Who We Are

Nickol Global Solutions (NGS) provides a wide range of management consulting and advisory services designed to fortify stakeholder capacity and effectiveness, including in public institutions, civil society organizations, and private sector firms. In the U.S. and overseas, NGS helps public and private sector clients assess and develop capacity; optimize performance and quality objectives; enhance transparency and accountability; measure success; and communicate about their work—all with the aim of advancing development objectives even in the most complex operating environments. ​
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What We Do

​STRATEGIC PLANNING & PERFORMANCE MANAGEMENT 
  • Facilitate strategic planning and performance management processes
  • Identify key performance indicators
  • Develop tools, strategies, systems for institutional performance
  • Integrate strategic planning with budget planning and project design
​RESEARCH & ANALYSIS
  • Conduct stakeholder mapping and analysis
  • Prepare briefs, studies and reports based on mix of data gathering techniques
  • Develop action-oriented recommendations that facilitate targeted solutions
  • Apply political economy analysis (PEA) for better theory of change, project design
​ORGANIZATIONAL DEVELOPMENT
  • Develop organizational culture reflecting programmatic, operational objectives
  • Assess staffing structure, efficiency, effectiveness
  • Identify institutional challenges hindering performance
  • Implement change management techniques
​CAPACITY Building
  • Carry out needs assessments for public and private institutions
  • Design/deliver tailored training and technical assistance plans
  • Incorporate adult learning and experiential learning techniques
Stakeholder Engagement
  • Identify and map key stakeholders to determine levels of influence and interest
  • Develop nuanced outreach strategies that foster collaboration and sustained engagement
  • Create feedback loops that enable adaptive management
  • Strengthen dialogue between stakeholder groups (e.g., citizens and government)
​PROJECT DESIGN
  • Design activities that feed into programmatic and operational objectives
  • Integrate Collaborating, Learning and Adapting (CLA) into day-to-day management
  • Promote evidence-based decision-making for enhanced design
​PROGRAM MANAGEMENT & IMPLEMENTATION 
  • ​Develop, implement quality management systems, including ISO 9001 processes
  • Optimize program management systems to ensure high-quality results
  • Provide program support advisory services in complex environments
  • Conduct "above-and-beyond" internal performance assessment
​MONITORING, EVALUATION, & LEARNING 
  • Measure outputs and outcomes
  • Develop appropriate performance indicators
  • Design and deliver evaluations
  • Enhance knowledge management and facilitate evidence-based decisions
Download the NGS Capabilities Statement.

How We Work

The developing world is as complex as it is dynamic, and we are dedicated to ensuring that our approach acknowledges and builds upon local context while seeking new, more inclusive and effective strategies. Applying a collaborative, congenial approach to each and every interaction, NGS focuses on adapting proven methodologies to our client’s nuanced needs. To do this, we:
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  • Engage widely with as many stakeholders as possible
  • Build capacity at the individual, organizational, and systems level
  • Empower stakeholders to actively participate in solutions design
  • Sustain results by implementing innovative, adaptive, and iterative solutions

NGS thinks and works politically, thoroughly understanding the actors and factors at play within the systems where we operate.

We are committed to advancing development objectives within each unique context and carrying out our work in a cost-conscious way that maximizes donor dollars. This mission guides every aspect of our work.

Our Team

NGS leadership has worked across technical sectors, regions, and clients, bringing expertise from project to program to strategic level, transforming individual capacity to organizational capacity, and supporting organizations’ ability to develop and reach performance targets through a combination of strategic vision and practical action plans.​

