The Opportunity
Save the Children believes every child deserves a future. In Bhutan and around the world, we give children a healthy start in life, the opportunity to learn and protection from harm. We do whatever it takes for children – every day and in times of crisis – transforming their lives and future we share. Save the Children expects that anyone associated with it abides by its Safeguarding and other Zero Tolerance Policies.
The position holder will provide strategic, technical, and managerial leadership for the UPLIFT Project, building on the successes and lessons learned from the POWER 4 AY project, funded by Save the Children Italy. The position is responsible for ensuring the effective implementation of the project through strong program leadership, cross-functional coordination, and effective partnership management with government agencies and partner NGOs (PNGOs) under the Surkhet Field Office
Under the supervision of the Head of Field Program Operations (HoFPOs) and with technical guidance from the Livelihoods Specialist, the position holder will establish and maintain strong coordination with key support functions, including Finance, Logistics, PDQI, POD, and MEAL, at both the Field Office and Country Office levels, as well as with the Bhutan team. The position will ensure timely, effective, and high-quality project implementation through close cross-functional collaboration, proactive coordination, and efficient operational support.
The position holder will ensure the development and implementation of high-quality, results-oriented project plans and ensure effective stakeholder coordination at the field level. The position will foster strategic engagement with the private sector to enhance youth employability through vocational training, micro-enterprise development, and innovative livelihood approaches. The position holder will also establish and oversee robust monitoring systems throughout the project cycle to ensure quality implementation, evidence-based decision-making, accountability, and the timely achievement of project outcomes.
The position holder is responsible for ensuring full compliance with Save the Children International’s (SCI) and donor policies, procedures, and standards throughout the project lifecycle, while adhering to the technical guidance and implementation requirements of Save the Children Italy.
The position holder will be responsible for preparing and submitting high-quality project plans, progress reports, quality review reports, and associated action plans to Save the Children Italy (SC Italy) and other relevant stakeholders, as required. In close coordination with the Country Office Award Management team, the position holder will serve as the primary focal point for communication and coordination with the SC Italy Desk.
The position holder will foster an enabling and collaborative environment that empowers partner organizations to effectively implement project activities, ensuring quality delivery, timely reporting, and compliance with project standards. The position holder will strengthen collaboration with government counterparts, the private sector, and other key stakeholders to maximize project outcomes, promote sustainability, and enhance benefits for target groups. Effective partnership management of the SC Italy-funded project is a key responsibility of this position.
In addition, the position holder will work together with Bhutan Office to develop consolidated project report on annual basis ensuring quality and donor standards.
KEY AREAS OF ACCOUNTABILITY:
Planning & Budgeting
- Lead the planning processes and ensures partners have detailed implementation plan including realistic phased budget outlining major activities and timeline for the funds allocated in required planning templates provided by the organization.
- Ensures appropriate fund allocation and expenditure monthly and take corrective measures by revisiting plans and communicating timely with technical advisor, finance and Award team.
- Reviews the project’s BVAs and reports on any discrepancies identified in comparison to the Program BVA shared by the Finance team monthly.
- Monthly monitoring of fund allocation and expenditure, identify variances, and take corrective actions through plan revisions and timely coordination with Technical Advisors and relevant departments.
- Coordinates with SCI and partner team to design a robust field visit plan, self-assessments and monitoring systems including follow up on recommendations with relevant department and impact areas.
- Leads the revision of budgets during budget forecast and on exchange rate fluctuations as per organizational procedures.
- Prepare and implement a private sector engagement plan, including collaboration with business incubators, based on the findings and recommendations of the market assessment and private sector mapping.
- Coordinates with Thematic Specialist and Advisors for technical assistance, as required.
Technical Assistance and Quality Assurance:
- Provide oversight and ensure quality of programmes in the field ensure its optimum benefit to the vulnerable population.
- Provide technical support to implementing partners to ensure the quality implementation of project activities related to private sector-led job placement and incubation-supported micro-enterprise development, while promoting climate-resilient, green job standards and sustainable livelihood practices.
