Abrar A. Sattar
Cary,NC
Summary
Twenty-five plus years of progressive management experience of international projects and programs. Expertise includes contractual management, staff supervision, team management, financial and strategic planning, resource allocation, and budget management to achieve results. In-depth knowledge of corporate systems to facilitate project management. Developed policies and procedures to help projects in the field and provided feedback and suggestions to improve internal systems for project level financial management and operational improvements. Experienced in management of contracts, Cooperative Agreement, grants and subcontracts, performance monitoring, and organization of technical assistance to and operations of private firms and entrepreneurs to help business operations to compete globally. United States citizen, with family of 4, resident in Raleigh, North Carolina.
Results-driven professional with extensive experience in leadership and strategic oversight. Adept at driving organizational success through effective team collaboration and dynamic problem-solving. Recognized for adaptability and keen focus on achieving objectives.
Overview
38
38
years of professional experience
Work History
Contracts Associate Director & Team Lead
RTI International
03.2014 - Current
- Manage various contracts, including complex commercial and governmental proposals and agreements, grants, cooperative agreements, and other contractual vehicles
- Analyze significant, and/or unique contract requirements, special provisions, terms, and conditions to ensure compliance with appropriate laws, regulations, and corporate policies and business unit procedure
- Provides contractual guidance to business team members and manages the contract change control process
- Focal point for communication with law, finance, and business team disciplines for resolution of contract issues and disputes
- Exercise signature authority pursuant to delegation
- Responsibilities included: Provide guidance on rules and regulations (Federal Acquisitions Regulations, Standardized Regulations, OMB Circulars, and other procurement regulations) that may affect contract compliance and performance
- Research contractual regulations to determine appropriate courses of action in problem solving
- Reviews contracts, grants, agreements, add-ons, amendments, and other contractual vehicles to identify risks to the Institute, including financial, performance related, indemnification, export, reputational, and other risks to be mitigated
- Actively participate in project review team meetings, kick-off meetings, and contribute lessons learned
- Collaborate with subcontracts and procurement to help reach resolution of issues relative to engaging subcontractors and consultants (for example, required flow-downs)
- Manages contract change control process
- Identifies drafts, develops, implements, and provides training on contract policy and processes
- Understands the business case, financial/analytical issues and profit and loss implications
- Accurately interprets RTI policies and procedures for technical staff
- Coordinates RTI response to Government Contractor Performance Assessment Reports (CPARs)
Project Management Support Office (PMSO) Advisor
RTI International
02.2014 - 02.2016
- Advisor to IDG project management staff on all aspects of project management practices and standard operating procedures, systems, policies, processes, requirements and general project operations and management related issues; develops project management support resources; trains and mentors project management staff in project management and operational areas
- Essential Duties include: Works with IDG project management and implementation staff to support and nurture the development of effective and efficient project management processes, policies, and procedures
- Engages IDG business partners, project managers and implementation teams in identifying and adopting efficient and effective project management processes
- Facilitates project gap and risk analysis to identify areas of improvement in project operations and management and additional toolsets as needed
- Responsible for specialized area of PMSO development which may include PM training and development, PM SOPs and operational practices, PM tools and reporting, PM financial/accounting management, PM process design and support (start up, close out, etc.), knowledge management, etc
- Trainer and facilitator of PMSO training curriculum
- Serves as project management capacity back stop for IDG projects as needed
- Determines/recommends best practices to facilitate continuous process improvement in planning, monitoring, and controlling projects
- Supports Project Management teams in technical and client reporting and relations
- Captures and communicates lessons learned/best practices
- Authors SOPs, policy manuals and training plans as needed
- Attended Advanced FAR course in Washington DC in January of 2015 and insideNGO annual meetings in July of 2015
- Delivered PMSO USAID 1 & 2 courses to IDG staff over two years
Senior Contracting Officer (P3) Pre-Award
RTI International
03.2013 - 01.2014
- Support IDG in a Pre-Award contracts role to help ensure compliance to proposal requirements and negotiate and receive Awards
Senior Contracting Officer
RTI International
03.2009 - 03.2013
- Develop, negotiate, and manage various contracts, including complex commercial and governmental proposals and agreements, grants, cooperative agreements, and other contractual vehicles
