Cassie Biggs Email and Phone Number

Interested in the construction of masculinities and the links to violence in education settings in Sub Saharan Africa

Designed and led an external qualitative evaluation of a parenting intervention intended to support the development of adolescent girls in Malawi. Presented the results at an intergovernmental meeting.

Led coordination of the COVID response, acting as key focal point and communication liaison between 26 Country Offices, technical advisors and headquarters throughout the response. As part of COVID SMT, drove operational side from UK, providing support to country offices on adaptation of activity and work plans, as well as implementing mandatory risk management and security protocols. Developed weekly/bi weekly situation reports, including internal and external presentations, capturing… Show more Led coordination of the COVID response, acting as key focal point and communication liaison between 26 Country Offices, technical advisors and headquarters throughout the response. As part of COVID SMT, drove operational side from UK, providing support to country offices on adaptation of activity and work plans, as well as implementing mandatory risk management and security protocols. Developed weekly/bi weekly situation reports, including internal and external presentations, capturing response developments (programme, operations, finance) for all Country Offices. Line managed Response Manager for the six-country DFID-funded Hygiene Behaviour Change Coalition. Show less

As Roving SPM, I was deployed on short term missions (up to 4 months) to provide critical programme support to Country Offices. ● Interim Programmes Director Liberia, October 2019 - March, 2020Oversaw delivery of Liberian portfolio, including set up and launch of three new projects: nutrition, MHM and urban sanitation. Provided mentoring to programmes team; conducted gender audit with staff and partners. ● Programme Management Advisor Bauchi and Abuja, Nigeria, April 2019 - August… Show more As Roving SPM, I was deployed on short term missions (up to 4 months) to provide critical programme support to Country Offices. ● Interim Programmes Director Liberia, October 2019 - March, 2020Oversaw delivery of Liberian portfolio, including set up and launch of three new projects: nutrition, MHM and urban sanitation. Provided mentoring to programmes team; conducted gender audit with staff and partners. ● Programme Management Advisor Bauchi and Abuja, Nigeria, April 2019 - August 2019Support to £1.3m HSBC-funded Supporting Water Delivery Systems (SWADS) in northern Nigeria. Mentorship of Project Manager, capacity building of team, oversight of project delivery and budget. Designed and mentored team to conduct gender audit. Supported training of local government in SBC health and hygiene campaign. ● Interim Consortium Lead Yangon, Myanmar, November 2018- March 2019Led the set up of £5m DFAT-funded Water for Women project. Managed consortium partners, budget reviews and financial reporting, staff management and mentoring. Provided technical support on gender analysis and design of programming. Led on design of baseline and M&E framework. Show less

Responsible for overseeing and coordinating quality input from CARE UK and US SRHR technical advisors to the DFID-funded AidConnect consortium, including financial, programmatic and contractual matters.

Set up and led 7-month Swiss Solidarity-funded Communicating with Communities social and behaviour change project in Rohingya refugee camp, working with Rohingya youth. Oversight of quality implementation, staff management, budget management, M&E and all reporting. Developed successful proposal for next phase of project addressing conflict with host communities.

Designed, set up and led £7.5m USAID-funded Let Girls Learn project in five districts of Malawi, leading a consortia to deliver an integrated suite of 13 activities, including school and dorm construction, scholarships, teacher training, parenting activities, and lifeskills for boys and girls. • Led on the design of Monitoring and Evaluation plan, logframe, theory of change, annual and quarterly work plans, operational and formative research, budget design, staff recruitment. • Provided… Show more Designed, set up and led £7.5m USAID-funded Let Girls Learn project in five districts of Malawi, leading a consortia to deliver an integrated suite of 13 activities, including school and dorm construction, scholarships, teacher training, parenting activities, and lifeskills for boys and girls. • Led on the design of Monitoring and Evaluation plan, logframe, theory of change, annual and quarterly work plans, operational and formative research, budget design, staff recruitment. • Provided strategic and financial management, including design, review and revision of budget; strong technical guidance for gender and education activities, led on the design of environmental monitoring and mitigation plans for construction. • Represented the project and built strong relationships with Malawi Government, USAID, partners. • Negotiated successful WFP subgrant to complement Let Girls Learn work with scholarships and additional school construction in an additional five districts. Show less

