Term: 1-year commitment with the potential option to extend
Start Date: May 2023
Experience: Undergraduate Degree in Business or equivalent work experience with at least two years of management/leadership experience
Industry: Rural Community Development, Design, and Entrepreneurship, Finance
Location: Kalikot, Nepal - Mahabai 2 Ward, Karnali

Karnali Ratna Overview: 

The Oda Foundation, in tandem with local leaders, private partners and government support, develops integrative community development solutions for some of Nepal's most geographically isolated communities. Headquartered in the district of Kalikot, the foundation has concentrated healthcare, education initiatives, and women’s empowerment programs while providing additional community needs as they are identified.

Karnali Ratna is Oda Foundation’s social enterprise that is focused on increasing Oda Foundation's financial durability and decreasing long-term reliance on foreign donations. KR is focused on promoting a business and livelihood.

KR’s focus is to bring in revenue that supports the Foundation’s operations and local community members livelihoods while also addressing challenges such as untouchability, patriarchy, menstrual taboos, domestic violence, illiteracy and food scarcity. Karnali Ratna seeks to mitigate these adversities through a sense of empowerment within the community through job opportunities and stable incomes.

KR’s current focus areas are: 

• Transportation - Jeep business that runs from Nepalgunj, Surkhet and Manma
• Canteen / Small village shop that operates outside of the hospital 
• Volunteer / Tousim - creating eco-tourist experiences for travelers and internship placements for international students

Role Description: 

The Sustainability Program Manager will run Karnali Ratna’s day-to-day operations and strategically plan for the future. The PM will report directly to the Managing Director and will be responsible for finalizing monthly and quarterly reports to be submitted to the Karnali Ratna Board of Directors and funders. 

The PM will focus on programmatic progress, team check-ins, capacity-building, and growth opportunities for our current operations. This opportunity requires someone who is forward-thinking, strategic, and entrepreneurial. There is flexibility in the future of KR. We are looking for someone who wants to research, survey, prototype and build new businesses and functions in the Karnali region that are innovative, sustainable and benefit the community in addition to running the current businesses. 

Responsibilities:

• Lead weekly team meetings 
• Strategically plan for transportation and canteen business development. 
  
• Own Purchase Orders and coordinate the canteen. 
  
• Create marketing materials, outreach, curriculum development and strategic approach for volunteer and tourism options.
  
• Account for and manage day-to-day financials, including writing up receipts for KR sales and distributing to staff / community. 
  
• Own monthly financial reporting to the US board and donors.
  
• Own financial updates and monthly projections.
  
• Design the future of our social enterprise through weekly strategy workshops, working with the community and Oda Foundation leaders, which includes creating community surveys, working with leaders, and analyzing market research to develop potential new areas for growth.
  

Prerequisites:

• Written and spoken Nepali and English fluency, Microsoft Office fluency
• Experience in business strategy and development, preferably in low-income communities 
  
• Experience with financial projections and financial literacy  
  
• Entrepreneurial background is a plus 
  
• Experience in design thinking / agile methodology for feedback and iteration is a plus.

Successful Candidates Will Have:

• A strong desire to work on sustainable community development approaches
• A strong interest to live and work in the Karnali region
• A strong financial background
• An understanding of cultural norms and local dialect in the Karnali region
• A strong ability to communicate verbally and written in a Nepali context as well as a Western context
• Experience designing and/or implementing monitoring and evaluation methods
• Experience writing impact reports
• Experience leading a team and demonstrated strong leadership capability
• Enthusiasm towards cultivating a positive organizational culture

Enthusiasm and a connection with Oda values as listed below:

• Care and Compassion
• We will demonstrate our compassion and caring through our actions and words
• We will take time to ensure each person feels listened to, secure, understood and is treated compassionately
• We will be approachable and contribute to creating a calm and friendly atmosphere
• We will provide a safe and caring setting for patients and staff, and an efficient, effective experience
• We will meet people's needs for information and involvement
• We will be considerate, calm and proactive in solving problems.
• We will not be aggressive or passive aggressive to anyone.

Respect, Dignity & Justice

• We will demonstrate respect for all staff through our words and actions. 
• We will all follow Oda rules, policies, and procedures. 
• We will accept fair and equitable punishment for all. 
• We will be polite and courteous in our communications and actions 
• We will demonstrate respect for dignity, choice, privacy and confidentiality 
• We will recognize and value uniqueness, diversity and different cultures.
• We will be sincere, honest and constructive in giving, and open to receiving, feedback 
• We maintain a professional attitude and appearance.

Effectiveness 


• We will demonstrate a commitment to doing our best 
• We will be responsible and reflect on our actions
• We will be accountable for our actions 
• We will focus on our work and practice time management by meeting all proposed deadlines. 
• We will encourage and explore ideas for improvement, innovation and creativity. 
• We will seek out opportunities to enhance our skills and expertise 
• We will work together to achieve high quality services 
• We will use our knowledge and enthusiasm to implement positive change and overcome challenges
• We will be proactive in nature

Teamwork & Communication 

• We will understand and value each other's role and contribution 
• We will be fair, thoughtful, welcoming and kind to colleagues, fellows and guests. 
• We will communicate with each other and express our successes and our concerns. 
• We will offer support and encouragement to others 
• We will maximize each other's potential and contribution through shared learning and development 
• We will recognize, share and celebrate our successes, big and small
• We will practice coordination and collaboration interdepartmentally 
• We will have a positive outlook and motivation 
• We will demonstrate commitment to the Oda foundation, patients, staff and our guests. 

Openness, Honesty and Responsibility

• We will build trust by displaying transparency and doing what we say we will do 
• We will commit to doing what is right – even when challenged
• We will welcome feedback as a means of informing improvements 
• We will use our resources and each other's time efficiently and wisely 
• We will maintain and enhance public confidence in our service 
• We will be a positive role model