Position                              : Project Coordinator (PC)
Grade                                  : C2
Project                                : Strengthening Local Accountability System through Youth Engagement. (SLAS)
Duty Station                       :HANDS Nepal Field Office, Sindhuli with frequent travel to project location.
Working area                     : Sindhuli district
Contract type                     : 1 year, with the possibility of extension based on fund availability.
Education and Experience : Master’s Degree in social science or related field and two years of experience in relevant field in I/NGO.
Reports to                          : Directly to Chairperson of Hands Nepal, Sindhuli and Plan International
Responsible to                   : HANDS Nepal/Plan International Nepal

PROJECT INTRODUCTION : 

Human And National Development Society (HANDS) Nepal, established in 2001, is a non-governmental, non-political, non-profit organization focused on integrated community development and natural resource management. With a vision of a prosperous, equitable, and ethical society, HANDS Nepal's mission is to implement initiatives fostering inclusive and equitable development. For over 24 years, the organization has promoted sustainable development, addressing areas such as governance, education, child rights, WASH, climate change, disaster risk reduction, health, and livelihoods. HANDS Nepal aims to empower marginalized groups, particularly women, children, and Dalits, to access basic needs and lead dignified lives. Through partnerships with multiple agencies and over 42 projects impacting more than 200,000 people across thirteen districts, HANDS Nepal strengthens local governments, promotes participatory governance, and ensures marginalized communities can shape their futures.

HANDS Nepal, Sindhuli has been working in long-term partnership with Plan International Nepal since 2012, focusing on education, child development, WASH, DRR/CCA, and more. Currently, the organization is collaborating with Plan International Nepal to implement the Strengthening Local Accountability System through Youth Engagement project. This project will use social accountability approach to strengthen governance and accountability of duty bearers towards right holders through youth engagement. Social accountability is a process that empowers communities (rights holders), particularly those experiencing highest levels of marginalization, to share their voice and work towards claiming their rights by holding duty bearers to account. This project will particularly use Plan International’s Young Citizen Score Card (YCSC)- youth led a social accountability tool. This tool is a two-way process that engages children, youth, community members and service providers in an ongoing process to analyze and improve services and/or institutions. It supports excluded and vulnerable children and youth by:

• Helping them to understand their rights and entitlements;
• Assesses whether services and institutions respond to these rights while meeting their real needs;
• Develops and implement action plans and solutions together with duty bearers to ensure community services and institutions are improved for all citizens.

The YCSC creates opportunities for young people, especially young women, to participate in and lead on governance and service improvement processes while also bringing them together with adults, including duty bearers (intergenerational approach) as partners in the YCSC process. Media engagement will be key to support accountability of duty bearers towards young people. Youth will be equipped with reporting and advocacy skill related to media advocacy.

PROJECT PURPOSE :

The HANDS Nepal and Plan International Nepal project aims to empower girls, boys, and youth as catalysts for change, fostering their active involvement in collective actions for systemic social and political transformation. Recognizing that traditional structures often exclude youth from formal political and civil society agendas, the project leverages new information and communication technologies to broaden avenues for youth participation. By facilitating engagement in local accountability processes with duty bearers and stakeholders, the initiative seeks to ensure the fulfillment of rights and entitlements for the youth, particularly focusing on girls, and contribute to human rights and gender equality.

Major responsibility of the Position

The Project Co-coordinator (PC) is responsible for leading the project implementation and and management of budget and human resource dedicated to SLAS project. PC provides managerial, technical, conceptual and strategic support to SLAS team on program management in implementing, achieving results, mitigating risks and and monitoring and tracking the project progress. S/he will ensure successful completion of all program activities
implemented and ensure that the project outputs and outcomes are timely and well achieved together with ensuring meaningful youth engagement as a primary key objective of the project.
The position holder ensures the quality of program delivery and the achievement of agreed outcomes in accordance with program design and partnership. The position holder will also lead on influence work approach in program implementation, ensuring support to project participants especially youth and young women groups. S/he will be accountable for leading the innovation and ensuring lessons learnt are constantly integrated in program interventions, thus continuously improving efficiency and effectiveness. S/he also leads the local level networking and advocacy in support of the concern stakeholders.

