FCDO Nepal Skills for Employment Programme (सीप)

Duty Station: Kathmandu, Nepal (with extensive travel in Nepal (Madhesh and Lumbini Provinces)
LOE:         Full time
Start Date: May 2022

Background:

UKaid सीप is brokering transformational partnerships with the Nepali private and public sector to propel growth in selected priority sectors – commercial agriculture, light manufacturing, tourism, ICT, construction, and finance – through expanded access to quality skills training linked to gainful employment and migration optimization for Nepalis.  सीप uses a Challenge Fund co-investment and technical assistance mechanism to forge partnerships aimed at addressing key market constraints for increased job creation, financial inclusion, and industry growth by introducing innovative, scalable skilling m odels and financial services; catalyzing multi-sectoral collaborations; and unlocking public and private capital. 

Role and Responsibilities:

The सीप Skills Component Lead/Partnership Advisor will manage a dynamic results-oriented component responsible for the co-design and implementation of sustainable skilling and job creation models with the private sector and skilling providers through a co-investment approach. Will also coordinate the component’s efforts aimed at promoting private sector engagement with the Government of Nepal to harmonize emerging new in-demand job occupations with the National Vocational Qualification Framework (NVQF) and to seek Government ownership, including co-funding to scale impact. Key responsibilities of the सीप Component Lead/Partnership Advisor will include:

• Working closely with सीप’s Challenge Fund, Monitoring, Evaluation, and Learning (MEL), Regional Managers, and GESI and Communications teams, oversee and support effective result-focused management of सीप partners, in particular to track and ensure the attainment of the stated skilling and employment goals, systemic changes, evaluation of targeted beneficiaries, timely reporting, and knowledge sharing. 
• Provide strategic direction to a component team working with the private sector to identify skills gaps and future skills needs across a range of sectors and geographic areas (Madhesh Province and Lumbini Province) that are linked to growth opportunities and to support adaptive management of the partnerships forged by सीप with a learning and scale-up mindset.  
• Support coordination with GoN and other donor-funded skilling initiatives to link सीप and its partner efforts for replication and scale-up in order to maximize results.
• Explore and encourage the adoption and scale-up of different skilling models/partnership by the private sector and other key system actors (e.g. other INGOs/GoN) on a co-investment basis.  Work with the private sector on the co-development and scale-up of business models that supports introduction/expansion of skilling initiatives for in-demand job occupations leading to employment/self-employment opportunities. 
• Working closely with the MEL and Component team, deploy Value for Money & Cost Benefit assessments, and beneficiary verification to ensure sustainability and impact of skilling models; on a more regular basis, ensure receipt of timely monthly and quarterly reports and beneficiary profiles from all partners; elevating deviances and constraints to the team on a timely basis to ensure they are addressed and optimized and partners receive the support they need.
• Proactive management with private sector partners on bottom line KPIs, including skilling and placement targets, firm capability improvements, sustainability measurements, productivity improvements and increased market access.

Requirements for the Position 

• Master’s degree in economics/business administration or equivalent with an in-depth knowledge of investment analysis and related computer applications.  
• 10-15 years of experience working with the private sector, preferably in the sectors of सीप’s interest identified above. Further, experience with a private sector financial institution’s lending or investment advisory arm to orchestrate financing arrangements with businesses in सीप’s targeted sectors will be an added asset.
• Familiarity with the working of challenge funding preferably gained through prior work on a FCDO/DFID’s or a similar donor project that has orchestrated successful co-investments with the private sector- preferably in private sector development, skilling, and financial inclusion.   
• Successful track record of leveraging private sector funding from firms in Nepal’s growth sectors into skilling or other economic development projects funded by FCDO/DFID or other similar donors.
• Proven experience of working with private sector (especially in Madhesh and Lumbini Provinces) on understanding industry trends, and workforce upgradation strategies as part of the firms’ growth and expansion plans, coupled with tangible demonstration of firm-level improvements.
• Prior experience working in management of private sector partnerships for FCDO/DFID or a similar donor’s skilling and/or private sector development output-based contracts with in-depth understanding of the theory of change, logframes and related reporting requirements.
• Evidence of having deployed analytical/management tools, including market ecosystems mapping and constraints analysis, sectoral assessment, skills gaps assessments, and developing roadmaps/implementation plans.
• Experience promoting private sector engagement with the Government of Nepal to introduce systemic change aimed at transformational growth and employment in progressive sectors and to catalyze public private partnerships.
• Written and oral communications skills, and a good command over the English language given the requirements for drafting reports and leading presentations.
• Proficiency in MS Office suite of applications.