Founder and President: Kaylin B. Nickol
An international development leader with 20+ years of experience supporting US foreign policy initiatives, Kaylin specializes in democracy and governance programming with a particular focus on post-conflict and political transition countries. For US government-funded projects, she has led or supported transparency, accountability, and good governance programming; civil society capacity-building programs; rapid-response mechanisms; research and analysis; SOP development; change management initiatives; and strategic planning and implementation. Her perpetual eye toward process improvement and quality enhancement has helped build solid and efficient project teams, devise innovative technical solutions, turn around failing projects, and operate seamlessly in complex operating environments. 
NGS Advisors
Holly Flood - Democracy and Governance
A seasoned international development professional, Holly brings more than two decades of experience in DG programming, rapid response, post-conflict and stabilization programs in Africa, Asia, Latin America, the Middle East, and the United States. Her experience includes working directly for USAID in Paraguay, Peru, Angola, and in Washington, as well as for multiple implementing partners in DC and in the field. Her areas of technical expertise and experience include civil society strengthening, community development, countering violent extremism (CVE), conflict mitigation and peace building, stabilization, and post-conflict and transition programming, in multiple country contexts. Holly's proven abilities—including assembling and leading diverse teams, working effectively with stakeholders at all levels, and achieving results in highly challenging environments—add enormous value to NGS services. ​ 
Suzanne M. Sullivan - Countering Violent Extremism and Governance
Suzanne M. Sullivan brings nearly 20 years of project management and business development leadership in complex conflict and transition environments in the Middle East, Africa, Europe, and the Americas. She worked directly for USAID’s Office of Transition Initiatives in Iraq and Pakistan, the OSCE in Kosovo, a USAID implementing partner in Washington, DC, and a global engineering and construction leader in multiple locations. Her expertise includes governance and civil society support, countering violent extremism, civil-military cooperation, community peace building, and social and environmental impact management. She is a U.S. woman-owned small business owner and has built and led international teams, focusing on strong implementation for organizational growth.  ​
Kristine Powers - KM, Learning, and Communications
Kristine has helped to advance strategic communications, knowledge management (KM) and organizational learning at USAID for 15 years. She is known for her achievements developing innovative communications and knowledge-sharing solutions through strategic assessment, robust collaboration, and practical implementation. In this capacity, she has designed over 15 office- or Mission-level communications, knowledge, and learning strategies. She has designed and deployed multiple KM platforms for clients including USAID, the Organization of American States, and the World Bank.  She has served as both Chief of Party on landmark USAID KM projects, and as Senior Learning Advisor in USAID’s Office of Transition Initiatives (OTI). ​She works with NGS on strategic communications; application of collaborating, learning, and adapting (CLA); and KM innovations. 
Rayne Loken - Monitoring, Evaluation, and Learning 
Rayne is an M&E expert specializing in conflict and transitional environments. In both the humanitarian and private sectors, she has designed and operationalized M&E systems and solutions for projects in diverse and conflict conditions including Iraq, Afghanistan, Mali, and Turkey. Her areas of technical specialization include: comprehensive M&E plan development and operationalization, developing responsive M&E systems, remote management strategies, and development of monitoring solutions to enhance compliance and accountability in conflict and fragile environments. Rayne provides MEL support to NGS, including in the areas of data collection tool design, M&E plans, M&E capacity building, and research/analysis. ​
Kerstin Tebbe - Stakeholder Engagement and Facilitation
A passionate facilitator, strategic thinker, and engaging communicator, Kerstin is known for her ability to engage and empower stakeholders to work together to solve difficult problems. She brings more than 15 years of experience supporting multi-stakeholder efforts in the international development space, including strategy design, program review, and facilitation services. Her organizational development experience includes three years as a lead facilitator/trainer for the World Bank’s “Organizational Knowledge Sharing” (OKS) program working with public sector agencies and partners across Africa and Asia to scale organizational change processes for increased operational effectiveness. For NGS, she has led co-creation workshops with technical experts, implementing partners, and USAID staff to design more strategic, effective activities and increase local ownership of donor programming. ​

Join Us

​Nickol Global offers rewarding consultancy and career opportunities for international development professionals. As we grow, our aim is to provide to our staff and consultants with meaningful and interesting opportunities that truly move the needle in the locations where we work and for the stakeholders we serve. Current opportunities include:
  • MEL Specialists
Nickol Global Solutions LLC is seeking short-term and long-term Monitoring, Evaluation, and Learning (MEL) Specialists to provide technical expertise to upcoming USAID and/or State Department evaluations. This is an ongoing need and specific positions are contingent upon award. MEL Specialists will participate in the design and implementation of performance evaluations.
 
