Program Manager - Governance Cluster

Terms of Reference (TOR)

Program Manager - Governance Cluster

Based in Kathmandu

Full-time

Company Description

The Why: NEPAL aspires to graduate from least developing country to a lower middle-income country by 2026. However, the development community’s excessive focus today on socio-political empowerment has not yielded the desired economic transformation. In reaching the 2026 national target, shall we wait for institutions of power to become accountably productive or shall we bolster innovations of people to bring inclusive prosperity? And, shall we strengthen grassroots-government collaboration in shaping an equal and enterprising future?

The How: DAAYITWA, with a focus on economic empowerment, envisions an enterprising Nepal where every youth has opportunities for a prosperous future. Inspired by shared values of innovation, collaboration, and service, it promotes the socio- economic development of Nepal. The movement fosters inclusive and equitable economic growth by accelerating grassroots innovations, strengthening government institutions, and revitalizing a virtuous cycle of democracy and development through grassroots-government collaboration.

Our Focus Areas:

1. Enterprise-led employment creation
2. Design evidence-based policies for improved decision-making
3. Build state capability for effective policy implementation
4. Foster stakeholder collaboration for governance innovations

Growth Entrepreneurship and Employment Program (GEEP): GEEP accelerates rural enterprises for boosting employment and income growth in rural Nepal. GEEP is executed through a partnership among Daayitwa, Gandaki and Koshi provincial governments, 10 local governments and the Nepali diaspora. GEEP’s objectives are to accelerate growth-oriented rural enterprises, build state capability for effective policy implementation and foster stakeholder collaboration for governance innovation. GEEP builds on Daayitwa’s decade-long experience in governance innovation and accelerating growth-oriented enterprises in rural Nepal to create jobs and amplify income through the Rural Enterprise Acceleration Program (REAP).

Daayitwa Nepal Public Policy Fellowship Program: Daayitwa supports bureaucrats and parliamentarians in making policy decisions by conducting policy research, building capability of government and strengthening research ecosystem. Through the Daayitwa Nepal Public Policy Fellowship (DNPPF) Program, Daayitwa identifies service-minded talented Nepali youth, capacitates them to conduct policy research, connects their policy recommendations with government actions and builds an evidence-based policy ecosystem. So far, 129 DNPPF Fellows have conducted policy research for 28 parliamentarians and 32 government agencies.

Daayitwa Nepal Public Administration Fellowship Program: Daayitwa enables local youth to support local governments in formulating and implementing public policies. Through the Daayitwa Nepal Public Administration Fellowship (DNPAF) Program, Daayitwa enables local youth to understand government priorities, connect with local communities, design and implement policies and strengthen trust and accountability between communities and the government. So far, 53 DNPAF Fellows have supported 42 municipalities in all 7 provinces.

Policy and Governance Research: Daayitwa has conducted research on several topics including youth employment, enterprise ecosystem, as well as women’s political and economic empowerment.

Leadership for Economic Governance Program: Daayitwa enables local governments to promote local economic development by enhancing their policy leadership capability and fostering trustful collaboration with other municipal ecosystem stakeholders. Through the Leadership for Economic Governance (LEG) program, a joint initiative of Daayitwa, Governance Lab and Nepal Leadership Academy, we run an executive policy leadership course for local governments, supports them to identify major economic challenges, and facilitates them to implement innovative policy pilots using the Problem-Driven Iterative Adaptation (PDIA) and Rapid Results Initiative (RRI) approaches. So far, LEG has supported 3 municipal governments of Lumbini province to promote youth employment and women’s economic empowerment.

National Governance Symposium: The National Governance Symposium (NGS) is an annual event organized by Governance Lab at Daayitwa Abhiyaan, with Daayitwa as the organizing partner. This program strives to be an intellectually rich and politically unbiased learning platform for celebrating, studying and contextualizing models of innovation and collaboration in public service delivery that can enable governance stakeholders to think freshly and act productively. NGS has been conducted since 2022 in partnership with the Office of Prime Ministers & Council of Ministers, Ministry of Federal Affairs and General Administration, Ministry of Finance, and National Planning Commission.

