Position: Senior Technical Officer (Education)
Number of Positions: 4
Programme: Samartha: Enhancing Gender and Human Development Outcomes through Systems Strengthening
Location: Rupandehi, Nawalparasi (west), Kapilvastu, Banke, Bardiya, Dang and Pyuthan of Lumbini Province
Type: Full-time
Line Manager: Province Head, with technical reporting to Provincial Education Specialist and Samartha Programme Management Unit (PMU)
Start Date: 01 August 2025 (subject to funding approval from the donor)
End Date: 31 March 2026

ORGANIZATION PROFILE

Adam Smith International (ASI) is a global advisory firm that works with governments, international development partners, and the private sector to deliver long-term, transformative solutions to some of the world’s most pressing challenges. Operating across more than 30 countries, ASI specialises ingovernance, economic reform, climate resilience and inclusive development - applying rigorous analysis,  technical expertise, and locally led strategies to achieve sustainable impact.

PROGRAMME BACKGROUND

Samartha: Enhancing Gender and Human Development Outcomes through Systems Strengthening is a Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) funded programme implemented by Adam Smith International. The programme works in close partnership with the Government of Nepal and aims to enhance the capacity of provincial and local governments to deliver social sector services.

This programme will focus on improving the systems and capacity of local government to deliver its social service mandates with a specific focus on improving access to quality health and education services, especially by women, girls and marginalised communities. This will be complemented with national policy support in the Health and Education sectors to ensure sector policies and resource allocations align to support Nepal in building responsive and resilient Health and Education service delivery systems. Through systems strengthening, Samartha aims to enable more equitable, accountable, and inclusive development outcomes.

POSITION OVERVIEW

The Senior Technical Officer- STO (Education) will offer technical support for Rupandehi, Nawalparasi (west), Kapilvastu, Banke, Bardiya, Dang and Pyuthan of Lumbini Province, providing embedded technical assistance to the local level governments in the implementation of education programme. S/he  will work to strengthen the capacity of local level governments in education planning, budgeting, effective service delivery and monitoring mechanism. The role will focus on providing technical and strategic guidance to foster inclusive, equitable, and evidence-based education governance, while ensuring local ownership and accountability.

The STO (Education) will work closely with Education Development and Coordination Unit (EDCU), municipal education units, school leadership and community level stakeholders to ensure education sector interventions are locally relevant, data-driven and aligned with the provincial and national level policy, plan and priority programs. This role requires an education professional with strong field-level experience in current education governance, systems strengthening, and programme implementation. S/he will work closely with elected representatives, municipal education officials, school stakeholders and provincial counterparts to support effective and inclusive education service delivery at the assigned cluster level.

KEY RESPONSIBILITIES AND DUTIES

Technical Support and Education System Strengthening (60%)

• Provide hands-on technical support to local level governments and schools for the effective and inclusive implementation of education interventions, with a particular focus on foundational learning, inclusive pedagogy, and school improvement.
• Assist local level government in adopting strategies to improve student learning outcomes through the establishment of robust teacher support mechanism including coaching and mentoring support to teachers on lesson planning, formative assessment and adopting learner-centred pedagogy.
• Work closely with local education officials to improve the use of Education Management Information System  (EMIS) data and a better system for flagging inconsistent resource allocation, supporting evidence-based planning, budgeting, and accountability in education services.
• Support local level government to equip tools for Out of School Children (OOSC) identification and enrollment in education with a retention strategy.
• Support local level government for timely utilisation of conditional grant like implementation of Recovery and Accelerated Learning (ReAL) Plan and non-formal and accelerated learning program followed by condensed curriculum to address local needs for ensuring all children have access to basic and secondary education.
• Promote GEDSI-responsive school improvement plan (SIP) preparation aligning with the local education plan to address the specific learning needs of girls, children with disabilities, and other marginalised groups.
• Support schools and municipalities to adopt and maintain adequate and gender-responsive and child friendly WASH facilities as part of gender responsive, inclusive learning environment and fostering girls’ retention in education and well-being of all children including children with disabilities.
• Collaborate with provincial and cluster teams across health, governance, GEDSI and Innovation, Evidence and Learning (IEL) teams to ensure coherence, integration and responsiveness in GEDSI responsive education service delivery.
• Undertake any other technical assistance support as assigned to support the effective delivery of Samartha in Lumbini Province. 

