POSITION: National Project Officer

Job Level : Mid Level
No. of Vacancy/s  : 1
Employment Type : Full-Time (Individual Contract)
Contract Period : 6 Months (Possibility of Extension)
Job Location : Kathmandu (Frequent Travel to Project Implementing Provinces)
Offered Salary : Negotiable
Apply Before (Deadline)  : May 18, 2025
Start date  : June 1, 2025

Background

The EU-UN “Empowered Women, Prosperous Nepal” (EWPN) Programme contributes to the achievement of gender equality as an integral element to the realization of the national vision of a prosperous and developed Nepal. The programme seeks to address key barriers of gender inequality in Nepal through an integrated gender transformative approach – addressing formal and informal barriers that women and girls are confronted with so that they can better benefit from their human rights.  A significant ILO component, under Outcome 2, focuses on improving economic labour and social rights for women, with a strong emphasis on women’s economic empowerment.

Federation of Women Entrepreneurs Associations of Nepal (FWEAN) was formed out of Woman Entrepreneurs’ Associations of Nepal (WEAN). WEAN was established as a not-for-profit organization in 1989 with the vision to promote participation of women in national building and promote entrepreneurship development. Growth of WEAN membership promoted endorsement and acceptance of a resolution to establish an apex body of women entrepreneurs in the country, namely FWEAN which was approved by Central Development Office, Kathmandu, Govt. of Nepal in July 2003.

FWEAN with technical assistance from the EWPN programme under the banner of Labour market reintegration of vulnerable women through self-employment which aims to increase income of vulnerable women. The approach will be focused for 45 vulnerable women across Birendranagar municipality, Janakpur Sub Metropolitan City, and Dhangadhi Sub Metropolitan City who will be provided required entrepreneurship development, facilitation, coaching, mentorship, and other required support as needed to support their sustainable transition to the labour market.

The intervention has the following outputs:

1. 45 vulnerable Nepali women receive business development coaching and support to start their businesses

2. At least 20 vulnerable Nepali women start earning regular income from their self-employment activities supported by the programme.

3. At least 2 target municipalities commit to separating budget on specific support business development support for vulnerable women entrepreneurs.

As a result, Income levels of vulnerable Nepali women engaged in self-employment by the project increases by at least 10% compared to pre intervention levels.

Brief Position Description:

The National Project Officer (NPO), reporting directly to the Executive Director of FWEAN, is responsible for the effective implementation of the project. This role requires close coordination with the ILO’s National Project Coordinator for EWPN as well as ILO’s Field Coordinators based in the three project implementation provinces. The NPO plays a key role in providing project management, coordination, and administrative support to ensure the successful delivery of the project’s outputs and the achievement of its overall objectives.

In this capacity, the NPO will:

Project Coordination and Implementation

• Coordinate and provide technical support for the overall implementation of project activities.
• Backstop and support FWEAN provincial Project Officers to effectively implement planned activities in three provinces.
• Communicate and coordinate with provincial and national teams to ensure the project’s goals and vision are achieved.
• Track and monitor progress of each project initiative and make necessary adjustments to ensure target achievements.
• Identify key issues to be addressed in project implementation and contribute to continuous improvement.

Training and Capacity Building

• Coordinate the Get Ahead training for selected women entrepreneurs and backstop provincial officers in follow-up activities and business mentoring in collaboration with the Get Ahead Trainer.
• Organize and facilitate all planned training, workshops, interaction programs, and public hearings at local and provincial levels, ensuring all logistics are managed efficiently.
• Identify key issues to be addressed in each training or event and contribute to continuous improvement.

Assessment and Monitoring

• Develop monitoring and evaluation framework to track and assess changes in income for supported 45 vulnerable women.
• Develop project monitoring and evaluation framework
• Monitor the quality and timely execution of project implementation and reporting.
• Prepare and submit periodic progress reports with disaggregated data, in line with project requirements.
• Conduct periodic reviews of project budget versus expenditure in coordination with the Finance Unit, ensuring activity planning aligns with available budget.

Stakeholder Engagement and Strategic Development

• Liaise with key stakeholders especially UNFPA and implementing partners of safe houses supported by UNFPA to facilitate economic empowerment activities among beneficiaries in each province.
• Coordinate meetings with subnational governments and assist in developing strategies to extend membership and services to informal economy workers.

Documentation and Reporting

• Collect, analyse, and document data, photos, and reports related to economic empowerment activities at the provincial level.
• Prepare case studies showcasing the economic empowerment of individual beneficiaries supported by the project.

Team Supervision and Compliance

• Supervise and guide FWEAN project based provincial field staff to align their work with project objectives.
• Ensure adherence to ILO’s financial and administrative rules in all aspects of project implementation.
• Perform duties as required by the organization in accordance with project needs.

Minimum Qualification:

• Masters’ Degree in management or business development
• At least five years of work experience in community development, Gender equity or enterprise development
• At least three of experience in the field of women entrepreneurship

Required Skills and Competencies:

– Organization and Planning Skills

– Excellent written and verbal English communication skills

– Strong analytical and evaluating skills with the ability to generate reports

– Well-developed Interpersonal Skills

– Team working skills

– Leadership skills

– Problem solving skills

– Well-developed Interpersonal Skills Creativity/Innovation skills

– Proficiency in using the Microsoft Office Suite, especially Visio, Excel, Word, Project and Power Point

– Ability to multi-task and perform well under pressure

TO APPLY:  

Persons meeting the above criteria are requested to send their updated CV and a cover letter answering the question “What past experiences will add value to this position?” Also send a writing sample which could be a published article or any form social media account you manage. Send your application as a single PDF document to info@fwean.org.np latest by 18th May 2025. However, applications will be reviewed on a rolling basis, so early applications are highly encouraged. Women and persons from marginalized communities are encouraged to apply. Only shortlisted candidates will be called for interviews. The start date is ASAP (latest by 1 June 2025).