Rida.

Rida Aslam

Strategic Project Manager | International Development & NGO Specialist

Overview

Strategic Project Management professional with a Master's from Heriot-Watt University and a background in social entrepreneurship. Proven track record in end-to-end programme delivery, stakeholder coordination, and operational management within the third sector and healthcare. Expert in bridging the gap between technical teams and internal stakeholders, with a research focus on Benefits Realisation Management in the Pakistani NGO landscape. Experienced in managing complex workstreams, from healthcare MIS coordination to sustainable community food initiatives.

Karachi, Pakistan

Experience

Sep 2025 – Apr 2026

PART_TIME

Student Engagement Assistant

Heriot-Watt University Student Union

Edinburgh, UK

Planned and coordinated 6–10 student engagement events for up to 500 participants, managing timelines, room bookings, logistics, procurement, resources and volunteer coordination. Managed multiple concurrent workstreams and adapted delivery plans to changing priorities, including reprioritising resources following event cancellations. Maintained Excel and SharePoint trackers and shared records, enabling senior stakeholders to monitor task completion, project information and progress. Coordinated twice-monthly meetings, preparing agendas, recording minutes and tracking actions with university departments, student societies and leadership. Worked with 10+ stakeholders across university departments, student societies and external contacts, coordinating communication, procurement and operational requirements.

•Planned and coordinated 6–10 student engagement events for up to 500 participants, managing timelines, room bookings, logistics, procurement, resources and volunteer coordination.

•Managed multiple concurrent workstreams and adapted delivery plans to changing priorities, including reprioritising resources following event cancellations.

•Maintained Excel and SharePoint trackers and shared records, enabling senior stakeholders to monitor task completion, project information and progress.

•Coordinated twice-monthly meetings, preparing agendas, recording minutes and tracking actions with university departments, student societies and leadership.

•Worked with 10+ stakeholders across university departments, student societies and external contacts, coordinating communication, procurement and operational requirements.

ExcelSharePointMicrosoft Office 365

Sep 2023 – Dec 2024

WORK

Communications and Outreach Coordinator

Children of Adam

Karachi, Pakistan

Coordinated multiple concurrent healthcare, education and community workstreams, using Asana and Trello to manage tasks, timelines, dependencies and internal deadlines to support timely programme delivery. Managed the Lay Counsellor Programme end-to-end, budgeting, candidate screening, training delivery; enrolling 20 of 50–60 applicants, supporting certification of 15, and finishing under budget with surplus funds reallocated to another initiative. Coordinated engagement with 7+ stakeholders, including healthcare professionals, senior leadership, government bodies and policy stakeholders, and members of the Pakistan Mental Health Coalition. Identified delivery risks and maintained an issue tracker, including building schedule buffers into programme timelines to pre-empt delays; escalated to senior management and engaged stakeholders to resolve issues before impact. Supported development of a major regional neuropsychiatric hospital project, including coordination with the IT team on a Patient Management Information System (MIS) and stakeholder engagement across healthcare and programme teams. Produced reports, presentations, meeting agendas, minutes and progress updates; maintained project documentation and tracked follow-up actions to support effective programme delivery. Conducted field visits to partner schools and non-formal schools in underserved areas to monitor programme activities and implementation, liaising with teachers and multidisciplinary teams to identify and resolve operational issues.

•Acted as the primary liaison between the IT development team and internal healthcare stakeholders to define requirements for a new Patient Management Information System (MIS).

•Coordinated multiple concurrent healthcare, education and community workstreams, using Asana and Trello to manage tasks, timelines, dependencies and internal deadlines to support timely programme delivery.

•Managed the Lay Counsellor Programme end-to-end, budgeting, candidate screening, training delivery; enrolling 20 of 50–60 applicants, supporting certification of 15, and finishing under budget with surplus funds reallocated to another initiative.

•Coordinated engagement with 7+ stakeholders, including healthcare professionals, senior leadership, government bodies and policy stakeholders, and members of the Pakistan Mental Health Coalition.

•Identified delivery risks and maintained an issue tracker, including building schedule buffers into programme timelines to pre-empt delays; escalated to senior management and engaged stakeholders to resolve issues before impact.

•Supported development of a major regional neuropsychiatric hospital project, including coordination with the IT team on a Patient Management Information System (MIS) and stakeholder engagement across healthcare and programme teams.

•Produced reports, presentations, meeting agendas, minutes and progress updates; maintained project documentation and tracked follow-up actions to support effective programme delivery.

•Conducted field visits to partner schools and non-formal schools in underserved areas to monitor programme activities and implementation, liaising with teachers and multidisciplinary teams to identify and resolve operational issues.

