James Ruigu Email & Phone Number

Covering All Of West Africa

Lead & manage USRAP in-processing at RSC Africa: oversee workflow, ensure standards, & meet targets.- Manage Africa Regional Deployment Unit's deployed staff to UNHCR to complete Resettlement Referral Forms for USRAP- Manage Acceptance to Program Staff who receive submissions from UNHCR and ingest them in START the processing database for the United States Refugee Admissions Program- Manage Namechecks Staff, who review security clearances collaborating with the refugee Processing centre and US immigration partners-Manage up to 30 staff deployed on prescreening missions to West African countries: Chad, Nigeria, Niger, Ivory Coast, Gabon, Mali, Ghana, Mauritania, Burkina Faso, Senegal, Benin, The Gambia and Togo.- Manage field processing activity budget for in processing in West Africa- Coordinate on mission execution , including refugee movement from camps with UNHCR and IOM

Program Manager For All Activities In Burundi, Africa

Compliance Expertise: My extensive experience ensuring compliance with USRAP Standard Operating Procedures, including leading Circuit Rides, demonstrates my commitment to adhering to regulations and ensuring accuracy.Data Management and Analysis: My proven track record in developing Tableau reports for quality checks and circuit ride planning showcases my ability to manage and analyze data effectively.Leadership and Representation: Leading Circuit Rides to various African countries and representing RSC Africa in meetings with key partners highlight my strong leadership and communication skills.Performance Management: Successfully managing and mentoring a team of 47 staff, including performance evaluations and coaching, demonstrates my ability to develop and motivate staff.Staff Care and Project Management: My experience leading the Critical Incident Management Team and remodeling offices during the pandemic showcases my ability to handle complex situations and manage projects effectively.Passion for Refugee Resettlement: Beyond my skills and experience, I am driven by a genuine passion for refugee resettlement and ensuring fair and efficient case processing.

Nairobi

- Supervised 9 staff who included resettlement caseworkers and senior caseworkers while on deployment,in the home office and during the Work From Home (WFH) occasioned by the Covid-19 Pandemic- Designed remote supervision standard operating procedures for Church World Service program supervisors that assisted virtual coordination of program teams during WFH.- Drafted cleaning and disinfecting procedures for Church World Service office to be followed in the event of a phased reopening of the office after the Covid-19 pandemic.- Participated in the critical incident management team as a member of the "Return to Office" work group that oversaw the implementation of Phase 1 of Church World Services return to work formula during the Covid-19 pandemic- Oversaw the orderly departure of a team of 14 staff that I was supervising in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia and the safe arrival of all staff when Covid-19 cases were first reported in Addis and Nairobi on March 2020- Led a team of 12 staff in reviewing the Senior Resettlement Caseworker and the Resettlement Caseworker job descriptions as part of the larger field processing team strategic plan- Completed quarterly staff evaluations for 12 staff and provided timely feedback virtually through Cisco webex- Completed interview observations and file reviews for caseworkers and senior caseworkers while on mission- Piloted remote interviewing via phone for priority cases during the WFH duration of 2020

Nairobi, Kenya

• Travelled extensively to refugee camps and settlements in Kenya, Uganda, Burundi, Rwanda, Ethiopia, Chad, Malawi and South Africa to interview refugees who are eligible for resettlement to USA. Conducted pre-screening, Affidavit of Relationship (AOR) screening, visa interviews and adjudications functions• Trained new hires on the collection of refugee biographic information and drafting of case histories on the Worldwide Refugee Admissions Processing System (WRAPS).• Prepared physical files ahead of adjudication missions by the United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS)• Supervised travelling teams of up to 12 caseworkers and senior caseworkers in the field in preparing refugees from camp locations in Sub-Saharan Africa for their immigration interviews while ensuring compliance to DOS/BPRM, USCIS, RPC, CWS and RSC Africa policies, guidelines and procedures.• Interviewed and managed protection cases for minors by completing minor case histories, reviewing best interest determinations (BIDS) and completing minor questionnaires for placement with resettlement agencies in the US.• Requested expedite consideration for cases on medical and protection grounds.• Collaborated with partner agencies like UNHCR and IOM through operational meetings during refugee resettlement in different countries. Managed correspondence between our home office and partners while on mission.• Worked in collaboration with other departments such as logistics, missions planning team, staff security, interpreters and the finance team in planning for deployment of refugee processing teams to Sub-Saharan Africa.• Managed travel budgets of upto 200,000 USD used to pay vendors like security personnel, ground transport and interpreters.• Trained the whole field processing department on new processing updates during quarterly trainings.

Tarpo Building, Road C, Off Enterprise Road, Industrial Area P.O. Box 45164 – 00

* I lead problem solving at Tarpo Events. Together with the head of diversification and culture I inculcated a culture of "Right First Time" in alternative shelter solutions provision.* In line with the example of the famous "sell me this pen" sales example, I took the lead in creating the problems we solved as a department as a business development model. We took events out in the bush to be one with nature where there are problems only Tarpo events could solve.* I was in-charge of the largest inventory of tents in the region worth over 50 million kes.* I supervised an amazing team of 9 permanent staff. This number went as high as 60 casual staff for large scale events.*Tarpo Events is ISO9001:2008 certified. I was in-charge of Quality Management Systems (QMS) through drafting, implementation, monitoring and evaluation of the department's control procedures. * Tarpo Events is the industry's largest investor in research and development. I refurbished our appraisal matrix on BambooHR and moved management of the department onto Current-RMS, a cloud based rental management system.

