Contract Type: Permanent Led the development and roll-out of Comic Relief’s policy and advocacy agenda, “Amplifying Voices” bringing people with lived experience to the front and centre of the social change strategy.Oversaw the design, commissioning, and quality control of research co-produced with leading UK research centres on the domestic violence funding ecosystem and a deep dive into the impact of funding provision of services for women and girls experiencing violence. Organized workshops in coordination with the Domestic Abuse Commissioner’s Office and sector organisations providing data and insights to support campaigning during the debates on the Domestic Violence Bill. Led and managed the research team’s work on mental health policy, horizon scanning, megatrends and global challengesConducted regular horizon scanning, directly reporting to the CEO and the senior management team providing data, evidence, and analysis to inform strategic decision-making. Responsible for political mapping and relationship building with external stakeholders, including MPs, government departments, corporate partnerships and charity sector organizations, for advocacy engagement and fund raising.

Contract Type: ConsultanciesSenior Consultant and Advisor: participatory research, innovative change models, monitoring and evaluation assignments for national and international donors, academia, corporates, and private sector.Thematic areas include:• Asset Adaptation to Climate Change, participatory planning with community-based organisations• Water, Sanitation, Basic Services and Infrastructure provision in informal settlements• Affordable shelter, land rights, innovations in housing value and supply chain• Gender and human rights • Microfinance and financial inclusion• Enterprise development and economic empowerment Key assignments include: Senior Researcher and Trainer - Global Urban Research Centre, GURC, Manchester University, England & Inter-American Development Bank. Washington, D.C.• Developed and executed training in the use of participatory tools for analysis and planning for climate change adaptation in low-income, high risk neighbourhoods, in Tegucigalpa, Honduras.• Led an institutional capacity-building and training needs for implementation of innovative projects for community based asset adaptation to climate change. Senior Lead Consultant - Inter-American Development Bank, Washington D.C.• Carried out a feasibility assessment to test urban renewal and regeneration programs in San Jose, Costa Rica. Produced report and recommendations for a sustainable approach for "green cities" initiative. Lead Thematic Specialist: Salvadoran Foundation for Integral Support, FUSAI, El Salvador. • Prepared the design for a programme to increase access to financial services for water, sanitation and renewable energy, targeting 6,000 families in 6 departments. Funded by the Inter-American Development Bank through a public-private partnership initiative.

Contract Type: Fixed Term Conference Moderator for high-level dialogue among 40 companies on Innovative in Public-Private Partnerships, organised by the Inter American Development Bank "Opportunities for the Majority-Base of the Pyramid" Division, held in MexicoSenior External Housing Specialist and author: Inter American Development Bank in-depth market analysis of the challenges and opportunities of the low-income housing rental market in El Salvador. Chapter Published in June 2014

Contract Type: Fixed Term Senior Trainer and Adviser. I provided training in the use of participatory qualitative research methodologies, for international research teams in a global ten cities study; an analysis of the impact of the global financial crisis on home-based workers, street traders, and contract workers. Areas covered: Bangkok Thailand and Bogota Colombia.

Contract Type: Fixed Term CEMEX, the Mexican-based global manufacturer of cement operates "Patrimonio Hoy", a savings-driven model for increasing access to improved shelter for low-income households. As Senior Consultant for Strategic Planning and product re-design: Coordinated an in-depth review of operational, and financial performance.• Spearheaded the preparation of new financial products and services. • Crafted the roadmap for regional expansion in 5 Latin American countries, supported by a $10 million partial guarantee facility from the Inter-American Development bank.

As Global Human Settlements Advisor, I was responsible for carrying out appraisal missions to identify entry partners and formulating a range of strategic entry points for urban poverty alleviation programmes in Sub-Saharan Africa, in a variety of humanitarian contexts; focusing on recovery and resilience-building capacities of community organizations, and investments for strengthening locally-led organizational capabilities, to deliver housing and services for vulnerable populations in Rwanda, Burundi, Zimbabwe, Zambia, Uganda, Kenya, Tanzania, and South Africa. I designed and prepared best practices and lessons learned workshops and forums on urban issues including participatory co-design in community urban development, and innovative microfinance financial mechanisms: the role of remittances, group savings, cash transfers, and microinsurance models for financial inclusion and long-term development. Represented Sida as a speaker, moderator, and panelist at high-level meetings, with national and local government officials, bilateral and multilateral development banks, and private sector investors: e.g. Sida´s Senior Advisor to CGAP´s Housing Finance for the Poor Working Group, an inter-institutional donor and private sector investor platform which seeks to document and disseminate best practice in access to financial services.Carried out sector-wide needs assessments, and conducted participatory planning processes with civil society organizations and community groups, (displaced peoples, Zimbabwe) vulnerable youth, and home carers, and in Kenya with slum dwellers associations, rural poor organizations, and water committees. A skilled and experienced trainer, I have prepared and coordinated training workshops and capacity building on urban issues for public and private institutions.

