Project Officer / Finance and Admin Officer

Vacancy Announcement

About the organization:

Youth Innovation Lab (YI-Lab) is a not-for-profit civic tech company that operates at the intersection of cutting-edge technology and its applications, empowering young professionals to tackle emerging challenges in our communities. YI-Lab's mission is to engage young people in bridging science to people and policy through innovation. YI-Lab promotes open data, entrepreneurship, and evidence-based advocacy campaigns by leveraging indigenous knowledge, citizen science approaches, and developing cost-effective technological solutions. The organization provides a conducive environment for young people to co-create inclusive development solutions, with a focus on technology development, disaster risk reduction, climate change, open data, entrepreneurship, data-driven advocacy, youth engagement, and volunteerism.

About the Project

The "Advancing Agri-tech and Climate Innovation in Nepal" Project, is implemented by Youth Innovation Lab (YI-Lab) with the support of GIZ supported GRAPE II Project funded by the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ), with the aim to build climate-resilient, gender-transformative, and innovation-driven agribusiness ecosystems in Nepal’s most vulnerable provinces — Koshi, Karnali, and Sudurpashchim. The project will run from September 2025 to May 2027 in partnership with local governments, and provincial ministries.

The project focuses on three interconnected components. First, it will deploy nine Climate and Agri-Tech Fellows in municipalities and ministries to strengthen climate-smart planning, digitize agricultural data, and prepare municipal map books and action plans. Second, it will organize climate and agri-tech bootcamps to mentor and support 90 youth-led enterprises, fostering entrepreneurship and market-ready innovations. Third, it will develop and integrate two e-learning courses on Shikshya.org, reaching more than 12,000 learners with accessible training on climate-smart agriculture, innovation, and digital tools.

Through these interventions, the project seeks to empower youth, promote inclusive participation of women and marginalized groups, and accelerate gender transformative and sustainable agribusiness in Nepal.

A. Project Officer

Job Type: Full-time

Duration: 1 year with a possibility of extension

Salary: NPR 50,000 (Gross, Negotiable)

Job Description

The Project Officer will work under the direct supervision of the Project Manager to support the effective implementation of the Project. The role will ensure smooth coordination with fellows, municipalities, partners, and beneficiaries, contributing to timely delivery of outputs across fellowship, bootcamp, and e-learning components.

Key Roles and Responsibilities

1. Program Implementation Support

• Assist in planning and execution of activities across all three project components (Fellowship, Bootcamps, and E-learning).
• Coordinate with municipalities, provincial ministries, and fellows to support local-level implementation.
• Provide logistical and technical support for baseline studies, data collection, mapping exercises, and municipal vulnerability assessments.
• Support fellows in digitization of datasets and preparation of map books and action plans.

2. Bootcamp and Mentorship Coordination

• Organize outreach and application calls for youth enterprises in collaboration with IEDI and partners.
• Facilitate the smooth delivery of Entrepreneur’s Adda sessions and provincial bootcamps, including venue, participant mobilization, and mentor coordination.
• Track participation of entrepreneurs, maintain attendance records, and compile success stories and case studies.

3. E-learning Course Development and Dissemination

• Support the development of course content, scripts, and multimedia materials for Shikshya.org.
• Coordinate with technical experts, content developers, and fellows for localization of content.
• Assist in dissemination of e-learning modules at community level, ensuring inclusive participation (youth, women, marginalized groups, cooperatives).

4. Monitoring, Documentation, and Reporting

• Collect and compile progress data from fellows, bootcamps, and e-learning sessions.
• Maintain databases of beneficiaries, learners, and entrepreneurs engaged in the project.
• Prepare activity reports, photo documentation, attendance sheets, and contribute to monthly/quarterly project reports.
• Support the Project Manager in preparing inputs for donor reporting and presentations.

5. Stakeholder Engagement and Communication

• Liaise with municipal and provincial officials to coordinate field activities and ensure government buy-in.
• Assist in organizing dissemination workshops, graduation events, and policy dialogues.
• Support communication, visibility, and documentation requirements in line with GIZ and YI-Lab branding guidelines.

6. Compliance, Safeguarding, and Inclusion

• Ensure adherence to YI-Lab’s safeguarding and GESI policies across all activities.
• Promote inclusive participation of women, Dalits, Janajatis, and marginalized youth in project events.
• Report safeguarding or compliance concerns to the Project Manager and YI-Lab Safeguarding Focal Point.

7. Team Support and Learning

• Work closely with fellows, interns, and associates, providing them with administrative and technical support.
• Participate in regular team reflections, learning sessions, and adaptive planning processes.
• Support cross-learning between fellows, entrepreneurs, and learners across provinces.