Policy and Governance Dialogues: Daayitwa has been organizing policy and governance dialogues to enhance the governance ecosystem of the country. These dialogues aim to foster greater shared clarity, commitment, and capacity among key stakeholders such as the Federal Parliament of Nepal, academic institutions, civil society organizations, and the private sector. Through such dialogues, Daayitwa aims to bring together stakeholders on crucial policy matters related to Nepal's economic development. Daayitwa also brings together local leaders, national and international experts, and development practitioners from various fields to gather unique insights and perspectives.

Job Description:

The Program Manager will provide strategic and technical governance support across projects at Daayitwa. This role involves engaging with stakeholders, with a particular focus on provincial and local government across various provinces in Nepal.

• Oversee governance projects with key focus on results-oriented implementation and their impact analysis.
• Provide strategic and technical governance leadership across Daayitwa’s projects by engaging key stakeholders at federal, provincial, and local levels, while leading, managing, and scaling the Daayitwa Fellowship Programs to strengthen public sector innovation and governance outcomes.
• Manage capacity development initiatives for various stakeholders, including public officials and representatives at municipal, provincial and federal governments
• Engage and fortify relationships with key governance partners, including civil society organizations, journalists and private companies, to ensure effective collaboration
• Manage relationships with other team members appointed at provinces and collaborate with them for project implementation and logistics.
• Plan and organize regular outreach activities at local, provincial and federal levels to strengthen Daayitwa’s relationships.
• Lead and manage policy dialogues, high-level consultations, and symposiums at federal, provincial, and local levels to foster evidence-based discussions, influence policy reforms, and promote collaborative governance solutions.
• Conceptualize, design, and facilitate multi-stakeholder forums, roundtables, and knowledge-sharing platforms that bring together government officials, development partners, private sector actors, and civil society.
• Write proposals, prepare project implementation reports, lead monitoring and evaluation of projects undertaken at federal and provincial levels.
• Conduct regular evaluations and report on progress to senior management and stakeholders.
• Manage all assigned administrative requirements of the governance project portfolio, including financial management, budgeting, procurement, contract set-up and compliance, grant reporting, deliverable tracking, etc.
• Contribute to Daayitwa’s strategic vision by identifying sources of potential partnerships at local/ provincial level for the expansion of our governance portfolio

Qualifications:

We are looking for people-loving, growth-oriented, impact-minded, dynamic team player with the following qualifications:

• Academically compelling with a Master’s degree in social science, management or other related field with relevant experience of minimum 4 years.
• Contextually aware with understanding of Nepal’s social, economic, and political issues, including federal and local government structures, and bureaucratic system
• Be innovative and take initiative in implementing projects and be vigilant of current affairs in Nepal’s socio-economic framework.
• Reliably independent in tackling complex problems consistently applying creativity, independent judgment and detail orientation.
• Adept at handling multiple tasks, stakeholders, and team members at a time within deadlines.
• Self-motivated and able to work with minimal oversight with time management skills.
• Able to work effectively under pressure in a diverse and uncertain environment.
• Excellent oral and written communications skills, both in Nepali and English language.
• Passionate about understanding Nepal’s policy landscape and being willing to travel to provinces driven by a strong inner calling for economic empowerment of Nepal.

Additional information

Compensation: Daayitwa will provide compensation on a monthly rate basis. The rate will be mutually agreed upon, commensurate with the level of the required deliverables, the qualifications and experience of the candidate.

If you're keen on this position, kindly complete the form below by 26th April 2026. To access the page, please click on the provided link and right-click to go to the link.

https://forms.gle/u9pddWgqAEqhjAdt8

In the subject line, put “Job Title followed by your first and last name (e.g., “Governance Manager– Sabina Nepali)” and attach the following documents. All documents must be compiled in a single file, in the same order and saved in PDF format:

• Cover letter (one page max)
• CV
• Academic transcripts/certificate for most recent qualification

Deadline: 26th April 2026. Applications will be reviewed on a rolling basis. The vacancy may be closed prior to the deadline if a suitable candidate is found. Only shortlisted candidates will be notified.

Daayitwa is committed to promoting workforce diversity and actively encourages applications from individuals belonging to marginalized and discriminated groups, including women, Dalit, Janajati, Madhesi/Terai, and other minority communities. The organization values inclusive representation and strives to create a diverse and equitable working environment.