HUSSEIN SESAY
Silver Spring,MD
Summary
Results-driven Researcher and Policy Advisor with a strong track record in data analysis, project management, grant writing, and public policy development. Proven expertise in stakeholder engagement and project coordination, successfully leading initiatives that enhance organizational impact.
Overview
8
8
years of professional experience
Work History
Government Grant Lead
Grant Writers for Health (Sidnae Global Research)
Silver Spring, MD
11.2024 - Current
- Managed multi-step, high-value federal grant applications, overseeing teams to produce persuasive, impactful proposals.
- Led comprehensive project management, establishing timelines, tracking milestones, and coordinating resources to ensure timely, high-quality submissions.
- Built and maintained strong relationships with clients, stakeholders, and federal funding agencies to support program design and alignment with funding opportunities.
- Supervised and mentored grant writing teams, ensuring consistency, quality, and adherence to government guidelines.
- Provided technical support for grant-related databases and submissions while contributing to organizational outreach and professional development initiatives.
Research Analyst
World Bank Group
05.2022 - 06.2024
- Played an instrumental role in preparing key analytical reports, including the Sierra Leone Economic Update, Country Economic Memorandum, Macro Poverty Outlook (MPO), and Country Policy Institutional Assessment (CPIA).
- Conducted in-depth research, literature reviews, and data analysis on economic, financial, and development topics to support policy recommendations and project design.
- Prepared bi-weekly briefs and analytical notes on economic, financial, and political matters in Sierra Leone.
- Developed economic databases and financial models, supported macroeconomic modeling and forecasting, and updated medium-term macroeconomic projections for Sierra Leone.
- Created a dynamic dashboard to showcase essential macroeconomic metrics, enhancing monitoring of inflation, exchange rates, and other key indicators for expedited and informed decision-making by management.
- Transformed raw economic data into actionable insights, leveraging visualization tools to present findings clearly and compellingly to stakeholders.
- Synthesized findings from literature reviews to provide evidence-based insights for policy briefs and technical reports.
- Monitored and evaluated the impact of development projects, providing insights to enhance outcomes and scalability.
- Organized and facilitated weekly and bi-weekly meetings to promote efficient communication and collaboration among teams.
- Implemented data quality checks, significantly reducing errors in reports.
- Developed weekly macroeconomic situation reports for media publication.
- Assisted in the preparation of presentations, charts, and other visualization tools to effectively communicate research findings to diverse audiences.
Project Coordinator: National Resettlement Policy
Ministry of Lands, Housing and Environment
Freetown
09.2020 - 05.2022
- Led the coordination of a nationwide initiative to develop a comprehensive National Resettlement Policy, ensuring alignment with international best practices and national development goals.
- Facilitated stakeholder consultations, including government agencies, NGOs, affected communities, and private sector representatives, to gather input and build consensus on policy frameworks.
- Managed the drafting, review, and revision of policy documents, incorporating feedback from key stakeholders and ensuring legal compliance.
- Organized and chaired working group meetings, workshops, and public forums to discuss policy options, challenges, and implementation strategies.
- Prepared detailed project reports, policy briefs, and recommendations for senior government officials and policymakers.
- Participated in field visits to resettlement sites to gather data, assess needs, and engage with local communities on policy issues.
- Managed project timelines, budgets, and deliverables, ensuring that all tasks were completed on schedule and within scope.
- Developed content for media releases, public statements, and informational materials to effectively communicate policy objectives and progress to the public and media outlets.
Research Assistant (Part-time)
University of Sierra Leone
Freetown
01.2021 - 12.2021
- Instructed classes on Introduction to Economics and Introduction to Statistics following prescribed course details such as curriculum objectives, desired learning results, syllabus content, and institutional regulations.
- Created and distributed comprehensive syllabi outlining institutional policies, course objectives, materials, and evaluation methods.
- Developed an organized workload schedule outlining teaching and office hours.
