Working inside an international NGO · Open to remote contracts

Less time on reporting. More time for programme delivery

Ahsan Ilyas · Software Engineer for NGOs & humanitarian programmes

Focus — donor reporting · offline field data · ActivityInfo · dashboards

I build the systems NGOs run on: offline field data collection, operational dashboards, ActivityInfo integrations, and workflow automation that cuts reporting overhead — so your team spends less time compiling spreadsheets and more time delivering programmes.

Why me, not an agency? I work inside an international NGO every day. Donor reporting, MEAL workflows, procurement, ActivityInfo, field operations — I understand them firsthand, because they are my day job.

See the Systems Discuss Your Workflow
2
Systems in daily operational use
6+
Hazard modules in production
2
Languages in field UI (EN·UR)
100%
Owned end-to-end, in production
name: "Ahsan Ilyas" role: "Software Engineer · International NGO (PK)" focus: "offline-first M&E · multi-hazard · ActivityInfo" base: "Islamabad, Pakistan · remote-ready"
CD-CRI SHA Toolkitshatools.vercel.app
LIVE
TPM Field AppUN-Habitat · offline-first
SYNCING
M&E PipelineActivityInfo · automated
CONNECTED
--:--:-- PKT
Built for & with International NGO UN-Habitat TPM Pakistan Engineering Council Air University
About

Operations first, software second

Most software fails in NGOs for the same reason: it was designed around technology instead of the people and workflows it has to serve. I work the other way around — I sit inside an international NGO, so I see how reporting deadlines, field constraints, and donor requirements actually play out before I write a line of code.

That means I already understand the things an outside developer has to be taught: why a form must work with no connectivity, why supervisors need a documented trail when they return a submission, why ActivityInfo sync matters for donor reporting, and why the field team's reality — not the office's — decides whether a system gets used at all.

I own an international NGO's Pakistan-mission systems end-to-end: architecture, build, deployment, and the long tail of maintenance. B.S. Software Engineering, Air University (2026). Based in Islamabad — available for remote engagements with NGOs, INGOs, and donor-funded projects.

Built around field reality

Tools designed for how field teams actually work — no connectivity, shared devices, tight monitoring visits — not how an office assumes they work.

Reporting that holds up

Data pipelines built to survive donor scrutiny — one source of truth from field submission to ActivityInfo to the report a donor actually reads.

Delivered, then supported

Programme deadlines are real deadlines. I ship on them — then document, monitor, and support the system long after launch, because handover without support is how tools die.

Services

What I help NGOs improve

The operational areas where the right system removes the most friction — each one grounded in work I do inside an NGO today.

Donor Reporting

Less time compiling, fewer version conflicts — reports built from one verified data source instead of a folder of spreadsheets.

Operational Dashboards

Live visibility for managers — programme progress, field submissions, and bottlenecks visible without asking anyone to build a slide.

Offline Field Data Collection

Forms that work with zero connectivity, sync safely when coverage returns, and keep a clean trail between monitor and supervisor.

ActivityInfo Integrations

Field data flowing into ActivityInfo automatically — no re-keying, no month-end scramble, M&E and reporting drawing from the same numbers.

Internal Workflow Automation

The recurring manual steps — approvals, consolidation, follow-ups — turned into workflows that run themselves and leave an audit trail.

School Safety Assessment

Structured multi-hazard screening for schools and public buildings — the SHA Toolkit is live in production doing exactly this.

Humanitarian Data Systems

Databases and pipelines designed for programme data — bilingual, auditable, and built to answer the questions donors and MEAL teams actually ask.

Experience

Where I've worked

Production systems for humanitarian programs, plus agile full-stack delivery in distributed teams.

Database & AI Intern — Mission Systems Owner
International NGO · Pakistan Mission (full-time)
Jun 2026 — Present
Trusted with the country mission's digital systems end-to-end — owning architecture, development, deployment, and maintenance.
  • Built and shipped the CD-CRI SHA Toolkit — a seismic & multi-hazard Rapid Visual Screening platform, live at shatools.vercel.app.
  • Built an offline-first mobile field app for UN-Habitat third-party monitoring — form packs with sync, return-and-fix workflow, GRM/FCRM module, English–Urdu UI.
  • Design and manage PostgreSQL / MySQL databases and automate M&E workflows with Python and AI tooling.
Full Stack Developer Intern
CognoRise InfoTech · Remote
Jul — Aug 2024
Delivered full-stack web features in Agile sprints; documented backend workflows and APIs while collaborating in a distributed, Git-based team.
Projects

Systems in real operational use

Each one starts with a workflow problem, not a technology choice. Screenshots are from the live systems.

CD-CRI SHA Toolkit landing page showing dual screening workflows for custodians and PEC accredited engineers
SHA Toolkit hazard module screens
SHA Toolkit supervisor dashboard
Featured · Live in production

CD-CRI SHA Toolkit

The challenge — building-safety screening ran on paper checklists and scattered spreadsheets: slow to consolidate, hard to verify, and painful to report against. Engineers and custodians needed one structured way to assess buildings and see results roll up.