Duties:
  • Provides oversight and high-level technical support for on-going evaluations, performance monitoring, learning, and capacity building activities in the field;
  • Serves as team member on short-term evaluations, assessments, and other studies.
  • Leads or contributes to writing of reports, assessments, findings from evaluations, etc.
  • Develops methodologies for performance evaluations.
  • Devises and drafts technical approaches for MEL procurement opportunities.
  • Develops survey instruments and interview questionnaires.
  • Lead collaborating, learning and adapting activities to maximize impact on projects;
  • May provides MEL strategy, feedback and technical assistance to evaluation project teams, including technical reviews of draft evaluation reports, evaluation methodology, data collection tools, and other deliverables.
 
Qualifications:
  • Minimum of six (6) years of relevant Monitoring, Evaluation, and Learning (MEL) experience.
  • Master’s degree in a social science (public policy, sociology, anthropology, political science, economics, international relations).
  • Strong analytical, quantitative and qualitative research skills.
  • Demonstrated experience in supporting and leading MEL platforms and/or project-wide M&E activities for international development projects, particularly in complex operating environments.
  • Demonstrated experience in mixed methods design, qualitative and quantitative data collection, statistical analysis, and the application of participatory research methods.
  • Experience designing USAID Performance Management Plans, and indicator development.
  • Ability to travel internationally for short-term consultancies.
  • Strong written and oral communication skills.
  • Strong proposal writing and coordination skills.
  • English fluency; proficiency in at least one language other than English preferred.
 
To apply: 
Interested candidates should e-mail CV and brief cover letter summarizing relevant experience to info@nickolglobal.com with the subject line: MEL Specialist. No phone inquiries will be accepted. Only shortlisted candidates will be contacted.
  • Conflict and Governance Advisors
Nickol Global Solutions LLC is seeking short-term and long-term Conflict and Governance Advisors to provide technical expertise to upcoming USAID and/or State Department activities. This is an ongoing need and specific positions are contingent upon award. These mid- and senior-level Conflict and Governance Advisors may provide services related to assessments, analysis, planning, evaluation, and capacity building.
 
Duties:
  • Supports activities related to political transitions; government transparency; decentralization; anti-corruption activities; security sector reform; conflict mitigation and peace-building; and good governance.
  • Leads and contributes to conflict, post-conflict, and governance-related assessments and studies, including conflict analyses and Political Economy Analysis (PEA) studies.
  • Serves as a thought leader in the field of democracy, human rights, and governance (DRG) by authoring publications (both online and print), speaking at relevant DRG-related events, and actively participating in DRG communities of practice.
  • Provides training in conflict and governance-related methodologies and approaches.
  • Supports and leads the development of governance and conflict-focused tools and methodologies.
  • Participates in and, as required, leads scoping trips, proposal design meetings, recruitment of partners, responses to donor questions, and presentations to donors.
  • Serves as a technical writer for peace-building and governance-focused proposals.
  • Forges strategic partnerships for new project opportunities.
  • Works with MEL Specialist(s) to develop and implement MEL systems that reflect adaptive management appropriate for local dynamics.

Qualifications:
  • Minimum of six (6) years of relevant experience applying governance approaches within conflict and post-conflict settings.
  • Graduate or professional degree in the areas of international development, international affairs, political science, public administration, or law.
  • Prior overseas work experience, particularly with USAID (or other donors) and with international development.
  • Strong analytical skills, with experience leading conflict and governance assessments.
  • Strong understanding of trends and key approaches within the conflict and governance sectors, including an understanding of how conflict and governance approaches can be integrated into programming across sectors.
  • Demonstrated knowledge and experience with gender mainstreaming and approaches to inclusive development.
  • Strong written and oral communications skills, including willingness and demonstrated ability to write high-quality technical proposals.
  • Ability to travel internationally for short-term consultancies.
  • English fluency; proficiency in at least one language other than English preferred.
 
To apply:
Interested candidates should e-mail CV and brief cover letter summarizing relevant experience to info@nickolglobal.com with the subject line: Conflict and Governance Advisor. No phone inquiries will be accepted. Only shortlisted candidates will be contacted.
  • Outreach and Communications Specialists
Nickol Global Solutions LLC is seeking short-term and long-term Outreach and Communications Specialists to provide technical expertise to upcoming USAID and/or State Department activities. This is an ongoing need and specific positions are contingent upon award. The Outreach and Communications Specialists may provide support in strategic communications, events planning and management, media relations, knowledge management, social media engagement, and/or communications capacity building.
 