- Analyze significant, and/or unique contract requirements, special provisions, terms, and conditions to ensure compliance with appropriate laws, regulations, and corporate policies and business unit procedure
- Provides contractual guidance to business team members and manages the contract change control process
- Focal point for communication with law, finance, and business team disciplines for resolution of contract issues and disputes
- Exercise signature authority pursuant to delegation
- Responsibilities included: Provide guidance on rules and regulations (Federal Acquisitions Regulations, Standardized Regulations, OMB Circulars, and other procurement regulations) that may affect contract compliance and performance
- Research contractual regulations to determine appropriate courses of action in problem solving
- Review, draft, edit and negotiate contractual terms and conditions with external customers
- Reviews contracts, grants, agreements, add-ons, amendments, and other contractual vehicles to identify risks to the Institute, including financial, performance related, indemnification, export, reputational, and other risks to be mitigated
- Actively participate in project review team meetings, kick-off meetings, and contribute lessons learned
- Collaborate with subcontracts and procurement to help reach resolution of issues relative to engaging subcontractors and consultants (for example, required flow-downs)
- Manages contract change control process
- Identifies drafts, develops, implements, and provides training on contract policy and processes
- Understands the business case, financial/analytical issues and profit and loss implications
- Accurately interprets RTI policies and procedures for technical staff
- Coordinates RTI response to Government Contractor Performance Assessment Reports (CPARs)
Project Administration Specialist
RTI International
04.2006 - 02.2009
- Managed projects in conjunction with technical leaders to ensure activities are accomplished within prescribed timeframe
- Managed project budgets, tracked expenditures, and monitored financial reporting to clients and provided operational, administrative, and support to ensure that objectives are accomplished
- Responsibilities included: Prepare and update financial analyses and tracking and project tools; prepare cost-to-complete analysis; provide financials to field as requested; monitor project deliverables vis-à-vis the budget; track costs against contractual requirements; review project cost reports and client invoices for accuracy; and specify custom financial reports as needed
- Monitor contractual requirements and notify project staff of significant events or potential concerns; ensure all contractual approvals are in place by coordinating RTI home support actions; and prepare technical or budget justifications to support contractual modification actions in coordination with the contract's organization and project leadership
- Coordinate subcontractor and consultant contracting by assisting in recruiting, administering procedures to obtain required RTI and client approvals, perform actions to initiate appropriate contractual mechanisms, advise consultants and subcontractors on financial procedures, and review biodatas to determine reasonableness of rates and accuracy
- Coordinate logistical support for ongoing project implementation through collaboration with IDG management and general and administration support services
- Travel to project sites as needed to coordinate and/or set up financial and administrative management systems
Products Business Manager
Smartronix, Incorporated
02.2005 - 03.2006
- Managed product-related contracts, purchase orders, and charge numbers; tracked product sales, nondisclosure, and resellers agreements
- Developed new nondisclosure agreements and reseller agreements and managed business relations with other companies
- Assisted the Chief Executive Officer to develop information for the Foreign Military Sales initiative
- Served as the products group's ISO 9000 lead representative
- Developed pricing for new products and reviewed pricing of existing products
- Was the lead on certifications for products, including the European Conformity (CE) mark, Uniform Code (UC), and Federal Communications Commission (FCC) and General Services Administration (GSA) contract for the product group
- Supported the Vice President of Products with legal aspects to the products group business
- Coordinated development of product marketing sheets for new products and updated existing ones
- Worked with the webmaster to add new products to the corporate Web site and improved or corrected existing information
- Developed processes to establish the operations of the new products group business division and the information flow between the group's business and engineering and sales roles
Chief of Party
Sigma One Corporation
02.2003 - 12.2004
- Technical and administrative oversight and supervision of the USAID-sponsored Improved Policy Reform and Financial Intermediation, Trade, and Investment Reform Program (TIRP) based in Accra, Ghana
- TIRP was based on four pillars: (1) an informed public and private dialogue, (2) policy and regulatory reform to promote trade and investment, (3) improvement of environment for financial intermediation, and (4) support for introduction of new financial instruments
- Liaison for Sigma One Corporation to TIRP
- Managed project staff and coordinated all project activities
