress, evaluate performance and chart the way forward. Maintaining communication and good relations with all partners including regular visits.
▪ Planning, budgeting, and reporting:
Preparing project and project activities budgets and financial reports. Preparing meeting reports. Receiving and reviewing partners’ technical reports.

International Centre of Insect Physiology and Ecology – ICIPE
Project Assistant Mar 2011- Mar 2016
Climate Change Impacts on Ecosystem Services and Food Security in Eastern Africa (CHIESA) project
▪ Project management:
Assist with project implementation, organizing the project calendar, procurement processes, trainings, meetings, vehicle maintenance and travels. Ensuring proper filing and maintaining internal and external communication.
▪ Oversee contractual matters:
Assist in the preparation of partner agreements and monitoring to ensure these are followed through by receiving periodic reports. Prepare staff contracts and terms of engagement. Managing seven project partners, 30 Post-Graduate fellows and technical staff.
▪ Monitoring and Evaluation:
Monitoring project activities. Convening Steering Committee and Supervisory Board meetings to monitor project progress, evaluate performance and plan. Maintaining communication and good relations with all partners including regular visits.
▪ Planning, budgeting, and reporting:
Preparing project and project activities budgets and financial reports. Monitoring project expenditure. Assessing partner reports and facilitating audit processes. Preparing meeting reports. Receiving and reviewing partners’ technical reports.
▪ Project close-out:
Preparation of final reports. Processing asset takeovers. Clearance of project staff.

International Centre of Insect Physiology and Ecology – ICIPE
Finance & Administrative Assistant (reliever) Dec 2010-Mar 2011
Director of Finance and Administration (DFA) office
▪ Office Management:
Keeping the Director’s diary. Organizing internal and external meetings. Ensuring proper filing of office documents. Maintaining and updating communication database. Organizing travels. Managing visitors.
▪ Report Writing:
Contributing to the Director’s annual reports to the Governing Council. Compiling departmental reports.

International Centre of Insect Physiology and Ecology – ICIPE
Finance Intern Aug –Nov 2010
▪ Rotated and learnt firsthand the tasks in the various sections, assets, treasury, receivables, debtors, payables, and projects accounting.

University of Nairobi : 2013-2018 
Master of Arts in Project Planning and Management
 

Kenyatta University : 2007-2010 
Bachelor of Commerce Degree- Finance option

Certifications
Project Management Professional : March 2023 
Taught sessions offered by Infolaunch Africa
Gained skills in Motivation, Communication, Problem-Solving, Conflict Management and Decision Making