Mukhtaar Axmed Cumar
Borama,SO
Summary
Highly motivated and results-oriented Monitoring and Evaluation (M&E) Specialist with over 13 years of progressive experience focusing on enhancing primary education quality/access, skills development, and women's empowerment initiatives within Somaliland's international development and education sectors. Proven expertise in designing, establishing, and managing comprehensive M&E systems, including developing Results Frameworks and tracking progress against Project Development Objectives (PDOs). Adept at leading the full M&E cycle: developing tracking tools, managing quantitative/qualitative data collection and analysis, ensuring data quality assurance, conducting diverse evaluations (baseline, mid-term, final), and producing insightful reports for various stakeholders (donors, ministries, steering committees). Skilled in coordinating multi-stakeholder consultations, managing field-level M&E activities across multiple regions, and delivering targeted M&E training to project staff and partners. Strong analytical, reporting, and communication skills in English and Somali, with extensive experience collaborating closely with Project Implementation Units (PIUs), government ministries (including MoES), international donors, and humanitarian organizations. Committed to data-driven decision-making and adaptive management.
Overview
14
14
years of professional experience
1
1
Certification
Work History
Organizational Development Consultant (Freelance)
Government
09.2024 - Current
- MoHD Structure Review (Damal Caafimaad Project, Feb–Mar 2025)
- Curriculum Review – Ministry of Education and Science (Apr–May 2025) – Direct MoES relevance
- Policy Lead – National Education and Teacher Education Policy (Save the Children)
- Structure Reviews – Ministries of Education, Agriculture, and Resettlement (SCI, UNHCR)
Dean, Faculty of Education
Amoud University
09.2022 - 01.2025
- Directed the academic, research, and quality assurance portfolio, deepening sectoral expertise in education policy, curriculum, and teacher training relevant to development programming.
- Provided strategic leadership in areas aligning with national education priorities.
- Implemented initiatives to drive curriculum quality and target learning outcomes.
- Oversaw student services and student retention.
- Communicated with university administrators and school officials.
- Supervised admissions programs, student recruitment and retention.
- Recruited, hired and trained academic faculty and staff members.
- Spearheaded technology initiatives to support student learning and academic excellence.
- Implemented strategies to increase student recruiting, engagement and retention.
- Assisted in development and implementation of faculty development plans.
- Monitored and assessed results of postsecondary programs and services to identify and capitalize on potential improvements.
- Developed and implemented student success initiatives to recognize and encourage achievement.
- Conferred with educators to rebalance classes, increase resource utilization, and integrate new technology.
- Devised programs to promote diversity and inclusion among staff, faculty and students.
- Collaborated with faculty, staff and students to identify and address institutional challenges.
- Self-motivated, with a strong sense of personal responsibility.
- Developed strong organizational and communication skills through coursework and volunteer activities.
Director of Quality Assurance and M&E
Amoud University
09.2015 - 08.2022
- Led the design, implementation, and maintenance of institution-wide M&E frameworks and systems, defining data flow processes, reporting schedules, and quality standards.
- Developed and deployed diverse M&E tracking tools (quantitative and qualitative) to monitor performance against strategic objectives, establishing baselines and targets.
- Systematically reviewed and adjusted input, process, and output indicators based on performance data and evolving institutional needs, ensuring relevance and accuracy.
- Oversaw routine data collection, data quality assurance (DQA) processes, statistical analysis, and institutional reporting to enhance educational quality and evidence-based decision-making.
- Developed curriculum and delivered practical M&E training workshops for faculty and administrative staff on M&E principles, data collection tools (including mobile data collection), analysis, and reporting.
- Collaborated closely with academic departments to integrate M&E findings into planning and quality improvement cycles.
- Authored documentation for internal use by QA personnel, setting guidelines for review activities and reporting requirements.
- Directed quality assurance teams, shortened validation turnaround times and reduced customer complaints.
- Tracked quality issues with external customers, suppliers, and internal plant operations.
- Determined quality department standards, practices, and procedures.
- Established and tracked quality department goals and objectives.
- Applied coaching techniques and tools to support managers and team members in improving performance.
Monitoring and Evaluation Coordinator
Direct Aid
01.2013 - 01.2015
- Coordinated and managed all project-level M&E activities for multi-sectoral initiatives (education and health) across Hargeisa and surrounding regions, ensuring alignment with donor requirements, Results Frameworks, and Project Development Objectives (PDOs).
- Developed comprehensive M&E plans, including indicator definition matrices, data collection methodologies, analysis plans, and reporting frameworks.
- Facilitated and managed specific monitoring arrangements, including baseline surveys, mid-term reviews, final evaluations (process and outcome), and third-party monitoring (TPM) activities.
- Designed evaluation methodologies, developed data collection instruments (surveys, KII guides, FGD guides), and managed field data collection using tools like KoboToolbox/SurveyCTO.
- Led the consolidation and analysis of quantitative and qualitative data from various sources, ensuring rigorous quality assurance before reporting.
- Authored and ensured timely submission of high-quality monthly, quarterly, annual, mid-term review, and final evaluation reports for internal management, donors, and government partners.
