Kristen Harmse
About Kristen Harmse
Kristen Harmse is a Senior Partnerships Manager at Apolitical, where she has contributed to various impactful projects since 2023. She has a strong background in learning design and evaluation, with previous roles at Apolitical and 2U, and holds a Master's degree in Sociology from Stellenbosch University.
Current Role at Apolitical
Kristen Harmse currently serves as the Senior Partnerships Manager at Apolitical, a position she has held since 2023 in London, England. In this role, she focuses on building and maintaining strategic partnerships that enhance Apolitical's mission to improve government effectiveness. Her responsibilities include providing evaluation support to various impactful projects, such as the Government Climate Campus, the Digital Excellence Programme, and the Government AI Campus.
Previous Experience at Apolitical
Prior to her current role, Kristen worked at Apolitical as a Partnerships Manager from 2022 to 2023 and as a Learning Design Lead from 2021 to 2022. During her tenure, she developed the first monitoring and evaluation plan for programme-level evaluations, which contributed to the organization's capacity for assessing the impact of its initiatives. She also designed and developed a new content type called learning plans on the Apolitical platform.
Experience at 2U
Kristen's career includes significant experience at 2U, where she held multiple roles. She worked as a Learning Designer from 2018 to 2019 and as a Learning Design Specialist from 2019 to 2021. In 2021, she briefly served as the Lead Learning Designer. Her work at 2U involved creating educational content and enhancing learning experiences for students.
Educational Background
Kristen Harmse holds a Master's degree in Sociology from Stellenbosch University, which she completed from 2015 to 2017. She also earned a BA in Humanities, majoring in Sociology and Psychology, and a BA Honours in Sociology from the same institution, studying from 2011 to 2015. Additionally, she participated in an exchange program at Leiden University, focusing on Anthropology and Politics from 2015 to 2016.
Notable Projects and Contributions
Throughout her career, Kristen has led and contributed to various notable projects. She spearheaded the Government Skills Impact Tracker project, funded by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, aimed at helping public servants identify essential skills for impactful work. She also played a key role in creating the Top 50 Gender Gamechangers list and the Top 35 Government Talent Trailblazers list, showcasing influential figures in the public sector.