CV/Resume | Razoon Consulting LL

Senior Strategic International Development Recruitment Expert

Background Summary

Seasoned full-cycle recruitment and staffing expert of U.S. Government contracts for placement on long and short-term assignments worldwide funded by USAID, MCC, the World Bank, DFID for contracts, RFPs, RFAs, and RFIs for Africa, Asia, Europe, and the Middle East to include specific experience recruiting for MCC bids in Indonesia and Timor-Leste. Bring specific expertise in collaborating with hiring managers and Human Resources to develop and execute complete cycle recruiting plans, using passive and active recruiting techniques focused on developing ready candidate pipelines for hard-to-fill positions. Additionally, experienced in utilizing social media communication and recruiting to ensure that the best-qualified passive qualified candidates are reached. As a Senior Recruitment Strategy Consultant, provide recruitment service support to develop recruitment and sourcing strategies for new business development initiatives, HQ, and project-based recruitment needs for non- and for-profit organizations.

Proven track record of filling key personnel type positions with stringent requirements for DoS, DOL, and others; proven ability to work under pressure in a fast-paced environment and within tight deadlines; excellent verbal and written communication skills; and working social media experience and sourcing-based networks; LinkedIn, Devex, DevelopmentAid, DevJ, Devnetjobs, the ladders, and other platforms. Fluent in English and Arabic.

Specialties: international development, recruitment, development of staffing strategies, proposal-related work, new business development, editing, formatting, writing, developing management, and staffing plans

Education

BS, Criminal Justice/International Studies, Georgia Southern University, Armstrong Campus, 1997

Professional Experience

Senior Recruitment Expert Consultant, Jun 2016 - Present

Provide headquarters (HQ), field-based, and proposal full-cycle recruitment supporting for-profit, non-profit, and private sector organizations. Support includes sourcing, screening resumes, interviewing candidates (phone, in person, Zoom, or Skype), administering appropriate assessments, vetting, and making staffing recommendations for key personnel positions on US-funded proposals.
Develop recruitment policies, personnel requisitions, reference checks, salary verification, and pre-screen forms for organizational use.
Work closely with HQ and field-based hiring managers to recruit for vacancies, following the organization’s policies and requirements.
Streamline recruitment and applicant tracking utilization best practices, and help develop a recruitment strategy for HQ, field-based, and new business development positions.
Experienced with numerous applicant tracking systems, such as Taleo, ADP Workforce Now, UltiPro, SilkSurvey, ClearCompany, and iCIMIS.
In terms of Contract and Proposal Recruitment, work with organizations’ Project Support and New Business Development Units to establish and support recruitment needs on proposal efforts. Provide full-cycle recruitment, including sourcing, screening, and interviewing candidates (phone, Teams, via Zoom, or Skype)
- Administered appropriate assessments, vetting, and pre-screen processes, and made staffing recommendations for crucial personnel positions in compliance with RFP/RFA/RFQ requirements.
- Participated in new business development and contract recruitment support efforts for Water, Energy, and Transportation, Workforce Development, Impact Evaluations funded by MCC in Indonesia, Timor-Leste, Burma, Cambodia, Kosovo, Morocco, Mozambique, Sierra Leone, and Sri Lanka, as well as for bids funded by USAID, World Bank, DFID, DoS, and the World Food Programme.
- Manage proposal recruitment processes to develop technical personnel matrices, write staffing and management plans, prepare proposal resumes, collect, and verify biodatas, and conduct reference checks.
In collaboration with budget teams, develops salary bands.
Develop streamlined recruitment strategies per the organization’s needs.

Clients: PM Consulting Group, HeadGlobal LLC, Counterpart International, CARE USA, EnCompass, IBTCI, Invisible Children, PAE-McFadden, AMIDEAST, Social Impact, PATH, Dexis Consulting, State University of New York, National 4-H Council, and The Mitchell Group.

Talent Acquisition Manager CAMRIS International, Oct 2014 - Mar 2016 (1 year six months)

Collaborated with hiring managers and HR Director to develop and execute life cycle recruiting plans, using passive and active recruiting techniques and various sources to create a ready candidate pipeline to fill critical needs.
Continually improved the recruitment process to ensure a practical recruiting experience for hiring managers and applicants alike. Work with and train hiring managers and others to provide strong interviewer skills and talent process understanding. Utilize social media communication and recruiting to ensure passively qualified candidates were reached.
Collaborated with hiring managers to thoroughly develop and appropriately implement hiring plans and job requirements. Responsible for developing recruiting metrics and presenting information to the HR Director and Executive Management Team regularly.
Identified top talent and effectively screened them for suitability via resume reviews and phone screenings. Grow and maintain personal/professional networks to enhance recruiting efforts by establishing relevant professional groups and associations.
Ensured proper documentation for all company hiring efforts, including compliance with Title VII, OFCCP, ADA EEOC regulations, and regulations about government contracting.
Participate in new business development opportunities for capture and live proposal recruitment (MCC, USAID, Department of State)
Managed proposal recruitment process to include writing staffing and management plans, preparing proposal resumes, collecting and verifying salary history, and collaborating with the budget team to develop salary bands.
Ensured compliance with all RFP/RFA requirements, from proposal outline development, through receiving RFP amendments and Q&A, to the final quality control checks.
Developed and maintained the proposal schedule and managed deadlines. Advanced concepts for staffing graphics, including organization charts, flow charts, and matrices.