Duties:
  • Develops, manages, and/or provides guidance on communications and engagement plans and activities that reflect client/stakeholder priorities.
  • Designs and implements adaptable, effective social media strategies.
  • Produces high quality, responsive informational products, including speeches, press releases, media advisories, fact sheets, talking points, briefing memos, success stories, blogs, and press guidance, often under tight deadlines.
  • Identifies opportunities for knowledge sharing within stakeholder groups (Missions, communities of practice, beneficiaries, etc.) that facilitate better program design and evidence-based decision-making.
  • Plans and executes outreach events.
  • May train counterparts in strategic communications and knowledge management.
 
Qualifications:
  • Minimum of six (6) years of relevant communications, outreach, and/or knowledge management experience.
  • Bachelor’s degree in relevant field, such as communications, journalism, information management, public policy, sociology, anthropology, political science, economics, or international relations).
  • Strong written and oral communications skills.
  • Demonstrated experience in supporting or leading communications efforts for international development projects, including development and implementation of strategic communications plans.
  • Demonstrated knowledge and experience producing materials explaining or analyzing complex US foreign assistance programs in areas of international conflict or tension to a variety of audiences and external stakeholders.
  • Prior overseas work experience a plus, particularly with USAID (or other donors) and with international development.
  • Ability to travel internationally for short-term consultancies.
  • English fluency; proficiency in at least one language other than English preferred.
 
To apply:
Interested candidates should e-mail CV and brief cover letter summarizing relevant experience to info@nickolglobal.com with the subject line: Outreach and Communications Specialist. No phone inquiries will be accepted. Only shortlisted candidates will be contacted.
  • SENIOR OUTREACH AND ENGAGEMENT MANAGER - CAMBODIA ONE WINDOW SERVICE OFFICES - PLATFORM TO ENHANCE ACCOUNTABILITY​
Nickol Global Solutions (NGS) seeks a Senior Outreach and Engagement Manager for a period of three (3) years to spearhead community outreach and engagement activities for the three year, $3 million “Civic Tech to Strengthen Accountability for Public Services/One Window Service Offices” Platform to Enhance Accountability (OWSO-PEA) activity. This activity seeks to design and deploy civic tech innovations to stimulate citizen engagement, comprehension and awareness of, and demand for quality public services offered by OWSOs in Cambodia in an effort to increase accountability. The Senior Outreach and Engagement Manager will serve as a key member of the OWSO-PEA leadership team to design and lead the activity’s strategic communications, events planning and management, knowledge management, social media engagement, and development of promotional materials that aim to spread awareness of OWSO services.
 
This position will be based in Phnom Penh, Cambodia and will begin in October 2019.
 
Responsibilities:
  • Co-create (with COP and OWSO-PEA stakeholders) OWSO-PEA Strategic Communication Plan, identifying target audiences, outreach/engagement activities, timelines, and indicators to measure success
  • Launch, manage, and provide guidance relating to public outreach campaigns aimed to raise awareness of OWSO services
  • Oversee outreach activities and OWSO-PEA staff at provincial and district level
  • Plan and execute events aimed to support interaction and dialogue between stakeholder groups around OWSO topics
  • Organize workshops aimed to engage journalists and community volunteers
  • Produce and disseminate high quality audio and visual materials related to the promotion of OWSO services including fliers, pamphlets, brochures, radio advertisements, and podcasts
  • Identify, develop relationships, and coordinate with CBOs, CSOs, private sector organizations, and other stakeholder groups in target communities to communicate activity messaging and launch collaborative outreach campaigns
  • Manage and oversee the activities of the Social Media Strategist
  • Prepare project highlights and success stories to be disseminated to the public
  • Adapt outreach and engagement strategies based on project learning
  • Coordinate communications and outreach efforts with other USAID-funded (and, where appropriate, other donor-funded) activities
  • Oversee implementation of OWSO-PEA Branding Implementation Plan and Marking Plan
 
