Sarah Slinker

Programme Development Specialist , CARE International

London, United Kingdom

Multilingual (English, French, Swahili) humanitarian and international development practitioner with almost a decade of experience in program development, quality, and management, working with organizations such as the US Peace Corps, Mercy Corps, and CARE INTL based across the African continent (e.g., DRC, Ethiopia, Kenya, Togo, Zimbabwe). US & UK working rights. Preference for working in Africa.

Contact Sarah Slinker
Area of Expertise:
  • Disaster, Aid, Emergencies, Relief
  • Fundraising, Business Development, Grants Writer
  • Human Rights, Law, Migration, Conflicts, Justice
  • Social, Education, Gender, Youth, Child
Professional Experience:

I am a multilingual (English, French, and Swahili) international development and humanitarian aid professional with advanced degrees (BA, MSc, and MA) in and a passion for migration, development, language, and cultures. I have almost a decade of experience securing, designing, and/or implementing emergency humanitarian and development programming for vulnerable and often conflict-affected populations, such as refugees, IDPs, returnees, and host communities. Most notably, my experience includes: working with prominent non-governmental/international organizations (e.g., the US Peace Corps, Mercy Corps, & CARE International) across various programming sectors and modalities (e.g., DRR/climate resilience, CASH, education, FSLN, health, protection/GBV response and mitigation, WASH, etc..); 7.5 years working directly in the realms of program quality, development, and management/coordination; 3 years of managing a diverse team of technical advisors/experts in 4 different INGO (African) country offices; and 7.5 years of living and working in Sub-Saharan Africa (DRC, Ethiopia, Kenya, Togo, and Zimbabwe), including 5 years in a fragile context (DRC).

More generally speaking, my career thus far also continues to be characterized by my:
- time spent in several leadership roles (including two Assistant/Deputy Country Director roles) which required acting as a member of senior and executive leadership teams for multiple (CARE International) African country offices (DRC and Zimbabwe).
- understanding and engagement with core humanitarian standards and other critical humanitarian principles and architecture (e.g., via IASC/cluster coordination spaces and representation responsibilities as part of senior and executive leadership teams, including in fragile and protracted crisis contexts, such as Eastern DRC).
- strong interpersonal communication skills, a proven ability to take on progressive leadership roles, and the fact that I am a proud polyglot – all of which are characteristics having equipped me with an extensive learning agility and allowed me to successfully manage many direct reports who come from different backgrounds than my own.
- experience contributing to the design, roll-out, implementation, and/or monitoring of country-specific, regional-level, and organizational-wide programmatic strategies and their outcomes and relevant targets.
- ability to work under intense pressure and with a diverse range of internal and external teams and stakeholders to complete complex, competing, and demanding tasks – such work often takes place within consortium settings with in-country and/or multi-country networks and organizations.
- engagement with a wide range of international (multilateral, bilateral, foundational, and private sector) donors/funders, with whom I have cultivated successful partnerships (either directly and/or as part of a larger team) to secure more than $25-30M USD for response programming initiatives and activities in countries such as DRC, Zimbabwe, Kenya, and Ethiopia (see provided CV Annex for a list of these donors).

Such a skill set and related experiences (more detail in my CV) has primarily been built through my years spent working in the following roles:
- Grants/Emergency Programs Intern with Mercy Corps in DRC from 2017 – 2018 (Goma, DRC);
- Proposal Writer & Reporting Officer with CARE DRC from 2018 – 2020 (Goma, DRC);
- Program Quality Coordinator with CARE DRC from 2020 – 2022 (Goma, DRC);
- Program Quality & Impact Coordinator for CARE Kenya in 2021 (Nairobi, Kenya);
- Deputy Country Director for Programs with CARE Ethiopia in 2022 (Addis Ababa, Ethiopia);
- Assistant Country Director for Programs with CARE Zimbabwe from 2022 – 2023 (Harare, Zimbabwe); and
- Program Development Specialist with CARE International UK in London since 2023.

Education:

I hold a BA (2013) in French and Global Studies (with an emphasis on responses to violence and conflict) from Pacific Lutheran University (PLU), graduating with summa cum laude honors (given my 3.93 final GPA). I also completed an MSc (2017) in Migration Mobility & Development from the School of Oriental & African Studies (SOAS)-University of London, earning a merit (ii:i) marking (cum laude honors). In September of this year (2025), I will also complete a second Masters degree, an MA in African Studies & Intensive Kiswahili, also at SOAS-University of London. I am currently on track to receive first class/distinction honors for this degree (pending my dissertation submission and marking).

As part of these higher education studies, I have also studied abroad at other institutions. While studying for my BA at PLU, I spent one semester (Spring 2012) in Paris, France, including time taking a course at La Sorbonne - Université de Paris (IV). As part of fulfilling the requirements for my MA at SOAS, I spent last summer (July & August 2024) in Zanzibar, Tanzania studying advanced Kiswahili at the State University of Zanzibar (SUZA).

Available for:

  • Consulting assignments
  • Job opportunities
  • Being headhunted – make me an offer

Years of Experience:

5-10 years

Highest Qualification:

Masters

Languages:

English, French, Swahili

Nationality:

United States

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