Coordination and Government Engagement (15%)

• Serve as a focal link between cluster-level municipalities, EDCUs, and provincial authorities to align technical and operational support for education sector service delivery mechanism.
• Sensitise elected representatives on merits of broader inclusion in education sector governance
• Provide technical guidance to local level government to access and utilise targeted grant opportunities, including PMT-based scholarships for marginalised students, assistive devices and data-based special education grants.
• Facilitate cross-sectoral collaboration among relevant sections working in health (including nutrition), WASH, women, children, social development, planning, finance, resilience — to foster integrated, multisectoral responses to community education needs.
• Facilitate ongoing dialogue and coordination between local level government and relevant education stakeholders to promote joint planning, sector coherence and evidence-based resource allocation.
• Facilitate coordination between the Samartha’s federal technical team and provincial/ cluster municipal stakeholders to promote effective communication and shared understanding.
• Support joint planning, implementation, reviews, learning-sharing and interaction with provincial and local level government stakeholders in the education sector.
• Coordinate with other British Embassy Kathmandu-funded programmes and with other development partner programmes.

Evidence Use, Innovation and Learning, and Adaptive Management (10%)

• Strengthen LG capacity in adopting evidence-based planning and decision-making practices,ensuring local ownership and accountability.
• Assist local level government in tracking the implementation of key reforms (e.g. ReAL Plan, introducing retention strategies to decrease school dropout) and in using evidence to adapt interventions as needed.
• Support local level government for early screening, identification of OOSC, enrolment in education, and retention in collaboration with school administrators, communities, and municipal education units.
• Promote the use of disaggregated data to identify learning gaps, monitor equity outcomes, and guide targeting of resources to under-served schools and populations.
• Contribute to documentation of innovations, learnings, challenges and results from the cluster, feeding into broader programme learning and adaptation.
• Prepare regular technical reports that assess progress against predefined programme milestones and deliver a nuanced analysis of implementation barriers, bottlenecks and enabling factors at the ground level, including actionable recommendations for future improvement.

Capacity Building and Community Engagement (15%)

• Conduct participatory need assessment and provide needful capacity strengthening support to municipal education units.
• Design and deliver training, coaching and peer learning opportunities for teachers, with an emphasis on promoting inclusive education.
• Sensitise and support local level government for consultative and participatory planning processes and social accountability mechanisms to ensure active engagement of parents and voices of children from marginalised community groups being heard.
• Support local level government to establish and strengthen community feedback mechanisms to ensure accountability for service delivery.
• Provide technical assistance to local level government for implementing strategies to prevent and respond to student dropout, ensuring equitable and inclusive access and retention in the education system.

REQUIRED QUALIFICATIONS AND EXPERIENCE

Education and Professional Background

• A Master’s degree in Education, Educational Planning and Management or other related field.
• A minimum of 5 years of mid-level experience in education sector planning, school governance, inclusive education, or clear understanding of Nepal’s education systems strengthening.
• Demonstrated experience working with local and provincial level governments on education service delivery, planning and budgeting processes or institutional capacity development.
• Experience with donor-funded education programmes is preferred.

Skills and Competencies

• Sound understanding of Nepal’s education governance structure, policy frameworks, and public education financing mechanisms.
• Strong technical understanding of inclusive education pedagogy, education data use, equity-focused planning  and school education governance.
• Demonstrated skills in stakeholder coordination, government engagement, and technical support for strengthening institutional capacity development.
• Ability to facilitate participatory planning processes and communicate technical content effectively to non-technical audiences, including community actors.
• Excellent communication, analytical, and report writing skills in both Nepali and English language; knowledge of local languages (e.g. Tharu, Awadhi, or Bhojpuri) is an advantage.

Other Requirements

• Willingness to be based in the field, with frequent travel across rural/ municipalities and schools within the assigned cluster or province.
• Flexible to be assigned to another cluster of Lumbini province as and when required.
• Candidates with a valid driving license is a distinct advantage. 
• Proven ability to work independently and collaboratively in dynamic, collaborative settings, and to adapt strategies based on real-time feedback and contextual learning.
• Ability to work independently in complex and evolving political and institutional environments.
• Strong personal commitment to gender equality, social inclusion and strengthening of public education systems through evidence-based approaches.

TERM OF REFERENCE (ToR)

A detailed Terms of Reference outlining the scope of work, responsibilities, and expected deliverables will be shared with shortlisted candidates during the recruitment process.

Note: Women, candidates from marginalised communities, and persons with disabilities are strongly encouraged to apply.