- Facilitated annual project performance reviews and data review meetings to promote adaptive management and learning.
- Prepared concise progress reports and presentations on project results for Project Steering Committees and other stakeholder dissemination events.
- Actively participated in joint implementation and supervision missions (including donor missions), project related workshops, and coordination meetings.
- Coordinated closely with implementing partners and program staff to ensure harmonized M&E approaches and timely data flow.
- Recruited, trained, mentored, and supervised field enumerators and junior M&E staff, ensuring adherence to data collection protocols and quality standards.
MEAL Officer
Direct Aid
01.2011 - 01.2013
- Conducted routine field monitoring visits and community-level assessments using mobile data collection tools (KoboToolbox, SurveyCTO) for efficient and accurate data gathering.
- Produced regular monitoring reports detailing project progress against output/outcome targets, highlighting achievements, challenges, and lessons learned for real-time learning and adjustments.
- Contributed to the development and refinement of M&E tools and data collection methodologies.
- Conducted regular reviews of operations and identified areas for improvement.
Education
Ph.D. - Educational Leadership and Policy Studies
Haramaya University
Ethiopia 09.2025
M.Sc. - Research and Data Analysis
Amoud University
Somaliland07.2019
MBA - Business Administration
Gollis University
Hargeisa, Somaliland08.2015
Diploma - Information, Communication & Technology
Saw College
Borama01.2012
B.Ed. - Physics and Mathematics
Amoud University
Borama, Somaliland07.2011
Skills
- M&E System Design
- Implementation & Management
- Results Framework Development
- Theory of Change Development
- Monitoring
- Project Development Objective Tracking
- Indicator Development
- Indicator Refinement
- Evaluation Design
- Evaluation Management
- Baseline Evaluations
- Mid-Term Evaluations
- Final Evaluations
- Process Evaluations
- Outcome Evaluations
- Impact Evaluations
- TPM
- Quantitative Data Collection Methodologies
- Qualitative Data Collection Methodologies
- Statistical Data Analysis
- SPSS
- R
- Excel
- Advanced Pivot Tables
- Analysis Toolpak
- Python
- Qualitative Data Analysis
- Thematic Analysis
- Content Analysis
- Data Collection Tools
- KoboToolbox
- SurveyCTO
- ODK
- Data Quality Assurance Protocols
- Comprehensive Reporting
- Monthly Performance Reviews
- Quarterly Performance Reviews
- Annual Performance Reviews
- Mid-Term Reviews
- Evaluation Reports
- Donor Reports
- Steering Committee Briefs
- M&E Capacity Building
- Training Facilitation
- Stakeholder Coordination
- Stakeholder Engagement
- Policy Analysis
- Policy Drafting
- MS Office Suite Proficiency
- Word
- PowerPoint
- Access
- Working Effectively Under Pressure
- Meeting Tight Deadlines
- Willingness to Travel
Certification
- Data Science Training 2024 (Advanced Stream), University of Bristol & TS
- Foundations: Data, Data, everywhere, Google via Coursera
- Ask Questions to Make Data-Driven Decisions, Google via Coursera
- Prepare Data for Exploration, Google via Coursera
- Process Data from Dirty to Clean, Google via Coursera
- Analyze Data to Answer Questions, Google via Coursera
- Excel Skills for Business: Intermediate I, Macquarie University via Coursera
Languages
Somali
English
Selected Publications
- Influence of Leadership Styles on Job Satisfaction in the Higher Education Institutions of Somaliland, Cogent Education, 03/01/25
- Machine Learning-Driven Analysis of Academic Performance Determinants in Somaliland's 2022–2023 National Primary Examinations, International Journal of Educational Research, 12/01/24
- Zero-Inflated Poisson Regression Analysis of Determinants of Subject Failures in Primary Schools National Examination of 2023 in Somaliland, Preprint, 12/01/24
- Multilingual Competency and Academic Performance: A Machine Learning-Based Analysis of the 2022/2023 Somaliland National Primary Exam Data, Preprint, 10/01/24
- Understanding Sustainable Development in Somaliland: A Case Study of Amoud University's MSc in Climate Change and Environmental Sustainability, Revista de Gestão Social e Ambiental, 09/01/24
- Assessing Progress Towards SDG 4: Examining Education Accessibility in Somaliland Using Data from the 2022 National Education Accessibility Survey, Preprint, 07/01/24
- Advancing Early Childhood Education Policy: A Transformative Case Study in Hargeisa, Somaliland, Cogent Education, 12/01/24
Timeline
Organizational Development Consultant (Freelance)
Government
09.2024 - Current
Dean, Faculty of Education
Amoud University
09.2022 - 01.2025
Director of Quality Assurance and M&E
Amoud University
09.2015 - 08.2022
Monitoring and Evaluation Coordinator
Direct Aid
01.2013 - 01.2015
MEAL Officer
Direct Aid
01.2011 - 01.2013
Ph.D. - Educational Leadership and Policy Studies
Haramaya University
M.Sc. - Research and Data Analysis
Amoud University
MBA - Business Administration
Gollis University
Diploma - Information, Communication & Technology
Saw College
B.Ed. - Physics and Mathematics
Amoud University
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