Required Qualifications and Experience

• Bachelor’s degree in Agriculture, Environmental Science, Development Studies, Climate Studies, Agricultural Engineering or a related field (Master’s degree preferred).
• Minimum 2 years of relevant work experience in project coordination, community engagement, or development project implementation.
• Prior experience working with municipalities, provincial ministries, NGOs, or donor-funded projects is an advantage.
• Experience in organizing trainings, bootcamps, workshops, or community events, particularly with youth and cooperatives.
• Familiarity with digital learning platforms, multimedia content development, or education technology is desirable.
• Strong skills in data collection, documentation, and reporting.
• Proficiency in MS Office (Word, Excel, PowerPoint) and database management.
• Knowledge of GIS, mapping tools, and data analysis will be highly preferred.
• Ability to use digital communication tools (Zoom, Teams, Google Workspace).
• Skills in designing tools such as Canva will be considered a plus point for communication and visibility.
• Strong interpersonal and communication skills for engaging diverse stakeholders.
• Good organizational and time-management skills with ability to handle multiple tasks.
• Commitment to safeguarding, gender equality, and social inclusion (GESI).

B. Finance and Admin Officer

Job Type: Full-time

Duration: 1 year with a possibility of extension

Salary: NPR 55,000 (Gross, Negotiable)

1. Job Description

The Finance and Admin Officer will support in financial management, compliance, and reporting for the GIZ-supported Climate & Agri-tech Fellowship project, while also contributing to overall financial administration of Youth Innovation Lab (YI-Lab). The role ensures that all financial processes meet YI-Lab, GIZ, and Government of Nepal regulations and that effective systems are in place for financial transparency and accountability.

2. Key Roles and Responsibilities

A. Project-Specific Finance 

• Manage all financial transactions related to the GIZ project in FAMAS accounting system.
• Prepare budget vs. actual expenditure reports on a monthly basis, including variance analysis.
• Ensure donor compliance (GIZ standards) in all financial activities, reporting, and documentation.
• Process and record project-related invoices, advances, reimbursements, and payments.
• Support procurement processes to ensure financial and donor compliance, including documentation of bids and contracts.
• Conduct periodic cash flow analysis and prepare quarterly financial forecasts.
• Maintain and reconcile project-specific petty cash, bank accounts, and ledger balances.
• Track project sub-grants/third-party support, ensuring timely disbursement, financial monitoring, and compliance by partners.
• Coordinate with project team to ensure budget tracking of activities and cost allocations.
• Assist in preparation of donor financial reports, ensuring accuracy and timely submission.
• Support in preparation of financial data for audits (internal, external, and donor-specific).

B. Organizational Finance and Administration 

• Contribute to development of annual budgets, fiscal year projections, and financial planning for YI-Lab.
• Support financial management of other donor-funded projects as required.
• Ensure organization-wide compliance with tax laws and SWC financial regulations.
• Maintain asset and property management systems and ensure safeguarding measures are in place.
• Provide financial support to project managers during proposal development (budget preparation, costing).
• Assist in organizational audits, renewals, and financial approval processes.
• Support HR and Admin in payroll, staff reimbursements, and travel settlements.
• Supervise administrative functions related to procurement, vendor payments, and inventory management.

3. Required Qualifications and Experience

• Bachelor’s degree in Finance, Accounting, Business Administration, or relevant field or Master’s degree (preferred).
• Minimum 3 years of progressive experience in financial management, preferably with NGOs/INGOs and donor-funded projects.
• Proven experience managing finances of GIZ, EU or similar donor projects.
• Mandatory proficiency in FAMAS accounting software. Experience with Tally/Swastik is an added advantage.
• Strong knowledge of Nepal tax laws, SWC financial compliance, and audit requirements.
• Demonstrated ability to prepare and analyze financial reports, budgets, and forecasts.
• Experience supervising procurement and compliance processes.
• Excellent command of Nepali and English (spoken and written).
• Strong analytical, problem-solving, and attention-to-detail skills.
• High integrity, transparency, and commitment to YI-Lab’s safeguarding and GESI policies.

4. Reporting and Coordination

• Reports directly to the Project Manager (for GIZ Project finance) and the Finance & Admin Manager (for organizational finance).
• Coordinates closely with project officers, procurement/admin staff, and partner organizations.
• Provides financial guidance to project staff, partners, and fellows to ensure compliance.

5. Level of Effort

• 80% of time dedicated to the GIZ Climate & Agri-tech Fellowship project.
• 20% of time dedicated to YI-Lab’s overall finance, administration, and other donor projects.

Youth Innovation Lab promotes workforce diversity and gives priority to candidates from discriminated groups (woman, Dalit, Janajati, Madhesi/Terai, and other minority communities).

We are having interviews on a rolling basis, and encourage interested candidates to apply as soon as possible. Only shortlisted candidates will be called for an interview.

! Due to high application volume, only shortlisted candidates will be contacted within one week of the deadline. If you don't hear from us by then, consider your application unsuccessful.

Applying Procedure

Interested candidates are requested to submit their CV along with a cover letter.

Click on the links below to apply:

For Project Officer: https://jobs.yilab.org.np/jobs/detail/project-officer-147

For Finance and Admin Officer: https://jobs.yilab.org.np/jobs/detail/finance-and-admin-officer-149#scrollTop=0

Only shortlisted candidates will be called for an interview.

Deadline for submission of application: 12 October 2025