Bahar has been working as a Programme Advisor at RWI, mainly responsible for Human Rights Cities and local governments, since 2018. Before joining RWI she worked for the National Association of Local Authorities of Turkey and was responsible for international projects.
Bahar has been involved in local authority capacity building projects with the Council of Europe, UNDP and local government associations of Sweden (SALAR), Netherlands (VNG), Germany and Spain on good governance, local economic development, leadership, citizen engagement and gender equality. She conducted the secretariat for the national delegation of the Council of Europe Congress of Local and Regional Authorities between 2008-2015, Strasbourg. She also worked as a Program Manager in Çankaya Municipality in Ankara between 2015-2018.
Bahar holds a BA in Political Science and Public Administration from the Middle East Technical University, Ankara.