- Conduct regular field visits to partner organisations and areas, check and ensure the quality, identify best practices, identify issues to be addressed, and share any issues with the technical advisor to seek solutions/alternatives
- Coordinate to ensure that all project implementation materials /guidelines are reviewed by relevant technical team
- Provide technical support to implementing partners on life skills, business incubation approaches, enterprise development, business promotion and marketing, green jobs and green skills, and other emerging approaches and cross-cutting issues related to livelihoods promotion and youth employability.
- Ensure that project quality benchmarks and standards are established, finalized jointly with MEAL, Technical Advisors, and partners, and consistently applied across all levels of implementation.
Programme Operations & Management
- Lead market assessments, livelihood opportunity mapping, private sector engagement, and onboarding of strategic private sector partners for the project.
- Ensures programmatic and financial accountability including tracking of program progress and budget expense in the use of funds and achievement of all related projects, in alignment with Annual Plan and Country Strategy Plan.
- Ensure the program operations manual (POM) and its components are prepared, understood by relevant staff, and kept in place for monitoring.
- Ensure and collect the information about project progress from field staff, analyse the expenses Vs activity delivery and submit to Supervisor in a monthly basis.
- Ensures that programs meet KPIs and /or excels Minimum Operating Standards of key programmatic interventions including Gender and Social Inclusion principles.
Innovation and Scale
- Identifies best practices, problems and issues around program implementation and works toward finding solutions for improvements, documenting, disseminating and in consultation with relevant departments and themes.
- Coordinates with Thematic coordinators/ managers/Specialists, TA providers to promote and pilot innovations in program areas as relevant.
- Contributes towards developing and implementation of new ideas/innovations and its documentation of processes and its results, based on learning from Nepal’s experience.
- Ensures effective monitoring and evaluations are carried out for deriving lessons learned, best practices and that monitoring is effective in terms of deriving quick analysis of progresses for immediate corrective actions and measurement of results.
- Identify and engage potential business incubation center within the project areas and support their onboarding to establish and operationalize AI-enabled incubation services for youth entrepreneurs.
Documentation & Reporting
- As the project lead, update data and information related to the project in the PRIME system
- Lead the timely preparation and submission of high-quality project plans, progress reports, quality review reports, and other donor-required documentation to Save the Children International and Save the Children Italy, ensuring that achievements, progress, and learning are accurately reflected.
- Coordinate closely with the Livelihoods Specialist, MEAL, Communications and Media teams, and implementing partners to ensure effective monitoring, evaluation, documentation, and dissemination of project achievements, lessons learned, and best practices.
- Work with the MEAL team to ensure the timely completion of baseline, endline, and other project assessments, incorporating feedback from SCI Nepal, SC Italy, and Country Office teams. Collaborate with the MEAL team and the Livelihoods Specialist to establish and validate baseline values and track progress against project indicators.
- In close collaboration with the Livelihoods Specialist and the MEAL team, generate evidence, learning, and strategic insights to strengthen ongoing implementation, support adaptive management, and inform future program design.
- Foster a culture of learning, knowledge sharing, and continuous improvement by promoting the documentation and exchange of good practices, innovations, and lessons learned across program and partners.
- Organize and facilitate field visits for Save the Children, donors, government representatives, and other stakeholders
- Lead in the preparation of high-quality case studies, learning documents, success stories, and technical reports in line with organizational and donor requirements.
- Keep the Livelihoods Specialist and HOFO regularly informed of project progress, key achievements, emerging issues, risks, and challenges, and seek technical guidance on strategic decisions and implementation approaches.
- Work closely with programme and support teams to ensure that all narrative reports and project deliverables are prepared and submitted in accordance with Save the Children and donor contractual requirements, agreed timelines, and quality standards.
Partner’s management
- Lead partnership management by ensuring compliance with partnership agreements, Save the Children policies, donor requirements, zero-tolerance standards, audit recommendations, and management response plans.
- Ensure that implementing partners clearly understand and comply with all provisions of partnership agreements, as well as Save the Children's partnership principles, policies, and procedures, to enable effective and accountable project implementation.
- Assess partners' organizational and technical capacity needs, particularly in delivering market-driven employability interventions using innovative approaches such as AI-enabled business incubation, job guarantee-linked employment models, and facilitating access to finance for micro-entrepreneurs through venture capital, credit services, and other emerging financing mechanisms. Develop and implement capacity-strengthening plans to address identified gaps.