Led £13.5m, DFID-funded Keeping Girls in School programme in 10 districts of Malawi, a complex Payment by Results project with two components. 1) Cash Transfer: termly e-value transfer to 85,000 girls and 2) School Environment: support to school structures to better protect girls. • Responsible for strategic and financial management and oversight, including ensuring payment deliverables are met. • Negotiated the revision of payment milestones to match realistic targets, negotiated with… Show more Led £13.5m, DFID-funded Keeping Girls in School programme in 10 districts of Malawi, a complex Payment by Results project with two components. 1) Cash Transfer: termly e-value transfer to 85,000 girls and 2) School Environment: support to school structures to better protect girls. • Responsible for strategic and financial management and oversight, including ensuring payment deliverables are met. • Negotiated the revision of payment milestones to match realistic targets, negotiated with DFID to increase cash transfer value to support efforts to reduce hunger crisis in the country. • Worked closely with 8 implementing partners. Led the design of successful Let Girls Learn proposal. Acted as Director of Education for two months. Show less

In field and remote management of two complex Payment By Results projects in Ethiopia, including BASES, a DFID-funded £33m multi-sectoral (WASH, education, health and governance) in the Somali region and PAGES, access to education for girls in the pastoralist region of Afar. • Supported with quarterly and annual budget reviews, revising logframe and milestone targets, following up on M&E plans and trouble shooting implementation. • Acted as external and internal representative for the… Show more In field and remote management of two complex Payment By Results projects in Ethiopia, including BASES, a DFID-funded £33m multi-sectoral (WASH, education, health and governance) in the Somali region and PAGES, access to education for girls in the pastoralist region of Afar. • Supported with quarterly and annual budget reviews, revising logframe and milestone targets, following up on M&E plans and trouble shooting implementation. • Acted as external and internal representative for the two projects, including leading negotiations with DFID (in Addis and East Kilbride) and PAGES’ fund manager PwC, on contracts and payment, as well as collaborating with SCUK advisors to ensure quality delivery of activities. Successfully negotiated £2m increase for BASES to address hunger crisis in Somali region. • Interim Project Director for PAGES in Addis Ababa for three months. Show less

Designed and managed the roll out of BBC Media Action’s social and behavioural change output (radio and outreach) as part of the £60m, 5.5-year DFID-funded Girls Education South Sudan project. • Provided strategic leadership and day-to-day financial and operational management, working closely with government, 10 local NGOs, and consortia to deliver first national education project. Line-managed a team of 13. Deputised for the Country Director.

UNESCO, Juba, South Sudan: Designed project for women’s ‘listening groups’ as part of efforts to improve women’s access to and presence in the media in South Sudan. Shaun Hext Consulting, UK: Carried out conflict assessment focusing on the role of natural resources in Darfur conflict as part of evaluation of DFID WASH programmes. Institute of Development Studies, London and Freetown, Sierra Leone: Contributing researcher to DFID-funded paper on the changing nature of violence… Show more UNESCO, Juba, South Sudan: Designed project for women’s ‘listening groups’ as part of efforts to improve women’s access to and presence in the media in South Sudan. Shaun Hext Consulting, UK: Carried out conflict assessment focusing on the role of natural resources in Darfur conflict as part of evaluation of DFID WASH programmes. Institute of Development Studies, London and Freetown, Sierra Leone: Contributing researcher to DFID-funded paper on the changing nature of violence in the Niger Delta and donor driven fragility in post-conflict Sierra Leone. Organised and ran a workshop on youth exclusion, exit strategies and natural resource mismanagement in Freetown. Show less