NDI-Nepal is seeking candidates for the position of Senior/Program Assistant to support the Institute’s Legislative Strengthening and Government Communications programs. The Senior/Program Assistant works with the Senior Program Officer and Program Manager in their efforts to build the skills, capacity and knowledge of the Federal Parliament and its elected representatives. Additionally, they will also supplement efforts to support government bodies to be more transparent, inclusive, representative and accountable.

She/he will provide support across administrative, logistical and organizational tasks, contribute to programmatic strategy, draft and translate documents and should have demonstrated interest in Nepali politics, state and society. The position is based in Kathmandu, but requires frequent travel to different parts of the country.

Duties and Responsibilities:

• Under supervision of the Senior Program Officer and Program Manager, provide administrative and logistical support to organize activities and manage sub-grants;
• Assists in building a functional network of significant contacts with prominent stakeholders including political leaders, government bureaucrats and members of parliament (MPs);
• Contributes to writing and reporting of various documents specific to the program;
• Prepares drafts of budgets in coordination with other members of the Program and Finance teams;
• Travels to districts to support and program activities; undertakes financial reconciliation responsibilities for each field trip;
• Coordinates with Administrative/Finance team in reviewing budgets and expenditures;
• Assists in program execution and conducts background research for the program;
• Provides support for work plan formulation; takes part in strategic and work plan discussions;
• Assists in conducting/facilitating trainings, workshops, and conferences while also contributing to development of training/workshop materials and manuals for programs;
• Attends partner meetings to stay up to date about the latest developments in the Legislative Strengthening and Government Communication programs, the political situation in the country and within NDI’s partners;
• Provides logistical, administrative and programmatic support to visiting international and national experts;
• Under the supervision of senior staff, act as a focal point for engagement with various stakeholders including members of the Federal Parliament (MPs) and partners;
• Assist and support in program design, implementation and evaluation;
• Assist in translation, editing and writing of program documents in Nepali and English;
• Assist in correspondence with program partners; and
• Additional responsibilities based on demonstrated ability and/or program needs.

Academic qualification and experience:

• Bachelor’s degree, preferably in International Relations, Political Science or a related field;
• Minimum of three (3) years of relevant work experience, some of which may include coursework and/or internships.
• Experience working for international organizations, on democracy building, elections and community organizing.
• Experience with financial/sub-grants management and report writing preferred.

Required skills and abilities:

• Engage a range of interpersonal skills to effectively interact with colleagues, international experts, high level political figures and members of parliament, government officials and civil servants
• Build networks and manage relationships to ensure sustained engagements with stakeholders
• Experience in managing events; tackling operational challenges in a structured manner.
• Capacity to adapt to a constantly changing/evolving political environment;
• Efficiently communicate across socio-political realms while maintaining neutrality;
• Negotiate with stakeholders and resource persons to ensure organizational goals are met with maximum utility of resources;
• Interest in and knowledge of national political environment, parliamentary procedures and government functioning; gather, understand, analyze and report on the political environment;
• Identify and introduce concepts and proposals for programmatic intervention;
• Excellent English and Nepali speaking, writing and translation skills are required;
• Strong familiarity with presenting ideas in front of others;
• Capacity to work both independently and as a member of a team;
• Proficient knowledge of Microsoft Office Programs, particularly MS Excel
• Experience with Google Apps (Gmail, Calendar, Google Drive, G+, etc.)
• Working knowledge of basic budget and accounting procedures; knowledge of financial reconciliation;
• Ability and willingness to travel to remote and difficult to reach locations;
• Excellent organizational skills, attention to detail and ability to prioritize and manage multiple tasks and meet deadlines; and
• Ability to apply discretion and maintain confidential information