Duty Station: Prayatna Nepal contact office- Raniban, Kathmandu, Nepal
Position: Executive Director (ED)
Application Deadline: October 28, 2026
Position Type: Part-time
About Prayatna Nepal
Prayatna Nepal is a women-led, non-profit, non-political, and non-religious organization established in 2015 to advance the rights, dignity, leadership, safety, and meaningful participation of women and girls with disabilities in Nepal. Guided by the principle “Nothing About Us Without Us,” the organization works on disability rights, gender equality, sexual and reproductive health and rights, gender-based violence prevention, safe mobility, digital accessibility, digital rights, and the leadership of women with disabilities.
Prayatna Nepal seeks a competent, accountable, and results-oriented Executive Director (Part-Time Position) to provide strategic and executive leadership, manage organizational operations, perform collaborative roles between the Executive Committee and project/program team, effectively mobilize organizational and project resources, strengthen partnerships, develop collaboration with donor agencies, development partners and relevant stakeholders and ensure effective implementation of its programs and projects.
1. Purpose of the Position
The Executive Director will be responsible for translating the organization's strategic plan and priorities into measurable results, ensuring operational and financial accountability, maintaining donor confidence, strengthening staff performance, and advancing the rights and leadership of women and girls with disabilities.
This is a senior leadership position requiring demonstrated professional competence, independent decision-making, integrity, and a strong commitment to disability rights and gender equality. The successful candidate must be able to lead the organization effectively within a part-time working arrangement.
2. Essential Eligibility Criteria
Only women with disabilities are eligible to apply for this position. Applicants must meet all the following essential criteria:
- Be a woman with a disability who is committed to the rights, dignity, leadership, and meaningful participation of women and girls with disabilities.
- Have substantial, demonstrable professional experience working with organizations of persons with disabilities (OPDs), disability rights organizations, women's rights organizations, or related civil society institutions.
- Demonstrate a strong understanding of the social and human rights models of disability, gender equality, intersectionality, accessibility, and the barriers faced by women and girls with disabilities.
- Have proven experience in organizational leadership, program management, staff supervision, institutional development, or coordination of multi-stakeholder initiatives.
- Demonstrate experience in project planning, implementation, monitoring, reporting, and results-based management.
- Have practical knowledge of donor-funded projects, grant compliance, budget monitoring, financial accountability, and donor reporting.
- Demonstrate the ability to develop funding proposals, identify fundraising opportunities, build donor relationships, and support organizational sustainability.
- Possess strong communication, negotiation, partnership-building, and professional representation skills.
- Demonstrate high standards of integrity, transparency, confidentiality, professional ethics, and accountability.
- Be willing and able to undertake the responsibilities of a part-time Executive Director and comply with organizational policies, procedures, and reporting requirements.
IMPORTANT NOTE: Applicants must provide sufficient evidence of meeting the essential criteria. General interest in disability rights, personal connections, or membership in a disability organization alone will not substitute for demonstrated professional competence.
3. Key Roles and Responsibilities
A. Strategic and Organizational Leadership
- Lead the implementation of Prayatna Nepal's strategic plan, annual operational plans, and institutional priorities.
- Translate board decisions into actionable work plans, responsibilities, timelines, and measurable results.
- Advise the Board on organizational development, emerging risks, funding opportunities, and strategic decisions.
- Strengthen institutional systems, policies, procedures, and accountability mechanisms.
- Represent the organization professionally to government agencies, donors, civil society networks, and national and international partners.
- Take a lead role in new project development and fund-raising initiatives of Prayatna Nepal
B. Disability Rights and Gender Equality
- Ensure that all programs reflect the rights, priorities, and lived experiences of women and girls with disabilities.
- Integrate gender equality, disability inclusion, intersectionality, accessibility, safeguarding, and meaningful participation throughout organizational work.
- Promote the leadership and decision-making power of women with disabilities rather than treating them merely as beneficiaries.
- Support advocacy on disability rights, gender-based violence, sexual and reproductive health and rights, digital rights, and accessible public services.
- Ensure that program design, implementation, monitoring, and evaluation meaningfully involve women and girls with disabilities.
C. Program and Project Management
- Oversee project implementation in accordance with approved proposals, budgets, donor agreements, and organizational plans.
- Ensure timely delivery of activities, quality outputs, measurable outcomes, and accurate program documentation.
- Monitor project progress, identify implementation gaps, and take corrective action.
- Ensure timely submission of narrative reports, work plans, monitoring updates, and donor deliverables.
- Maintain effective coordination among program staff, finance personnel, consultants, partners, and project stakeholders.
D. Financial Oversight and Resource Mobilization
- Work closely with the finance team to monitor project-wise budgets, expenditure, cash flow, and financial commitments.
- Ensure that the organization and its ongoing projects have adequate funding to meet their financial and operational requirements without funding gaps.
- Review budget-versus-expenditure reports and address significant variances, delays, and financial risks promptly.
- Ensure that expenditure is supported by appropriate documentation and complies with donor agreements and organizational financial procedures.
- Lead or coordinate proposal development, fundraising strategies, donor engagement, and resource mobilization.