Prior to taking up the role of Global Advisor, I was Regional Advisor to Sida-supported non-governmental organizations in Central America; specialists in multi-component financial and non-financial services for low-income urban and rural communities. Each organization provides tailor-made solutions to fit country-specific needs; offering loans for micro-enterprise and small business development, micro-loans for housing construction and improvement, and technical assistance services. I provided thought leadership and facilitated key decision-making processes for strategic planning and organizational growth, gaining hands-on experience in working with multi-disciplinary teams. Co-designed effective approaches for building robust institutional capacities, mainstreaming community self-reliance, and women´s participation in development processes. I gained comprehensive knowledge and skills in project proposal preparation, negotiation skills, and successfully mobilizing funding from various public and private sources. As part of my work with the public sector, I provided technical inputs to the National Housing Subsidy Programme, supported by the Inter-American Development Bank, and implemented by the Nicaraguan Institute of Rural and Urban Housing, INVUR.

I joined PRODEL in 1999, scarcely one year after Hurricane Mitch devastated thousands of communities with the loss of homes, businesses, and infrastructure. As Technical Advisor to PRODEL - Sida´s counterpart organization in Nicaragua - I had overall responsibility for guiding the post-reconstruction of projects in eight municipalities. This involved increasing the capacities of local stakeholders and communities to improve, repair, and install basic services - water, sanitation, pluvial drainage, and school facilities. The neighbourhood upgrading programme invested in more than 500 community service projects, leveraging over US$9 million from municipalities, and US$6 million in community savings. The programme focused on community management of the project cycle, increased community resilience and created more than 7,000 full-time jobs in 8 cities, providing employment opportunities for youth through skills training. In over a decade, the neighbourhood upgrading programme reduced the basic service deficit by 20% in selected cities. I guided the process of institutional expansion; increasing the number of microfinance institutions offering micro-enterprise loans and housing improvement loans from one public bank to eight microfinance institutions and successfully crafted the institutional transformation of PRODEL from a donor-funded programme to a financially sustainable national Foundation specialized in affordable housing, basic services and microfinance for small business development. Oversaw the creation of the governance structure; selecting the first Board of Directors.

Irene provided leadership and took overall responsibility for the start-up phase of the multi-component project for women, adolescents, and at-risk youth, offering reproductive health services and education, income-generating activities, and skills training for women´s empowerment. Responsibilities included liaison with local stakeholders: the Ministry of Health, public and private training institutions, donors, local health authorities, and non-government organizations working with women´s health issues. She organized staff recruitment and oversaw the key technical, managerial, and strategic planning tasks, including the participatory design of a baseline assessment of gaps in services in three regional health districts; Carazo, Masaya, and Granada. She guided the operations, forging public-private partnerships to deliver expanded preventative health services, new employment opportunities, and skills training. She successfully handed over project management to a National Director, increasing the long-term sustainability of the program.

Irene was employed as Chief Technical Advisor by UNHABITAT, to lead a new start-up programme entitled, "Community Participation in Human Settlements" funded initially by the Danish International Development Agency, DANIDA. At the outset, Bolivia was undergoing the effects of structural adjustment, resulting in massive job losses in the public and mining sectors. Social safety net programs could not provide adequate responses to the increased levels of unemployment and under-employment. The Community Participation Program sought to increase community self-reliance in the poorest and most vulnerable rural and peri-urban communities.The program began with auto-construction housing projects for re-located miners. Subsequently, the participatory training methodology was recognized by USAID and the Ministry of Health as a valuable tool for preventative health. With a grant from USAID, Irene guided the first pilot integral rural housing improvement program, coordinating with The Community Child Health Program, CCH, and the Centre for Disease Control, Atlanta. Leading a highly committed team, she pioneered a Chagas Disease preventative health project, combining health education, training youth health promoters, and housing improvements, managed by communities. After five years, the Program had reached more than 300 peri-urban and rural communities. The main achievement was the successful adoption of the Program´s educational and awareness-raising protocol, which gained nationwide coverage through partnerships with a network of local and international organizations. The educational materials and school textbooks in preventative health were prepared in Quechua and Aymara. After securing five-year funding, she guided the institutional transformation from a donor-assisted program to a national Foundation for integral development. In 2000, Foundation Pro Habitat won a World Habitat Award.

Solon Housing Co-operative Services comprises a multi-disciplinary professional team, providing a range of services to primary housing co-operatives which manage their own housing. Irene was employed to set up a new education department adding training and advisory services to the range of support offered by Solon to the member co-operatives.Irene initiated the education department by listening to client needs for training and information which would enhance management skills. She coordinated the preparation of educational materials using multi-media: video, radio, theatre and peer-to-peer learning. Within the first year she had raised sufficient funding to open a second office, to better serve the needs of East London´s co-operative movements. In this role Irene gained solid experience of working with a diverse range of ethnic and cultural groups.