Staffing Team Leader, PAE, Oct 2008 - Oct 2014 (6 years one month)

Identified potential Expatriate, TCN, and LCN candidates through contacts/networks, the internet, publications, and cold calling.
Provided professional support and advice on recruitment to operation and program managers; advised on best practice recruitment and selection; edited job descriptions and person specifications.
Utilized various recruitment tactics, including but not limited to mining Internet recruitment boards, print advertisements, social networking/media sites, referral programs, job fairs, college relations, etc., to build a diverse pool of qualified candidates to meet current and future recruitment needs.
Managed recruitment function and staff; oversaw all recruitment agencies/staffing vendor relationships; provided weekly/monthly open position reporting to senior management.
Prepared other recruitment and staffing strategies and plans, providing creative recruitment solutions and processes for complex-to-fill positions, screening application forms, and shortlisting applicants.
Devised, ran, and evaluated selection processes, including interviews, psychometric tests, personality assessment questionnaires, and various group activities.

Recruitment Manager, The QED Group (now Q2Impact), Mar 2007 - Oct 2008 (1 year eight months)

Managed proposal-specific and proactive recruitment for personnel on all new business activities in collaboration with proposal team/operations groups; developed recruitment guidelines and procedures for proposals and projects
Helped develop and maintain components of a recruitment database to enable QED to track consultants' skills, history, and status, allowing QED to respond quickly to solicitations.
Developed and maintained relationships with key and frequently used consultants. Coordinate all proposal recruitment advertising in publications, on list-serves, and on websites.
Reviewed resumes with proposal teams to select suitable long-term/short-term candidates for QED and its subcontractors; developed personnel staffing, management, and staffing plans sections of significant proposals and contributed to project management sections.

Senior Recruitment Specialist, International Resources Group (now Engility), Dec 2004 - Mar 2007 (2 years four months)

Assisted in the daily management of a recruitment team of seven; developed personnel chapters; ensured that personnel requirements are fully reflected in the proposal Compliance Matrix, and all personnel documents complied with RFP requirements
Managed central recruitment processes, such as Key Consultant systems for IQCs, the Recruitment Resources Database, and IRG’s website page on staff
Oversaw the preparation of resumes and personnel matrices, and other required personnel documentation for proposals and submission to clients. Coordinate with subcontractors on personnel-related documents
Managed multiple email boxes. Primary responsibility for Key Consultant Inboxes; Developed and posted advertisements for positions and managed responses; represented IRG at job fairs and external functions.

Recruitment Specialist, International Resources Group, Dec 2004 - Mar 2007 (2 years four months)

Prepared resumes and personnel matrices, and other required personnel documentation for proposals and submission to clients
Drafted personnel chapters; coordinated with subcontractors on personnel-related proposal documents.
Ensured that personnel requirements are fully reflected in proposal Compliance Matrices and that all personnel documents complied with USAID’s request for proposal requirements.
Maintained IRG’s consultant registry database by ensuring that all personnel-related documents, comments, and skills were accurately reflected.
Coordinated consultant and staff correspondence for proposals and database maintenance (including requests for references and letters of commitment). Managed multiple email boxes.
Developed and posted advertisements for positions and managed responses.

Lingualistik, Mar 2004 - Jun 2004 (4 months)

Linguist (Classical Arabic and English)

Conducted extensive research in language background for an Arabic name dictionary
Researched name roots and provided equivalent translation
Maintained language database
Researched root names from the dialectical aspect.

Program Coordinator, National Academy of Sciences, Jan 2001 - Jan 2004 (3 years, one month)

Assisted with the design and management of program/project activities, including background research on potential new programs or activities
Support the recruitment of potential committee/panel nominees and consultants, and the development, monitoring, and tracking of expenditures for the budget process
Contributed to the drafting and proofreading of program reports and proposals
Identified and gathered research materials for projects. Coordinated and attended meetings and workshops
Coordinated logistical arrangements for projects. Developed agendas and invites for presenters and participants
Oversaw meeting logistics and prepared written summaries.
Assembled data and briefing books for committee meetings
Facilitated information flow among committee/panel members, consultants, relevant external agencies, and staff. Deal with public opinions, media relations, and internal communications. Created and maintained project databases.

Language Consultant, The World Bank, Jan 2000 - Mar 2000 (3 months)

Translated from Arabic into English.

Arabic Linguist, McNeil Technologies, Jan 1997 - Jan 2000 (3 years one month)

Conducted extensive research in language background for an Arabic name dictionary
Researched name roots and provided equivalent translations.
Maintained language database and researched root names from the dialectical aspect.

Legal Officer/Internship, United Nations, Jan 1996 - Jan 1997 (1 year, one month)

Drafted legal letters, familiarized refugees with changing immigration laws
Acquainted refugees with the United Nations' role
Liaised with refugees’ status and their attorneys and Immigration Judges
Attended seminars on changing Immigration Laws
Provided repatriation services for refugees
Provided translation and interpretation services from Arabic to English.