Key Achievements

→Managed the Lay Counsellor Programme end-to-end, finishing under budget with surplus funds reallocated to another initiative.

→Successfully supported certification of 15 lay counsellors from an initial pool of 50-60 applicants.

AsanaTrelloPatient Management Information System (MIS)

Jul 2023 – Sep 2023

WORK

Administrative & Operations Coordinator

Ninety9 Capital

Remote (US)

Supported operational and administrative processes by maintaining records, managing property listings using Propertyware and Zillow, and coordinating stakeholder communications across multiple workflows. Maintained Excel-based trackers and shared documentation for reporting, data accuracy and coordination, while supporting senior leadership with stakeholder communications and operational issues.

•Supported operational and administrative processes by maintaining records, managing property listings using Propertyware and Zillow, and coordinating stakeholder communications across multiple workflows.

•Maintained Excel-based trackers and shared documentation for reporting, data accuracy and coordination, while supporting senior leadership with stakeholder communications and operational issues.

Key Achievements

→Managed 5–6 property listings weekly on Propertyware and Zillow, including organizing site visits.

→Drafted and executed 2–3 lease contracts per week via Propertyware for qualified clients.

PropertywareZillowExcel

Project Portfolio

ACADEMIC

Present

Rural Sindh Handicrafts Feasibility Study

Researcher

Participated in a feasibility study exploring a public-private partnership model connecting women producing handicrafts in rural Sindh with urban markets to support sustainable livelihood opportunities.

PROFESSIONAL

Present

Lay Counsellor Programme

Project Lead

Managed the Lay Counsellor Programme end-to-end, including budgeting, candidate screening, and training delivery. Enrolled 20 of 50–60 applicants and supported the certification of 15. The project finished under budget with surplus funds reallocated to another initiative.

AsanaTrello

VOLUNTEER

Present

Menstrual Health and Hygiene Programme

Lead

Led the planning and delivery of a menstrual health and hygiene programme reaching approximately 100+ women across three villages in Thar, Sindh. Coordinated awareness sessions, student volunteers, product distribution and field logistics. Explored sustainable delivery models for recurring access.

PERSONAL

Present

APM Challenge: Sustainable Food Pantry Partnerships

Project Lead / Coordinator

Secured three sustainable partnerships for the North Glasgow Community Food Initiative (NGCFI) / Royston Food Pantry during the APM Challenge. Established a recurring in-kind donation system by placing collection boxes at nearby student accommodations and universities, creating a continuous supply chain of food donations for the pantry.

Monday.com

Education

2025 – 2026

MSc Strategic Project Management

Heriot-Watt UniversitySpecialization in Strategic Project Management

Thesis: Benefits Realisation Management in Pakistan's Third Sector

2019 – 2023

BSc Social Entrepreneurship & Social Leadership

Institute of Business Management (IoBM)Specialization in Social Entrepreneurship & Social Leadership

Relevant Coursework

Sustainable DevelopmentSocioeconomic Transformation & Threat to EnvironmentLeadership in Environmental ProtectionHistory of Social AdvocacyResearch Methodology for Social ProjectsQuantitative Analysis for Social Data

Societies & Activities

Social Welfare & Trust Society

2016 – 2018

A-Levels

Southshore CollegeSpecialization in Business & Social Sciences

Impact & Recognition

Patents & Publications

2026 · PATENT

Benefits Realisation Management in Pakistan's Third Sector

Analyzed the gap between donor-driven Logical Framework Approaches (LFAs) and NGO ownership in Pakistan's third sector. Identified that while Western Benefits Realisation Management (BRM) concepts face implementation hurdles due to heavy donor dependency, a Results-Based Monitoring and Evaluation (RBME) system is more suited for ensuring long-term project impact and organizational autonomy.

Social Impact & Activities

2019 – 2022

Social Welfare & Trust Society, IoBM

Member → Deputy Director → Vice President

Led a society of over 250 students coordinating community welfare, fundraising and volunteer engagement programmes for underserved communities in Karachi.

EngagementORGANIZER

Skills & Interests

Project planning

TECHNICAL

Programme implementation

TECHNICAL

Risk identification

TECHNICAL

Microsoft Excel

TOOL

Asana

TOOL

Operational delivery

TECHNICAL

Programme monitoring

TECHNICAL

Field monitoring

TECHNICAL

Trello

TOOL

Google Workspace

TOOL

Contingency planning

TECHNICAL

Budget tracking

TECHNICAL

SharePoint

TOOL

Capacity-building programmes

TECHNICAL

Monday.com

TECHNICAL

Areas of Expertise

Stakeholder consultation

Community outreach

Volunteer coordination

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