- Maintain accountability for the appropriate use of organizational resources without compromising the independent responsibilities of the Board and finance function.
- Ensure timely financial and narrative reporting to donors, governments and other stakeholders in coordination with the relevant staff.
E. Human Resource Management and Staff Accountability
- Supervise, support, and evaluate staff performance against agreed responsibilities and measurable targets.
- Establish clear work plans, reporting lines, deadlines, and performance expectations.
- Address performance gaps professionally and consistently, providing documented feedback and corrective measures where necessary.
- Promote a respectful, accessible, inclusive, and accountable working environment.
- Ensure that staff recruitment, supervision, and management comply with organizational policies and applicable labour laws.
F. Governance, Compliance, and Institutional Accountability
- Maintain effective coordination between the Executive Director and the Board while respecting their respective roles and authorities.
- Ensure compliance with applicable laws, registration requirements, donor conditions, and organizational policies.
- Support timely preparation of Board reports, management updates, organizational records, and statutory submissions.
- Strengthen safeguarding, prevention of sexual exploitation and abuse, complaints handling, risk management, and conflict-of-interest procedures.
- Ensure that allegations of misconduct are handled confidentially, fairly, and through appropriate organizational procedures
- Ensure that annual, project-specific, and other required audits of the organization and its projects are completed on time and that the audit reports are submitted to the relevant authorities within the prescribed deadlines.
- Ensure that all essential policies, procedures, rules, and regulations required for the organization are established, approved, and effectively implemented to promote good governance, transparency, and accountability.
G. Partnerships, Advocacy, and External Representation
- Build and maintain productive relationships with donors, OPDs, women's rights organizations, government agencies, media, technology providers, and development partners.
- Represent Prayatna Nepal in relevant meetings, networks, policy dialogues, and advocacy forums.
- Identify opportunities for collaboration, institutional visibility, joint initiatives, and sustainable funding.
- Communicate organizational achievements, challenges, and priorities accurately and professionally.
4. Core Competencies Required
The successful candidate must demonstrate:
- Disability rights expertise: A strong understanding of disability inclusion, accessibility, reasonable accommodation, and the rights of women with disabilities.
- Strategic leadership: The ability to make sound decisions, establish priorities, solve problems, and deliver results.
- Fundraising and donor management: Practical competence in proposal development, grant management, donor communication, and reporting.
- Financial accountability: The ability to interpret budgets, monitor expenditure, identify discrepancies, and ensure timely corrective action.
- People management: The ability to supervise staff, address underperformance, delegate responsibilities, and maintain professional boundaries.
- Communication and representation: Strong writing, presentation, negotiation, and stakeholder engagement skills.
- Integrity and accountability: Consistent ethical conduct, transparency, confidentiality, and responsible use of organizational resources.
- Independent working capacity: The ability to manage priorities, meet deadlines, and deliver agreed outputs with limited day-to-day supervision.
5. Performance Expectations
The Executive Director will be assessed against agreed performance indicators, including:
- Timely implementation of approved annual and project work plans.
- Quality and timeliness of donor reports and organizational submissions.
- Regular review of project-wise budgets and expenditure.
- Progress in fundraising, proposal development, and donor engagement.
- Effective staff supervision and completion of performance reviews.
- Strengthened safeguarding, compliance, accessibility, and internal accountability.
- Meaningful participation of women and girls with disabilities in organizational programs and decision-making.
- Timely reporting to the Board and implementation of Board decisions.
- Specific targets, working hours, reporting arrangements, and deliverables will be agreed upon at the time of appointment.
6. Application Requirements
Interested and eligible candidates must submit:
- An updated CV clearly demonstrating relevant experience and leadership responsibilities.
- A cover letter explaining their suitability for the position and commitment to disability rights and gender equality.
- Contact details for at least two professional referees.
- Relevant supporting documents demonstrating eligibility, qualifications where applicable, and professional experience.
- Applicants may request accessible formats, reasonable accommodation, or alternative arrangements for submitting their applications and participating in the selection process.
7. Selection Process
- Prayatna Nepal will assess candidates based on eligibility, demonstrated experience, leadership competence, technical knowledge, integrity, and suitability for the responsibilities of the position.
- Applications will first undergo an eligibility and document review.
- Only candidates meeting the essential criteria will proceed to the next stage.
- Shortlisted candidates may be required to complete a practical assessment involving organizational leadership, donor reporting, budget monitoring, staff supervision, or disability inclusion.
- Interviews may be conducted on a rolling basis as applications are received, given the urgent nature of the recruitment.
- The organization reserves the right to contact referees, verify submitted information, and conduct additional assessments where appropriate.
- Meeting the minimum eligibility criteria does not guarantee shortlisting or appointment. The final decision will be based on demonstrated competence, the requirements of the position, and a fair and documented selection process.
8. Employment Conditions
This is an urgent, part-time leadership appointment. The selected candidate will be expected to agree to clearly defined working hours, deliverables, reporting responsibilities, and performance standards. Remuneration and other terms and conditions of employment will be discussed with the selected candidate and formally documented in the employment contract. The remuneration offered will be subject to the availability of funding and mutual agreement on the working arrangements and employment conditions.