- Contributed to the development of course curriculum and instructional materials.
- Enhanced student learning by delivering effective instruction in all classes taught.
- Conducted ongoing evaluations to assess student comprehension and performance in every class.
- Engaged in evaluation initiatives spanning course, departmental, college-wide, and district-wide levels to ensure student attainment of objectives and learning goals
Technical Lead: Monitoring, Evaluation, and Policy
Ministry of Lands, Housing, and Country Planning
Freetown
08.2018 - 08.2020
- MEL System Design and Implementation: Developed and implemented comprehensive MEL frameworks for the implementation of the National Resettlement Policy and Act- funded by the Millenium Challenge Corporation (MCC) improving data collection efficiency and program evaluation
- Learning and Knowledge Management: Facilitated organizational learning by synthesizing evaluation findings and incorporating lessons learned into program design and policy recommendations.
- Capacity Building: Provided training and technical support to staff, local NGOs, and other partners on MEL methodologies, data management, and policy analysis.
- Proposal Development: Developed project proposal, which led to the funding from USAID to support legislative and regulatory frameworks for the use of land and the safeguarding of biodiversity.
- Stakeholder Engagement: Engaged with stakeholders, including donors such as USAID, MCC, UNDP, and other government agencies, to mobilize resources for the financing of projects and programs of the Ministry.
- Impact Evaluation Framework Design: Designed and conducted impact assessments and policy evaluations for the National Land Policy, leading to actionable recommendations that informed strategic decision making.
- Public Policy Development: Spearheaded the development of the National Resettlement Policy and Act through collaboration with a team of 10 consultants to guide development-induced resettlement activities in Sierra Leone.
- Strategic Plan Development: Developed the annual strategic plan for the Ministry, tracking the projects and programs departments were expected to complete by year-end.
- Performance Tracking Table: Created an Excel-based performance tracking tool to oversee deliverables outlined in the annual strategic plan.
- Budget management: Managed all aspects of the Ministry's annual budget, including its development and implementation.
Policy Analyst
Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cop.
Freetown
12.2016 - 07.2018
- Drafted speeches and policy papers on economic diplomacy for the Foreign Minister.
- Facilitated the signing of economic and technical cooperation agreements with bilateral partners, such as South Africa, Morocco, Russia, and the United Arab Emirates through development of policy papers.
- Conducted broad analytical studies to identify and address policy gaps related to regional and functional issues.
- Spearheaded the creation of a strategic economic diplomacy policy for Sierra Leone, resulting in increased investment opportunities for the country.
- Compiled a database of more than 200 economic and technical cooperation agreements that were signed by the Government of Sierra Leone.
- Researched current trends in global public opinion regarding diplomatic issues.
Education
Master of Arts - Policy Economics
Williams College
Williamstown, MA06-2020
Bachelor of Science - Economics
University of Sierra Leone
Freetown, Sierra Leone07-2015
Skills
- Data collection and analysis
- Project Management
- Data Analytics
- Program and Project Planning
- Advanced Microsoft Excel
- Power BI
- Tableau
- Design survey and research
- Proficiency in Adobe Suite
- Microsoft Suite proficient
- SQL
- Python
- R
- Instrumentl
Timeline
Government Grant Lead
Grant Writers for Health (Sidnae Global Research)
11.2024 - Current
Research Analyst
World Bank Group
05.2022 - 06.2024
Research Assistant (Part-time)
University of Sierra Leone
01.2021 - 12.2021
Project Coordinator: National Resettlement Policy
Ministry of Lands, Housing and Environment
09.2020 - 05.2022
Technical Lead: Monitoring, Evaluation, and Policy
Ministry of Lands, Housing, and Country Planning
08.2018 - 08.2020
Policy Analyst
Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cop.
12.2016 - 07.2018
Master of Arts - Policy Economics
Williams College
Bachelor of Science - Economics
University of Sierra Leone
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