Grace Flaherty Email & Phone Number

Washington, District Of Columbia, United States

Coordinated all regional operations for the Syria, Iraq, Yemen, and Afghanistan division. Responsibilities included: talent management, staffing and resourcing, staff performance management, portfolio management, budgeting, financial management, and project performance reporting. Supported the operations director to develop and implement business operations strategies, plans, and procedures, and ensures consistency in all operations areas across the region. Represented the division internally by liaising with support divisions to reinforce and resolve all aspects of regional operations. Supervised, mentored, and evaluated operations team associate-level staff, communicating clear performance goals and standards, offering regular performance feedback, prompt resolution of problems, and time and opportunity to grow and develop in key competency areas. Supported in-country operations for projects in Afghanistan, Iraq, Germany, and Syria.

Washington, District Of Columbia, United States

Applied change management principles while designing and implementing Dynamics 365, Microsoft’s enterprise resource planning (ERP) system in eight overseas project offices. Tracked change impacts to human resources and IT processes and teams in 70 countries. Supported organizational redesign and definition of roles and responsibilities. Provided input, documented requirements, and supported the design and delivery of system training materials and communications. Liaised with stakeholders in IT, finance, project management units, HR, and the ERP team to determine appropriate process for license provisioning, budgeting, and management. Attended and participated in system design and testing sessions in Washington, D.C. and Tunisia.

Washington D.C. Metro Area

Applied PROSCI Change Management model to Chemonics’ ERP implementation. Prepared, disseminated, and analyzed results from 15 company-wide surveys assessing effectiveness of training methods, training materials, communications, and change management planning. Using survey data, informal feedback, and observation, evaluated and ensured user readiness by identifying and managing anticipated adoption resistance. Wrote and sent project communications to pilot projects in eight overseas project offices. Participated in system design sessions, including in Proof of Concept, Solutions, and User Acceptance Testing sessions in the home office, in the Dominican Republic, and in Tunisia. Assisted in the recruits of four key hires and managed the recruitment process for the team. Tasked with tracking change impacts to Human Resources, IT, and cross-cutting areas impacting the broader organization. Supported organizational design and definition of roles and responsibilities, particularly in the HR and IT divisions.

Washington D.C. Metro Area

Liaised between the project management units and corporate support departments to drive the ongoing success of the Afghanistan Division’s active projects. Drafted and edited three executive quarterly reports and a yearly budget summary which were presented to the Board of Directors and executive management team. Served as the main point of contact with USAID/Afghanistan’s contract closeout team. Attended USAID meetings in Afghanistan with the senior vice president. Maintained accurate and complete trackers of the operations expense budget and division staffing budget. Directed eight full-cycle recruits junior-level recruits and assisted in six additional director and manager-level recruits. On-boarded and trained new hires in corporate procedures.

Washington D.C. Metro Area

Completed contract closeout for three projects with the USAID/Afghanistan Mission valued at approximately $318 million, cumulatively. Worked with internal compliance, the CFO, and USAID counterparts to reconcile invoicing discrepancies. Audited seven active projects’ hard copy and electronic files as part of a desk audit in preparation for five government audits. Drafted responses to internal controls questions posed by SIGAR auditors. Created and maintained a filing structure for home office Operations files and was later asked to re-create and implement for field office operations files. Assisted with recruitment and onboarding of five associates in the Afghanistan region.

Washington D.C. Metro Area

Key team member charged with evidence discovery on ten investigation teams in the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act (FCPA) Unit of the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ). Crafted evidentiary status reports for FBI special agents assisting in investigations. Gathered evidence, prepared attorneys and agents for witness interviews, and built successful cases against violators of the FCPA. Supervised trial teams and investigative teams, which included creating training materials, conducting trainings, briefing supervising attorneys on investigative findings, and overseeing preparations for trial. Maintained accurate and complete databases of more than 600,000 pages of evidence.

Washington D.C. Metro Area

Organized the antitrust team’s internal filing system of more than 1,000 documents, enabling faster work-product turn around. Assisted in the management of over 20 contract attorneys conducting privilege review. Coordinated efficient and accurate mailings of five sets of documents to the Federal Trade Commission and Department of Justice.

College Park, Md

Generated profiles of persons and groups involved in terrorist activities involving the acquisition and/or use of a chemical or biological weapons. Conducted in-depth primary and secondary source research on the topic. Drafted and edited high quality deliverables in the forms of literature reviews, memos, and reports on incidents involving chemical and biological weapons, and emergency response efforts. Assisted in the set-up and running of major conferences, which included interacting with guests before and after the event, and transcribing proceedings

Washington D.C. Metro Area

Coordinated 9 monthly meetings for 35+ attendees, including arranging catering, room arrangements, and outside speakers. Mentored 27 students through their freshman year, serving as a teaching assistant for their International Studies introductory course, and advising them on their first in-depth research papers. Arranged 5 trips to non-for-profits and government agencies, including arranging transportation and communicating with the students and agencies. Edited over 30 student academic papers on International Studies related topics.

Bachelor Of Arts (Ba), International Relations And Affairs, 3.52 Gpa

Activities and Societies: Global Scholars Program Graduate

Persian Language, A

Study abroad program in Dushanbe, Tajikistan. Studied advanced Persian grammar, composition, and area studies.

Education record