Sarkhan

SARKHAN ALIZADA
Senior Humanitarian Leader | Medical Doctor
Head of Sub-Office, IOM Ukraine
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Dnipro, Ukraine
Azerbaijani National | Open to Global Deployment
AZERBAIJANI
Native
ENGLISH
Fluent C1+
RUSSIAN
Fluent
UKRAINIAN
Fluent
TURKISH
Fluent
GERMAN
Basic
EXECUTIVE PROFILE
Azerbaijani national and medical doctor who built a senior humanitarian leadership career across the South Caucasus, Eastern Europe and the front lines of one of the world's most active conflicts. Currently Head of Sub-Office with IOM Dnipro — the largest regional IOM office in Ukraine — managing a team of 55 staff, EUR 50 million portfolio and multi-sectoral operations across five oblasts in Eastern Ukraine.
A rare combination of clinical expertise, operational leadership and multicultural fluency. Fluent in five languages — Azerbaijani, English, Russian, Ukrainian and Turkish — enabling authentic engagement across Turkic, Slavic and Western institutional cultures. Proven ability to lead high-performing teams, manage complex multi-donor programmes and represent organisations at the highest levels of government and the UN system. Available for international deployment globally.
UNIQUE VALUE PROPOSITION
🩺 Medical Doctor + Humanitarian Leader
An MD who manages EUR 50M operations — clinical precision applied to humanitarian programme design, health systems strengthening and MHPSS at scale.
🌍 5 Languages | 3 Cultural Worlds
Native Azerbaijani, fluent in English, Russian, Ukrainian and Turkish — bridging Turkic, Slavic and Western institutional cultures with authentic fluency.
⚡ Proven Under Maximum Pressure
4+ years leading operations in an active war zone — missile strikes, frontline access, staff under threat. Delivery never stopped.
🤝 Government Relationships at Scale
Strategic relationships with 5 regional administrations, UN agencies and major donors — built on reliability, transparency and mutual trust.
CURRENT LEADERSHIP SCOPE
55+
Staff Managed
EUR 50M
Programme Portfolio
5 Oblasts
Area of Responsibility
6
Direct Reports
PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE
Head of Sub-Office
International Organization for Migration (IOM) | Jun 2025 – Present | Dnipro, Ukraine
Largest regional IOM office in Ukraine | Active frontline environment | EU, ECHO, Czech Republic, KfW, Belgium donors
Strategic Leadership
• Provide overall strategic direction and operational management of IOM's largest regional field presence in Ukraine — ensuring effective delivery of humanitarian and recovery programmes in an environment of active hostilities, displacement and infrastructure destruction.
• Act as Officer-in-Charge in absence of senior leadership; represent IOM at the highest levels of regional government, UN coordination forums and donor meetings.
• Lead security management as focal point for UNDSS coordination, ASMT participation, incident reporting and business continuity planning.
Programme & Operations
• Oversee full programme cycle across WASH, Shelter/NFI, CCCM, Health, MHPSS and Recovery & Development — from proposal development through implementation, MEL and multi-donor reporting.
• Manage EUR 50M multi-donor portfolio; ensure grant compliance, financial oversight and accountability to EU Delegation, ECHO, Czech Republic, KfW and Belgium.
• Oversee all operational support functions: logistics, fleet, premises, IT infrastructure, asset management and procurement across five oblasts.
People & Culture
• Lead, mentor and develop a Senior Management Team of 6 direct reports; provide performance management and capacity building for 55+ diverse staff.
• Prioritise staff well-being and team cohesion in a high-stress conflict environment; introduced new internal communication mechanisms that measurably improved team dynamics.
Key Achievements
• Oversight of EUR 30M WASH infrastructure project in Kryvyi Rih — one of the largest humanitarian infrastructure interventions in Eastern Ukraine.
• Maintained uninterrupted programme delivery across five frontline oblasts throughout multiple escalations of hostilities.
• Strengthened IOM strategic positioning with five regional administrations — authorities proactively engage IOM on recovery planning.
• Led complex office restructuring and relocation while maintaining full operational continuity under active security pressure.
Emergency Health Officer (National Programme Officer)
International Organization for Migration (IOM) | Aug 2022 – May 2025 | Odesa / Mykolaiv / Kherson / Lviv, Ukraine
2.5 years based in Odesa | Southern Ukraine field leadership | Norwegian government-funded projects
• Led IOM health and MHPSS field operations across Southern Ukraine for 2.5 years — building deep institutional knowledge of the region and strong relationships with Odesa, Mykolaiv and Kherson health authorities.
• Managed Norwegian government-funded health infrastructure projects (USD 1M+); supervised renovation of three health facilities with full PCM and donor compliance.
• Coordinated with Health Cluster, WHO and UN agencies on integrated emergency health response across Southern Ukraine.
Key Achievements
• Led mobile health teams delivering 250,000+ medical and psychological consultations across conflict-affected Southern Ukraine.
• Successfully operated in recently liberated areas of Kherson — among the most complex access environments of the full-scale war.
Medical Activity Manager
Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) | Jun 2022 – Jul 2022 | Ukraine
• Managed emergency health response in frontline conflict-affected areas; coordinated triage, clinical assessments and referral systems with MSF operational teams.
Director / Project Manager
Primary Health Care Centre – Kherson Region | Oct 2020 – Aug 2022 | Kherson Region, Ukraine
• Led establishment and management of a primary healthcare network (3 clinics, 5 feldsher stations) serving rural communities; supervised 26 staff across medical and administrative functions.
• Recognised as a leading model of primary healthcare reform and community health system strengthening in the Kherson region.
Radiologist (Resident)
Dnipro Regional Clinical Hospital | 2017 – 2019 | Dnipro, Ukraine
• Completed postgraduate medical residency in radiology; gained clinical diagnostic expertise in a major regional hospital setting.
EDUCATION
Master's Degree – Public Management & Administration Vinnytsia State Pedagogical University
2024
Doctor of Medicine (MD) Dnipro State Medical Academy

Postgraduate Specialization – Family Medicine Zaporizhzhia State Medical University

Postgraduate – Healthcare Management Odessa Medical Institute

Residency – Medical Radiology Dnipro State Medical Academy
2017–2019
CERTIFICATIONS & PROFESSIONAL TRAINING
• Project Development & Management – IOM
• Humanitarian Negotiation
• SSAFE Security Training
• IFAK – First Aid Training of Trainers
• Leaders for Public Health Programme
• Hostile Environment Awareness (HEAT)