  • Who uses it — PEC-accredited engineers run the full technical RVS; facility custodians run a simplified pre-screen. Two workflows, one platform.
  • What changed — assessments across 6 hazard modules now arrive structured, with photo evidence and recommendation codes, instead of being compiled by hand.
  • Reporting — supervisors watch a live roll-up dashboard, and results sync to ActivityInfo so M&E and donor reporting draw from one source.
ReactNode.jsPostgreSQLActivityInfoVercel
Visit live site
TPM app returned-to-me screen showing supervisor return-and-fix workflow
UN-Habitat TPM field app home screen with offline forms download and quick actions
TPM app submissions and sync screen
Mobile · Offline-first · In field use

UN-Habitat TPM Field App

The challenge — third-party monitoring happens where connectivity fails. Paper forms and after-the-fact data entry meant transcription errors, lost time, and no clear trail between what a monitor saw and what a supervisor approved.

  • Who uses it — field monitors and supervisors on UN-Habitat third-party monitoring assignments across Pakistan.
  • What changed — monitors download form packs, work fully offline, and sync safely when back in coverage; supervisors return submissions for fixes with a documented trail instead of phone calls and re-typed forms.
  • Accountability — a GRM / FCRM complaints module and a bilingual English–Urdu UI, built for the staff who actually hold the device.
Offline-firstMobileSync engineEnglish–UrduM&E
Internal deployment · UN-Habitat TPM
JavaSpector dashboard showing analyses performed, issues detected and active users
JavaSpector project upload screen for Java codebase analysis
JavaSpector detector settings with configurable thresholds for method length and complexity
Academic · Adopted by university

JavaSpector

The challenge — reviewing Java projects for code quality was manual, slow, and inconsistent — every reviewer applied different standards, and feedback arrived too late to act on.

  • Who uses it — adopted by Air University's Software Engineering department as a reference tool for reviewing student codebases.
  • What changed — uploads are scanned automatically against configurable thresholds (method length, complexity, identifiers), applying one consistent standard.
  • Visibility — visual architecture reports and grading replace ad-hoc written feedback.
JavaReactStatic analysisREST API
Academic · Team lead

FleetSync

The challenge — vehicle booking and fleet lifecycle tracking is the kind of operational workflow that usually lives in spreadsheets and phone calls — no audit trail, no role separation, no single view of the fleet.

  • Why it was built — to give operations staff one place to book vehicles, manage users, and track fleet lifecycle, with roles enforced instead of assumed.
  • What changed — booking, user management, and lifecycle each became an auditable service with JWT / RBAC access control — who did what is always answerable.
  • Delivery — led a team of 3 from design to AWS deployment with MySQL persistence.
Spring BootMicroservicesMySQLAWSJWT / RBAC
Process

How an engagement works

No jargon, no surprise scope. You'll always know which step we're on.

Discover
01
A conversation about the operational problem — not a sales call. If software isn't the right answer, I'll say so.
Understand the existing workflow
02
I map how the work actually happens today — who enters what, where it stalls, and what donors and MEAL need out the other end.
Design the solution
03
A concrete proposal your programme staff can read — screens, workflow, and what changes for each role. Agreed before anything is built.
Develop
04
Built in increments you can see and test, with field constraints — connectivity, devices, language — treated as requirements, not afterthoughts.
Deploy
05
Rolled out with training and documentation for the people who will use it — office and field.
Support
06
Monitored, maintained, and adjusted as the programme evolves. Systems die without this step — mine don't.
Skills

The toolkit, as supporting evidence

The value is in understanding the workflow — the stack is just how it gets built. For the technical reviewers on your team, here it is.

Languages

JavaPythonJavaScriptSQLHTML / CSS

Backend

Spring BootREST APIsMicroservicesJWT / RBACNode.js

Frontend

ReactResponsive UIComponent designFigma

Data & M&E

PostgreSQLMySQLQuery optimizationActivityInfoOffline-first collection

DevOps & Tools

GitAWSDockerCI/CDVercelJIRA

AI & Automation

Python automationAI toolingWorkflow automationGenerative AI
Credentials

Certifications & education

Amazon Junior Software Developer — Professional Certificate

Coursera · Aug 2025 · Java, DSA, databases, full-stack & generative AI coursework

Web Development Internship — Completion Certificate

CognoRise InfoTech · Aug 2024

WordPress Development

DigiSkills Pakistan · Themes, plugins & site building

Digital Literacy

DigiSkills Pakistan · Core digital & productivity skills

Digital Marketing

DigiSkills Pakistan · SEO, social & campaign fundamentals

Freelancing

DigiSkills Pakistan · Client acquisition & remote work practice

Virtual Assistant

DigiSkills Pakistan · Admin support, scheduling & communication

B.S. Software Engineering — Air University, Islamabad

2022 – 2026 · Data Structures & Algorithms, Database Systems, OOP, Software Design & Architecture, Web Engineering

Degree conferral · Sep 2026
Trust

What partners say

Testimonials from NGO partners are being collected

I'd rather show you nothing than something invented. Until they're published, I'm happy to connect you directly with the programme staff I build for — references available on request.

References on request
Contact

Tell me about the operational challenge your team faces

A short conversation about your workflow costs nothing — and if software isn't the right fix, I'll tell you that too. Donor reporting, field data collection, dashboards, ActivityInfo: start wherever it hurts most.

Book a Discovery Conversation LinkedIn
Islamabad, Pakistan · Remote-ready +92 330 5044484 github.com/ahsanilya-s
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