- Position mandate was to work with the Ministry of Finance and other key counterpart agencies such as Ministry of Trade and Industry and Ministry of Food and Agriculture and USAID/Ghana to develop and execute appropriate program activities responsive to the government of Ghana policy development framework and program objectives that serve the achievement of USAID's economic growth strategic objective
- Responsibilities included implementation of project activities, securing USAID approvals for activities and purchases, writing project progress and activity reports, and keeping USAID/Accra and Sigma One Corporation headquarters informed on activity schedules, outcomes, and project status
Technical Director
Sigma One Corporation
07.2000 - 02.2003
- Provided technical guidance and monitoring for all technical assistance projects
- Reviewed reports and ensured compliance to client rules and regulations
- Monitored progress toward achievement of intermediate results for country programs and reviewed work plans and activity specifications to assist achievement of strategic objectives
- Undertook dialogue with governments, associations, and other private sector groups to align program activities with national priorities
- Provided onsite leadership for programs and activities through monitoring visits and several appointments as acting COP for the Improved Policy Reform and Financial Intermediation component of TIRP in Ghana and the Small and Medium Enterprise Competitiveness Enhancement Program in Namibia
- Completed (February 2003) a food and agroprocessing cluster competitiveness review for Namibia
- This analysis and report (available online) used a Porter's cluster approach to examine constraints to growth of activities in Namibia's food and agroprocessing sector
Operations Manager
Sigma One Corporation
01.1997 - 06.2000
- Responsible for all aspects of the execution and management of international technical assistance projects
- Developed scopes of work, project schedules, subcontracts, technical work, and project reporting
- Acted as project manager for the Ghana Policy Dialogue Project
- Developed briefs on dollarization and debt instruments and edited all project outputs for delivery to USAID/Ghana, the Government of Ghana, and other Partners in Policy Dialogue
- Served as the planning and logistics manager for the Ghana–North Carolina Conference in June 1997
- Arranged observational tours for interest groups to North Carolina businesses
- Escorted the Vice President of Ghana to a visit of the Bicentennial Research Campus of North Carolina State University in Raleigh
- Provided liaison with host country collaborators for business linkages and market intelligence, such as a strategic alliance for a South African Empowerment Group with major U.S
- Agribusiness firm
- Presented a menu of development initiatives for economic and social growth in Agribusiness, to the Northern Cape Province in South Africa
Resident Representative
Sigma One Corporation
09.1995 - 12.1996
- Technical and administrative oversight and supervision of the USAID-sponsored Agricultural Marketing Development Project activities while based in Amman, Jordan
- Was liaison for Sigma One Corporation to the project
- Managed project staff and coordinated all project activities
- Collaborated with the Government of Jordan Agricultural Marketing Organization (AMO) and the private sector in leading Jordan Exporter's and Producers Association for Fruit and Vegetables (JEPAFV) to implement project activities
- Secured USAID approvals for activities and purchases; wrote project progress and activity reports; and kept USAID/Amman and Sigma One Corporation headquarters informed on activity schedules, outcomes, and project status
- Assisted JEPAFV to develop its technical capacity to offer improved services
- This was achieved through strategic planning as well as operational and technical assistance
- Managed a project-funded subcontract for the construction of a cold storage facility at Amman Airport to facilitate high-value exports
- As appropriate, coordination was established with other Government of Jordan ministries and departments and the rest of the donor community in Jordan
Training Coordinator
Sigma One Corporation
10.1994 - 08.1995
- Performed training needs assessment, identification or development of training programs, management of budgets, and operational details for corporation's training obligations for international contracts
Market Intelligence and Training Coordinator
Sigma One Corporation
11.1992 - 09.1994
- Performed research and data collection in Jordan in 1994 to understand, develop, and describe a method to measure risks at the enterprise level for horticultural exporters from Jordan
- Served as team leader and chief author of risk analysis report
- Examined regulatory constraints and land availability in the Triangle region of North Carolina to evaluate the feasibility of a Fixed Guideway Transit System
- Statistically analyzed and reviewed all U.S
- State and territory nutrition plans for the Women, Infants, and Children (WIC) Program of the U.S
- Department of Agriculture as a component of analyses to estimate participatory and eligibility rates in the program
- Developed a profile of minority farmers in rural North Carolina, identifying typical income sources for the farmers and their geographic spread within the state
Research Associate
Sigma One Corporation
11.1986 - 10.1992
- Prepared country profiles as background information for Sigma One Corporation's activities abroad