Required Experience/Qualifications:
  • A master’s degree in communications, journalism, information management, public policy, sociology, anthropology, political science, economics, international relations, or a related field
  • Minimum eight (8) years of relevant communications, outreach and/or knowledge management experience
  • Knowledge of social media platforms, specifically Facebook
  • Demonstrated experience with successful public outreach campaigns in Cambodia
  • Strong understanding of USAID rules and regulations, particularly in field operations
  • Excellent cross-cultural and managerial skills and ability to develop relationships with local counterparts, donors, and other stakeholders
  • Excellent written and oral communication skills
  • Native fluency in Khmer required; English fluency preferred
 
To apply:
Interested candidates should e-mail CV and brief cover letter summarizing relevant experience to OWSO-PEA-recruit@nickolglobal.com with the subject line: Cambodia Senior Outreach and Engagement Manager. No phone inquiries will be accepted. Only shortlisted candidates will be contacted.
  • SENIOR MEL MANAGER - CAMBODIA ONE WINDOW SERVICE OFFICES - PLATFORM TO ENHANCE ACCOUNTABILITY
​Nickol Global Solutions (NGS) seeks a Senior Monitoring, Evaluation, and Learning (MEL) Manager for a period of three (3) years to manage the MEL activities for the three year, $3 million “Civic Tech to Strengthen Accountability for Public Services/One Window Service Offices” Platform to Enhance Accountability (OWSO-PEA) activity. This activity seeks to design and deploy civic tech innovations to stimulate citizen engagement, comprehension and awareness of, and demand for quality public services offered by OWSOs in Cambodia in an effort to increase accountability. The Senior MEL Manager will serve as a key member of the OWSO-PEA leadership team to design and lead the activity’s MEL plan and adaptive management approach.
 
This position will be based in Phnom Penh, Cambodia and will begin in October 2019.
 
Responsibilities:
  • Oversee all aspects of the performance measurement for the project, including day-to-day tracking, reporting on activities, and data quality assurance
  • Design, maintain, and update the Activity MEL Plan (AMELP), including Theory of Change, monitoring approach, learning agenda and plan, data collection and management, and performance indicator tracking table and reference sheets
  • Lead  activity monitoring through site visits, review of project reports, and analysis of performance monitoring and other data
  • Lead data quality controls and verification procedures
  • Ensure gender-sensitive and socially inclusive collection of data in accordance with activity Gender Action Plan
  • Foster a results-oriented and learning culture throughout the activity to ensure that M&E data and learning are used by the OWSO-PEA team to improve performance
  • Contribute to the design of external project evaluation strategies, as relevant
  • Suggest evidence-based adaption of pilot activities based on project learning
  • Coordinate MEL efforts with other USAID-funded (and, where appropriate, other donor-funded) activities
  • Produce regular MEL reports for review by the COP and for inclusion in activity quarterly reports
 
Required Experience/Qualifications:
  • A master’s degree in human rights, management, law, public policy, social sciences, economic development, international relations, communications, or a related field
  • Minimum eight (8) years of relevant MEL experience
  • Demonstrated experience in performance measurement, quantitative and qualitative research methodologies, indicator selection and monitoring, data collection/analysis, and learning agendas
  • Strong skills in developing and utilizing results frameworks, logical frameworks, or similar tools for project design, monitoring and evaluation
  • Strong understanding of USAID Program Cycle, including ADS 201 and principles of collaborating, learning, and adapting (CLA)
  • Knowledge of USAID reporting requirements, including experience designing and implementing AMELPs and working with external consultants for third party evaluations
  • Native fluency in Khmer required; English fluency preferred
  • Excellent cross-cultural and managerial skills and ability to develop relationships with local counterparts, donors, and other stakeholders
  • Excellent written and oral communication skills
  • Proficiency in statistical applications (SPSS, SAS or STATA) or proven proficiency with open source big data analytics tools strongly desired
 