Nairobi, Kenya

- Chad- Iriba, Koukou, Ndjamena Circuit Ride- Handled logistics and travelled 1300 km by road to camp locations in CD. Processed 66 cases in six weeks.- Ethiopia- Melkadida, Assosa, Addis Ababa Circuit ride. Processed refugees for 10 weeks near the Somalia, Kenya and Ethiopia Border, Sudan-Ethiopia border and Addis Ababa-Ethiopia -Jigjiga- (Somali region) Circuit ride. Apart from exceeding the normal workload scheduled for a day from two to three cases constantly, Coordinating with IOM (International Organization for Migration), Danish refugee Council, Refuge point and UNHCR.-Uganda - Kampala Surge Circuit Ride- Selected as part of the team to carry out the biggest RSC Africa operation ever. Successfully completed workload on scheduled time, Liaised with Supervisor to clean up any bottle necks to this huge project. I was a part of a team that worked 12-14 hours a day for one and a half months to ensure RSC Africa's Commitment to its applicants-Rwanda- Kigali- Kibuye Circuit ride- Processed applicants in two different locations. In this ride I learnt a lot in terms of operations and how different organizations synchronize their operations to make processing possible. Of particular interest was how the UNHCR and IOM work together with RSC to uphold the integrity of the USRAP programme

Industrial Area , Nairobi Kenya.

 Launched the new www.tarpo.com website in 2 months, uploaded material on the back end, revised prices for the estimate generator and trained sales department, Management and other departments.  Rhino charge 2015 Guard Post Sponsor, team Captain. Successfully managed a gauntlet guard post at the charge for the first time ever for the company.  Overall Camp manager LaikipiaXC 2015, Mount Kenya Borana conservancy. Planned the logistics ,supervised daily operations of The competitor, crew and spectator camps.  Devised Social Media and email marketing strategies that feed off directly from new sales verticals i.e Oil gas and mining, NGO, Tourism and military, Maker-space and Events  Acting Co-head of the Hire departments overseeing the largest inventory of tents in east Africa  Sales and Operations support, Liaison between the operations team and sales team. Working behind the sales scenes to cross train hire and sales associates on better client management, PR in sending emails etc.  Project management for Enzo Graziano associates projects with Tarpo- deliverables in 3 months new tent setup manuals ad white papers about the company for the first time.  Accelerated Management trainee, Included in Head of departments and senior management weekly meetings to get exposed to systems and processes in other departments as a training for future management positions.- Participated in the Big 5 Expo held in Dubai UAE in 2015

• Carried out a study on the challenges and opportunities for women in the tea sector in the Faircup project target areas- case of Iria-ini, Chinga, Gitugi and Ndima Tea factories. • Assessed social and infrastructural impacts of small holder irrigation schemes in relation to the National Irrigation Board’s irrigation scheme projects in the Rift Valley region. • Conducted an end line monitoring and evaluation project on food security and livelihood improvement for Bayer Crop Science AG/ GIZ – PPP in Kisumu, Bungoma and Mumias Counties.

Nairobi, Embakasi ,Kenya

• Supervised a household traffic survey for Embakasi District of Nairobi for Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA). I reviewed the work of 15 research enumerators and presented over 400 questionnaires.

Nairobi Kenya

• Conducted a labour market potential survey for Master Card Foundation/ CAPWDI in sectors pertaining to Nairobi province and its environs. • Worked in a team of four research assistants and came up with a report highlighting, kindred organizations, stakeholders, and opportunities for young unemployed youth in Kenya. The institution was able to recruit 50 trainees in the first month.

National Potato Research Centre, Tigoni, Limuru.

• The project survey scope covered Nyandarua, Meru, Bomet, Molo, Nakuru and Kiambu districts. I was a part of a survey team that interviewed over 1000 farmers in 6 potato growing regions for the National Potato Research centre. The report addressed challenges, pricing and market opportunities for the farmers in the region.

Kabete Rehabilitation Centre And School, Nairobi Children'S Home

• Worked as a social worker/ children officer at the centre. I received committed, counseled and did follow up visits in the field. I also volunteered as a social studies teacher and global volunteer network contact person• Helped in cleaning, organizing activities and receiving visitors at the children’s home. Together with volunteers from the Global Volunteer Network we managed to serve over 100 children.

Higher Education, Career Accelerator Programme

Spire offered the full set of core professional skills employers really want. These include soft skills like communication.

Bachelor Of Arts (B.A.), Political Science And Sociology, Second Class Upper Division

Kenya Certificate Of Secondary Education

The four years I spent at Queen of Apostle Seminary have to be the most defining years of my life. The seminary was the epitome.