NGO Federation of Nepal (NFN) Vacancy for Project Manager

Project: Civic Space-SCOPE (Strengthening CSOs’ Partnerships for Enhanced Civic Space)

Background

NGO Federation of Nepal (NFN) emerged as an umbrella organization of NGOs in the aftermath of the establishment of multiparty democracy in 1990. The NFN, apart from defending NGOs' autonomy, has been working to promote human rights, social justice, and pro-poor development. Today, it has evolved as a leading civil society organization in Nepal with 7115 NGOs affiliated to it from across the country.

The Civic Space-SCOPE project, led by the NGO Federation of Nepal and funded by The Asia Foundation, aims to enhance civic space and strengthen civil society organizations (CSOs) in Lumbini and Madhesh provinces. The project aligns closely with the overarching goal and objectives of the USAID Civil Society and Media (CSM) program, which is a five-year (2022-2027) program. It focuses on fostering an enabling environment for civil society and media to advance the interests of women, youth, and marginalized communities (WYM) in Nepal.

Duties and Responsibilities

Project Manager is the key position of the project. Under the guidance and supervision of the Executive Director, he/she shall focus his/her work on translating the plan and budget into action by appropriately implementing strategies, tools, and techniques. Specifically, the duties and responsibilities of a Project Manager are:

Planning and decision-making

• Prepare work plans, budget, and procedural guidelines according to the project document.
• Provide necessary information and feedback to the Executive Director for appropriate decision-making and formulate operational strategies.
• Organize a Project Management Committee (PMC) and Review meetings of the project.
• Select consultants/service providers to conduct project activities, and
• Manage contingencies that shall be encountered during the implementation of the project and in the process of revision of the program and budget when needed.

Implementation

• Execute day-to-day functions of the project and organize central and province-level activities.
• Provide support to Provincial Co-ordination Officer to implement the project activities and track the progress and ensure the quality of the deliverables.

Coordination and Networking

• Mobilize a wide range of stakeholders, CSOs and interested communities in the process of project implementation.
• Explore the agencies working in the field of CSO enabling environment, institutional good governance and capacity development at the local level and collect information on good practices, tools, and techniques.

Communication

• Keep close contact/communication with provincial committees/offices and NFN district chapters.
• Update the Executive Director with adequate and accurate information about the progress status of district activities.
• Keep regular contact with the donor agency, The Asia Foundation.
• Provide necessary information to the Executive Director, which is important for communication between the project and Project Management Committee, Central Committee, and relevant government and non-government agencies.

Financial Management

• Manage finance and budgets of the project by providing proper information and recommendations.
• Support in fund flow, financial management and monitoring of financial progress in close coordination with the Logistics & Finance Officer.
• Ensure submission of financial reports to The Asia Foundation (TAF) monthly, and
• Facilitate when commencing audits of accounts and bookkeeping.
• Ensure, in cooperation with the Provincial Coordination Officer and Logistics & Finance Officer that financial as well as program documents are in place.

Monitoring and Supervision

• Assess the benchmarks and results of the project according to the log frame.
• Assist the Executive Director to supervise and evaluate the performance of project staff.
• Undertake visits to provinces and districts as per requirement.
• Support to undertake the evaluation of project documentation and reporting.
• Collect information, event reports and other documents, and compile them.
• Prepare quarterly progress reports of the project in close consultation with the Provincial Coordination Officer and Communication Officer.
• Make sure preparation and submission of the final report to The Asia Foundation.

Other

• Perform other project-related as well as institutional activities as per the direction of the Executive Director.

Minimum Qualification and Competencies

• Master’s degree in Social Sciences, Development Studies, Development Communication or related discipline with at least 3 years of experience in a similar position
• Demonstrated experience in project management, including planning, implementation, monitoring, and evaluation, with a focus on results and impact.
• Strong leadership skills with the ability to inspire and motivate the team towards achieving common goals.
• Exceptional English and Nepali communication skills, both written and verbal, with the ability to engage and influence diverse stakeholders.
• Proven ability to build and maintain effective relationships with a wide range of stakeholders, including government agencies, NGOs, and donors.
• Strong advocacy skills with experience in influencing policy change and mobilizing support for social causes.
• Experience in designing and delivering capacity-building initiatives for CSOs, focusing on operational resilience, governance and GEDSI is preferred.
• Sound understanding of monitoring and evaluation principles and techniques to ensure effective project management and learning.
• Demonstrates integrity by modeling the NFN’s Code of Conduct and ethical standards.
• Demonstrates sensitivity to key issues related to culture, gender, religion, race, nationality, age and adaptability.
• Excellent interpersonal communication and networking skills for advocacy, lobbying and campaigning.
• Able to coordinate with government and non-government agencies as per necessity.
• Strong IT skills

Duty Location

The duty location of the incumbent shall be the Project Office located in Kathmandu with travel to the provinces and districts as required by the project.

Additional Job Responsibilities:

The duties and responsibilities as set out above are not exhaustive. The role holder may be required to carry out additional duties within reasonableness of their skills and experience.