To apply: 
Interested candidates should e-mail CV and brief cover letter summarizing relevant experience to OWSO-PEA-recruit@nickolglobal.com  with the subject line: Cambodia Senior MEL Manager. No phone inquiries will be accepted. Only shortlisted candidates will be contacted.
  • OPERATIONS MANAGER - CAMBODIA ONE WINDOW SERVICE OFFICES - PLATFORM TO ENHANCE ACCOUNTABILITY
Nickol Global Solutions (NGS) seeks an Operations Manager for a period of three (3) years to manage the project operations and support compliance for the three year, $3 million “Civic Tech to Strengthen Accountability for Public Services/One Window Service Offices” Platform to Enhance Accountability (OWSO-PEA) activity. This activity seeks to design and deploy civic tech innovations to stimulate citizen engagement, comprehension and awareness of, and demand for quality public services offered by OWSOs in Cambodia in an effort to increase accountability. The Operations Manager will oversee the activity’s primary office in Phnom Penh and be responsible for all operations, including administration, logistics, procurement, human resources, finances, accounting, and property. The Operations Manager will support the OWSO Chief of Party and serve as liaison with the NGS Home Office on all operational matters.
 
This position will be based in Phnom Penh, Cambodia and will begin in November 2019.
 
Responsibilities:
  • Manage OWSO-PEA activities in compliance with the NGS Field Operations Manual
  • Ensure compliant acquisition of supplies, services (including sub-consultancy services), and equipment through established procurement methods, processes, and thresholds in accordance with NGS and USAID policies and procedures
  • Implement operational, accounting, and internal controls policies and procedures to ensure they comply with USAID rules and regulations
  • Supervise the contract’s daily financial operations, which include cash flow management; time sheet recording; reporting to USAID on the project’s financial aspects; and daily monitoring of obligations, budgets, and expenditures
  • In collaboration with NGS Home Office staff, prepare and submit financial reports and cash requests
  • Directly supervise the OWSO-PEA Administrative Assistant
  • Routinely audit accounting transactions and files maintained for procurement and local subcontract payments
  • Oversee start-up and operations of satellite offices in pilot provinces, and serve as the primary POC for operational issues for satellite offices
  • With OWSO-COP and NGS Home Office, maintain budget tracker and projections
  • Perform any other tasks that support the overall project, as assigned by the COP or his/her designee
 
Required Experience/Qualifications:
  • Master’s degree in a related field, such as international development, business administration, finance, or accounting
  • At least five (5) years of experience in financial and operations management related to international development, including three (3) years of supervisory experience
  • Experience with USG project management and managing the finances of USAID-funded programs
  • Critical thinker with a can-do approach to problem solving, disaggregating larger/complex problems to identify underlying drivers and critical nuances
  • Ability to perform and prioritize multiple tasks
  • High degree of professionalism and ability to deal sensitively with confidential material
  • Excellent knowledge of USAID rules and regulations
  • Strong financial skills required, including experience with project budgeting and forecasting, and adept use of MS Excel
  • Excellent written and oral communication skills
  • Native fluency in Khmer required; English fluency preferred
 
To apply: 
Interested candidates should e-mail CV and brief cover letter summarizing relevant experience to OWSO-PEA-recruit@nickolglobal.com with the subject line: Cambodia Operations Manager. No phone inquiries will be accepted. Only shortlisted candidates will be contacted.​
  • SOCIAL MEDIA STRATEGIST - CAMBODIA ONE WINDOW SERVICE OFFICES - PLATFORM TO ENHANCE ACCOUNTABILITY
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News

  • September 30, 2019 - NGS announces usaid/cambodia award
Nickol Global Solutions partners with USAID/Cambodia to promote tech-enabled social accountability in One Window Service Offices (OWSO)
 
Nickol Global Solutions LLC (NGS) is pleased to announce that USAID/Cambodia has awarded the firm its first prime contract – the three-year, $3 million One Window Service Offices – Platform to Enhance Accountability (OWSO-PEA) Activity. More here....

Professional Affiliations

Small Business Association for International Companies

Contact Us

NGS is certified as a Woman-Owned Small Business (WOSB) by the US Women's Chamber of Commerce.

DUNS # 080628859                                                                                     NAICS CODES:  541611, 541990, 541618, 541614, 561320, 541715
NICKOL GLOBAL SOLUTIONS LLC
950 N. WASHINGTON STREET, SUITE 1200, ALEXANDRIA, VA 22314 USA
​+1 202 630 2229 
​INFO@NICKOLGLOBAL.COM
© COPYRIGHT 2019. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.
NIckol Global Solutions LLC — 950 N. Washington Street, Suite 1200, Alexandria, VA 22314 USA — +1 202 630 2229 — www.nickolglobal.com