- Assembled and analyzed data that emphasized the country's socioeconomic status, trade and expenditure accounts, unemployment and exchange rates, and economic and commercial policies & reports on agricultural commodities
- Reviewed employment and training programs as part of a team targeted for welfare recipients in the United States
- Reviewed secondary reports and prepared the report draft for the U.S
- Department of Agriculture
- Assembled and analyzed data on food aid to Africa from the U.S
- And other sources for the USAID workshop report, The Uses of Food Aid in Development Assistance in Africa
- Compiled and analyzed data to estimate the share of marketing services of agricultural products in the Gross Domestic Product of developing countries in Latin America, Asia, and Africa
- Carried out field research and data collection in Sudan on agriculture-related projects
- Tabulated and analyzed results on the performance of Sudan's economy since independence, with reference to parastatal organizations, budgeting, and prices
Education
Manufacture Drawback Workshop -
World Trade Institute
03.1995
Export Operations Workshop -
World Trade Institute
12.1993
statistics and financial management analysis
North Carolina State University
Raleigh, NC01.1993
Core Courses for Ph.D. program - Agricultural Economics
North Carolina State University
Raleigh, NC01.1989
Master of Public and International Affairs (MPIA) - Economic and Social Development
University of Pittsburgh
Pittsburgh, PA01.1986
B.S. - Business Administration
University of Charleston
Charleston, WV01.1984
Business Administration -
American College of Switzerland
Leysin, Switzerland01.1983
Skills
- Project & Contract Management
- Client relations
- People
- Regulatory compliance
- Microsoft Suite
- Salesforce
- FedCLM
- Oracle
- Strategic leadership
- Analytical thinking
- Relationship building
- Decision-making
- Team collaboration and leadership
- Process improvement
- Key relationship management
- Operations management
- Critical thinking
- Onboarding and training
- Staff coordination
- Contract management
- Team operations
Other Education
- North Carolina State University, Raleigh, NC, Agricultural Economics, Core Courses for Ph.D. program, 08/01/88, 05/01/89, Statistics and Financial Management Analysis, 01/01/87, 12/31/93
- World Trade Institute, Export Operations Workshop, 12/01/93
- World Trade Institute, Manufacture Drawback Workshop, 03/01/95
Country Experience
- Ghana
- Jordan
- South Africa
- Namibia
- Zambia
- Nepal
- Pakistan
- Nigeria
- Guyana
- Guatemala
- El-Salvador
- Haiti
Selected Publications
- Action Plan to Promote Agribusiness in Ghana, Dale Coyer, Abrar Sattar, et al., Ghana Ministry of Food and Agriculture, 03/01/04
- Inventory of Agribusiness Studies, Programmers, and Projects in Ghana with Supply Chain Analysis for Selected Commodities, Dale Coyer, Abrar Sattar, et al., Ghana Ministry of Food and Agriculture, 02/01/04
- The Food and Agro Processing Cluster Competitiveness Review, Small and Medium Enterprise Competitiveness Enhancement Program, USAID/Namibia, 01/01/03
- Policy Briefs on the State of Ghanaian Economy, Ghana Policy Dialogue Project, 01/01/97
- Cairo Wholesale Market Tour Report for USAID-funded Agricultural Marketing Development Project, Amman, Jordan, 12/01/95
- A Method for Enterprise-level Risk Analysis for Horticultural Exporters in Jordan Report and the Risk Analysis Template (RAT) for the USAID-funded Agricultural Marketing Development Project, Abu-Snoods, Jihad, Hade, Mohammed, Abrar Sattar, 09/01/94
- A Memorandum of Findings and Conclusions on Regulatory Issues and Land Availability for a Fixed Guideway Transit System for the Triangle Region of North Carolina, Sigma One Corporation for the Triangle Transit Authority under subcontract to Hammer, Siler, and George Associates, 06/01/93
- An Assessment of the World Shrimp Market: A Situation and Outlook Report, Sigma One Corporation, 03/01/92
- Market briefs on nontraditional agricultural produce, 01/01/90 to 01/01/93
Family Size
4
Personal Information
Citizenship: United States
Residence
Raleigh, North Carolina
Timeline
Contracts Associate Director & Team Lead
RTI International
03.2014 - Current
Project Management Support Office (PMSO) Advisor
RTI International
02.2014 - 02.2016
Senior Contracting Officer (P3) Pre-Award
RTI International
03.2013 - 01.2014
Senior Contracting Officer
RTI International
03.2009 - 03.2013
Project Administration Specialist
RTI International
04.2006 - 02.2009
Products Business Manager
Smartronix, Incorporated
02.2005 - 03.2006
Chief of Party
Sigma One Corporation
02.2003 - 12.2004
Technical Director
Sigma One Corporation
07.2000 - 02.2003
Operations Manager
Sigma One Corporation
01.1997 - 06.2000
Resident Representative
Sigma One Corporation
09.1995 - 12.1996
Training Coordinator
Sigma One Corporation
10.1994 - 08.1995
Market Intelligence and Training Coordinator
Sigma One Corporation
11.1992 - 09.1994
Research Associate
Sigma One Corporation
11.1986 - 10.1992
Export Operations Workshop -
World Trade Institute
statistics and financial management analysis
North Carolina State University
Core Courses for Ph.D. program - Agricultural Economics
North Carolina State University
Master of Public and International Affairs (MPIA) - Economic and Social Development
University of Pittsburgh
B.S. - Business Administration
University of Charleston
Business Administration -
American College of Switzerland
Manufacture Drawback Workshop -
World Trade Institute