IPN Spotlight: Shirin Ahmed (Senior Project Manager, International Rescue Committee)
Shirin Ahmed is the Senior Project Manager at the International Rescue Committee (IRC) where she works with IRC’s innovation unit to design solutions for people affected by conflicts. In addition to managing the Center’s portfolio, Shirin supports research and implementation of programs to prevent domestic violence in Liberia & Uganda.
Prior to IRC, Shirin was a Program Manager at Yale University’s Global Health Leadership Institute where she worked on a multi-country program focusing on supply chain management in Africa. Their focus was to evaluate best practices from corporations such as Coca-Cola, and provide recommendations to ministries of health to improve access to critical medicines in remote areas of Tanzania, Ghana, and others. Here, Shirin also helped launch a research project/startup called PremieBreathe to develop a low-cost breathing device for newborns in Ethiopia. Shirin grew up in Pakistan & completed her undergraduate degree in Political Science & International Studies from Yale University in 2012.
What skills have helped you in your career?
• Project management
• Qualitative research and analysis
• Field experience in developing countries
• Communications
What do you wish you had known or done differently throughout your career?
I wish I was more confident in my career choices – I remember spending many hours worrying about not applying to consulting jobs as my peers did and instead choosing to spend a summer in Uganda (which ultimately deepened my interests in the social impact space). I wish I had known at that time that it is okay to experiment and to create our own career path.
At the same time, I wish I had experimented even more with my career – worked on different gigs, startups, done multiple projects at one time. I think those experiences would have given me a broader perspective to bring to my next job and grad school.
Finally, while I took some basic French and Arabic in high school and college, I wish I was proficient in one of those languages. We live in a highly-globalized world so whether working abroad or in the US, knowing another language would have opened many more opportunities for me.
What do you do for continuing education and improvement?
I am fortunate to be living in NYC where I am constantly exposed and have the opportunity to seek out a variety of educational experiences – documentaries, art shows book tours, cultural festivals that continue to broaden my perspective.
What is next for you in your career?
In the short-term, I will continue to enhance my project management skills within the innovation and design space through my work at the International Rescue Committee. Down the road, I plan to pursue a Master’s degree in health economics and policy that would complement my field experiences.
What advice would you offer to others?
Don’t get too comfortable in any job or profession. As soon as you reach a point of saturation, move on to do something different so you can continue learning from your experiences.
Secondly, don’t worry about becoming an expert in the early years of your career. I speak with a Project manager bias but I do think that companies find it extremely valuable to have people on their team who can work across disciplines. I have been lucky to be in positions where I have communicated with government officials, corporate leaders, tech experts and designers, and all these interactions have allowed me to work effectively across many functions.
Areas where you can help other Ismailis:
• Nonprofits placements
• Working in developing contexts
• Research and project management jobs
Please provide the link to your LinkedIn profile:
Shirin Ahmed
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