Maria de Fátima Fonseca has a master’s degree in Administration and Public Policies from Instituto Superior de Ciências do Trabalho e da Empresa and has a law degree from the University of Lisbon. In present moment, the Secretary of State is preparing her doctoral thesis in public policies.
From 2011 to 2017 she was Director of Human Resources at the Lisbon City Council.
Before that period, she was Municipal Director of Central Services at Lisbon City Council, was responsible for the area of administrative modernization, was Director of the Municipal Modernization Office at the City Council of Amadora and Director of the Unit of Development of Models and Organizational Innovation at the Institute for Innovation in the Administration of the State.
She was also a lawyer, consultant, trainer and participated in the Restructuring Program of the Central Administration of the State.
She is the author of several articles, manuals and book chapters in her areas of expertise.
She is co-author of the books «Public Administration: modernization, quality and innovation» and «Governance, Innovation and Technologies: the Network State and the Public Administration of the Future».
She was appointed Ambassador of the Dignified Work Goal, of the Alliance for Sustainable Development Goals - UN Global Compact Network (Portugal).
She was Secretary of State for Administration and Public Employment in the previous Government.