POSITION: Senior Provincial Officer

Job Level : Mid Level
No. of Vacancy/s  : 3
Employment Type : Full-Time (Individual Contract)
Contract Period : 6 Months (Possibility of Extension)
Job Location : Madhesh Province (1), Karnali Province (1) and Sudurpaschim Province (1)
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.

Position Description and Scope of Work:

Three Senior Provincial Officers (SPOs) will be hired reporting directly to the Executive Director of FWEAN through National Project Officer (NPO) of this project They are responsible to support effective project implementation within each municipality. The SPO plays a key role in supporting on providing technical guidance, business support, coordination and project management support to ensure the successful delivery of the project’s outputs and the achievement of its overall objectives.

1. Project Coordination and Implementation

• Assist the National Project Officer (NPO) in the overall implementation of project activities at the provincial level.
• Provide technical support to ensure effective execution of planned activities within the province.
• Act as a liaison between women entrepreneurs and provincial/municipal governments, as well as other relevant organizations.
• Coordinate with provincial and municipal governments to support business development for vulnerable women, including allocating funding, integrating vulnerable women in available trainings/support.
• Coordinate within FWEAN membership, across FWEAN central, district and local teams, and between FWEAN mentors and vulnerable women entrepreneurs as required.
• Act as link between FWEAN and ILO/EWPN and UNFPA/EWPN teams at the province/municipal level.
• Maintain regular communication with the FWEAN central team and EWPN Field Officials to ensure alignment with the overall project vision and goals.
• Monitor the progress of project initiatives, identify key challenges, and recommend necessary adjustments for improved outcomes.

• Identify operational gaps and propose actionable solutions to enhance project implementation.
• Organize and facilitate training sessions, workshops, interaction programs, and public hearings at local and provincial levels, ensuring seamless logistics.

2. Business development and capacity building

• Support the delivery of Get Ahead coaching for selected vulnerable women entrepreneurs, in collaboration with the designated trainers.
• Act as key resource point, providing follow up support after trainings to ensure that learning outcomes from trainings are effectively applied by the entrepreneurs, while also serving to encourage.
• Provide business development guidance to vulnerable women entrepreneurs, including facilitation to register business, meet compliance requirements, and required support including on linkage to markets.
• Facilitate women’s access to essential services, act as the primary point of contact, and provide regular support and mentoring.
• Link women entrepreneurs to markets, leveraging knowledge and understanding of local networks.
• Track job placements and entrepreneurship initiatives to evaluate their effectiveness and impact.
• Identify and resolve training-related issues to ensure program relevance and efficiency.
• Provide guidance, support, coaching and linkage to municipality and/or other services for women interested/or in entrepreneurship that are referred in from other UN agencies and EWPN partners, including liaising with local FNCCI helpdesks on the matter.

3. Assessment and Monitoring

• Support the execution of Needs Assessments for 45 potential women entrepreneurs in coordination with provincial teams – this includes development and maintenance of baseline of income.
• Monitor the timely and quality implementation of project activities and maintain accurate reporting at the provincial level.
• Prepare regular progress reports, including disaggregated data as required by the project.
• Conduct ongoing reviews of project implementation and provide daily coaching, monitoring, and backstopping support to field teams.

4. Stakeholder Engagement and Strategic Development

• Collaborate with provincial stakeholders such as UNFPA, implementing partners, and safe houses to support the economic empowerment of women beneficiaries.
• Laise on psychosocial counselling with local stakeholders, UNFPA, and including OCMC – which in the case of Sudurpashchim might include travel till Mahendranagar.
• Facilitate meetings with subnational governments to promote strategies for expanding services and membership among informal economy workers.
• Participate in provincial level EWPN coordination meetings and help prep for monitoring and evaluation visits.
• Enable networking and linkage opportunities with potential employers and job placement agencies.

5. Documentation and Reporting

• Provide regular reports on field progress, challenges faced, and key success stories.
• Develop and compile impactful case studies that showcase individual beneficiary outcomes and project effectiveness.

6. Team Supervision and Compliance

• Supervise and guide provincial field staff to ensure their work aligns with project goals and deliverables.
• Ensure strict adherence to ILO’s financial and administrative procedures in all project-related operations.
• Perform additional tasks as assigned by the organization in response to evolving project or organizational needs.

Through this initiative, FWEAN strives to foster inclusive economic growth and contribute to the broader goal of gender equality and women’s empowerment in Nepal.

Minimum Qualification:

• Bachelor’s in management or economics
• Three years of work experience in entrepreneurship/private sector/value chain development
• Understanding of women entrepreneurship

Preferred Qualification

• Masters’ in management or economics
• Three years of work experience in women entrepreneurship development, especially with vulnerable women.
• Certified business development trainer or coach, preferably in SIYB.
• Experience on women entrepreneurship advocacy with local government in project working areas
• Experience working in GBV issues
• Experience working with the ILO and UNFPA in project working areas.

Specific skills and competencies required:

– 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?” . 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).