- Build and maintain strong working relationships with government counterparts, implementing partners, development partners, donors, private sector actors, and other key stakeholders at the local, district, and provincial levels to ensure effective project implementation and coordination.
- Work closely with implementing partners to ensure quality, timely, and results-oriented implementation of project activities, while fostering collaboration, joint problem-solving, and continuous learning.
- Extend coordination and collaboration with government line agencies, NGOs, CSOs, UN agencies, and other relevant stakeholders to promote integrated programming, resource sharing, and synergies in support of children's rights and youth employability.
- Represent SCI in relevant sub national coordination forums, technical working groups, networks, and coalitions, ensuring effective representation of field-level priorities and contributing to sectoral learning and collaboration.
- Engage with government line agencies and relevant programs to promote the institutionalization and scale-up of successful project approaches and contribute to advocacy efforts that influence child-focused and youth-related policies, strategies, and procedures at the local and provincial levels.
- Build and maintain strong collaborative relationships across SCI departments and teams to ensure effective cross-functional coordination and integrated program delivery.
- Document and share project learning, innovations, evidence, and good practices through appropriate national and sub-national platforms, in accordance with Save the Children's communication and knowledge management protocols.
Build and maintain strong coordination and collaboration among implementing partners, provincial networks, government line agencies, and other relevant stakeholders to promote integrated implementation, knowledge sharing, and sustainable project outcome
Representation and Networking
Qualifications and Experience:
- Master’s degree with 4 years of experience (3 years for GSI) on enterprises development/agriculture ; OR Bachelor’s degree with 6 years of experience (4 years for GSI) on enterprise development/agriculture
- Prior experience in the I/NGO on empowering youth to create economic opportunities through, minimize the impacts of climate change and promote green job and green skills
- Demonstrated significant experience in managing projects funded by multiple donors including networks.
- Proven sound strategic thinking and planning skills, including ability to think creatively and be innovative, set priorities, manage work plans and evaluate progress.
- Good report writing ad communication skill.
- Good interpersonal skills including verbal and written communication skills.
- Teamwork and team mobilization skills.
Required No.(s): 1 (Nepalese Citizen Only)
Contract length: Fixed Term
Location: Surkhet Field Office
The Organisation
We employ approximately 25,000 people across the globe and work on the ground in over 100 countries to help children affected by crises, or those that need better healthcare, education and child protection. We also campaign and advocate at the highest levels to realise the right of children and to ensure their voices are heard.
We are working towards three breakthroughs in how the world treats children by 2030:
- No child dies from preventable causes before their 5th birthday
- All children learn from a quality basic education and that,
- Violence against children is no longer tolerated
We know that great people make a great organization, and that our employees play a crucial role in helping us achieve our ambitions for children. We value our people and offer a meaningful and rewarding career, along with a collaborative and inclusive workplace where ambition, creativity, and integrity are highly valued.
Application Information
Please apply using a cover letter and up-to-date CV as a single document. Please also include details of your current remuneration and salary expectations.
We need to keep children safe so our selection process, which includes rigorous background checks, reflects our commitment to the protection of children from abuse.
All employees are expected to carry out their duties in accordance with our global anti-harassment policy.
Save the Children does not charge a fee at any stage of the recruitment process.
Organization context
The Organization
We employ approximately 25,000 people across the globe and work on the ground in over 100 countries to help children affected by crises, or those that need better healthcare, education and child protection. We also campaign and advocate at the highest levels to realise the right of children and to ensure their voices are heard. We are working towards three breakthroughs in how the world treats children by 2030:
· No child dies from preventable causes before their 5th birthday
· All children learn from a quality basic education and that,
· Violence against children is no longer tolerated
We know that great people make a great organization, and that our employees play a crucial role in helping us achieve our ambitions for children.We value our people and offer a meaningful and rewarding career, along with a collaborative and inclusive workplace where ambition, creativity, and integrity are highly valued.
Application Information:
Please apply using a cover letter and up-to-date CV as a single document. Please also include details of your current remuneration and salary expectations. A copy of the full role profile can be found at www.savethechildren.net/jobs We need to keep children safe so our selection process reflects our commitment to the protection of children from abuse.