SPECIFIC DUTIES : 

Implementation, Coordination and Leadership

• Coordinate with concern line agencies, local government authorities (Rural/Municipality), communities and all local stakeholders to run the program smoothly.
• Ensuring continuous communication and sharing project information with right holders and communities’ representatives regarding the implementation of works and in order to ensure a flawless progress of activities.
• Liaise with all project staffs to ensure that project interventions in timely with concrete project plan and budget as per finalized project documents.
• Develop strategies and plans that contribute to raising profile of project interventions.
• Develop capacity of project team, right holders and stakeholders by conducting or using resource person on technical training based on project theme.
• Liaise with the different organization implementing the similar project for effective implementation of the project and also to avoid the duplication of the events.
• Influence local government for ownership of intervention and reflect good practices and learning in policy and plan.
• Liaise and coordinate with stakeholders and the government to maximize the results intended through this project.
• Liaise and coordinate with stakeholders, implementing partners and the government to maximize the results intended through this project.
• Represent organization in different networks and maintain organization’s professional image.
• Lead evidence-based lobby and advocacy within the project scope in planning and delivering campaigning and advocacy work and ensure that Project plan include influencing objectives.

Program Management

• Ensure budgets are phased and include appropriate WBS and program codes, follow up with transaction reports on bi-weekly/monthly basis to ensure adequate burn rate aligning with the time spend.
• Ensure proper Project Implementation Guideline, M&E plan, data base and Quality
• Benchmarks are in place, understood and being used. Frequent field visit in project areas.
• Responsible for the risk management, guidance, staff management during project implementation in the target locations.
• Responsible for developing Detail Implementation Plan (DIP), tools and approaches of project management based on the organizational operational policies and guidelines as well as donor agencies.
• Ensure for managing the minimum standards of technical quality and services in all interventions of project activities.
• Ensure gender transformative approach of the project as per gender transformative marker of Plan International Nepal.
• Monitor project implementation to track progress against plan and per technical benchmarks and recommend corrective measures
• Responsible for timely monitoring of the project activities in the field and prepare the report.
• Ensure risks associated with Safeguarding Children and Young People are identified and mitigation measures placed during implementation of project activities.

Financial Management

• Lead the financial management of project including budget planning, monitoring and revision.
• Manage the project budget and ensure project expenditures are in-line with agreed project plan and budget.
• Ensure that project expenditures are undertaken in-line with financial policies and procedures and that available resource are optimally utilized.
• Identify program supplies needs and coordinate with the logistics team to put in place a sensible phased procurement plan.

Monitoring, Evaluation and Reporting

• Conduct effective monitoring of each activity regularly which ensure to meet the goal and outcome of the project.
• Update, operationalize and lead in the systematic evaluation strategy in order to ensure the effective implementation of projects activities as per DIP.
• Plan proper data management to keep track of the Monitoring, Evaluation,
• Accountability and Learning (MEAL) plan of project and ensuring this links to reporting requirements.
• Work with the team to identify and document project learning and success stories and disseminate learning across the sector.
• Ensure quality and timely reporting.
• Ensure effective communication between the organization, project teams and report immediately on any new developments, changes, financial aspects and important decisions and directives.
• Conduct frequent field visits, gather required information though focus group discussions and key informant interviews based on the project objectives and requirement.

Education and experience

• Master’s Degree in social science or related field and two years of experience in relevant field in I/NGO.

Competence

• Clear understanding of the strengthen local accountability, Social accountability and youth mobilization, as well as good understanding of project monitoring, evaluation, research and learning and result based project cycle management.

SKILLS : 

• Strategic: Analytical, Critical thinking, negotiating skills, Innovative, problem solving and ability to build effective relations for influencing and team work
• Language: Ability to write clearly and concisely in English and Nepali.
  
• Communication: Sound communication skills, managing work relationships (internal/external), coordination and networking.
• Proven IT skills: Word, Excel, Outlook, PowerPoint, open access M&E tools and skill of computer applications (GIS; mobile mapping, MS office applications etc.)
• We strongly encourage to apply by female candidates, and candidates from minority groups, excluded castes and ethnicity, persons with disabilities and give priorities during the selection process.
• Candidate having two-wheeler license will be highly preferable.