Provincial Advocacy Officer

Vacancy announcement for Provincial Advocacy Officer

The National Federation of the Disabled, Nepal (NFDN) is the national umbrella organization of persons with disabilities, representing more than 400 member organizations throughout Nepal. NFDN is seeking qualified, dynamic, and passionate candidates for the following positions to join our team for the "Include Us phase II" project, implemented in partnership with CBM Global Disability Inclusion.

Position Title: Provincial Advocacy Officer

Project: Include Us phase II

Number of Positions: 4 (Four)

Duty Stations: One officer will be based in each of the following provinces:

• Madhesh, Lumbini, Karnali, and Sudurpaschim.

Reports to: Provincial Manager, Advocacy, Communication and Documentation coordinator and National project coordinator.

Contract Type: Full-time position for the project period (with annual renewal based on performance Evaluation) and funding availability.

Organizational Background:

The National Federation of the Disabled Nepal (NFDN) is a national umbrella organization representing Organizations of Persons with Disabilities (OPDs) in Nepal. Established in 1993 and NFDN works to promote and protect disability rights through advocacy, awareness raising, capacity building, and networking. It has a network of 400 affiliated OPDs across 76 out of 77 districts in Nepal and operates its offices in all 7 provinces.

At the federal level, NFDN is the primary consulting agency for the government on disability issues, offering technical support for policies, laws, and programs. It is part of several national councils and committees, including the Inclusive Education Council, Disability Desk at the Prime Minister's Office, and National Development Council. NFDN also collaborates with various organizations such as the NGO Federation, Human Rights Treaty Monitoring Coordination Committee (HRTMCC), and Thematic disability federations.

NFDN is implementing a five-years project titled "Include Us phase II" in partnership with CBN Global Disability Inclusion.

Project Background

The Include Us Phase II project is a five-year initiative led by the National Federation of the Disabled Nepal (NFDN) in partnership with CBM Global Disability Inclusion. The project aims to contribute to an inclusive Nepalese society where persons with disabilities can fully enjoy their rights and participate equally in social, economic, and political life.

Although Nepal has made notable progress in advancing disability rights, meaningful inclusion remains limited. Persons with disabilities continue to face barriers in education, healthcare, employment, and access to public services—barriers often intensified by social inequalities and cultural biases. Women with disabilities, particularly those from marginalized communities, experience multiple layers of discrimination and exclusion.

Building on the achievements of Include Us Phase I, this second phase focuses on deepening advocacy, strengthening policy implementation and driving systemic change. The project seeks to empower persons with disabilities—especially women and members of underrepresented disability groups—by increasing their knowledge, awareness, and active participation in decision-making processes at federal, provincial and local levels. It also works to ensure that government policies, programs and budgets are disability-inclusive and responsive to the needs of persons with disabilities.

The project is being implemented in Madhesh, Lumbini, Karnali, and Sudurpaschim Provinces and operates through five key thematic areas:

• Policy and Governance
• Access to Justice
• Leadership and Empowerment
• Accessibility
• Awareness and Capacity Building

Through these strategic interventions, Include Us Phase II aims to remove barriers, promote equal opportunities, and foster meaningful participation, ultimately creating a more inclusive and just society where persons with disabilities can fully exercise their rights and potential.

Key Responsibilities

The Provincial Advocacy Officer is responsible for ensuring effective grassroots-level advocacy, stakeholder engagement, and executing the project at the assigned provincial and local levels within the province. The Provincial Advocacy officer will work closely with provincial and local governments, Organizations of Persons with Disabilities (OPDs) and service providers to localize project interventions and drive sustainable change.

Major responsibilities include:

Administrative Support:

• Work as the project focal person under the Include Us project at the province offices of NFDN.
• Coordinate and manage the project-related activities focused by federal office to implement at province and Local level.
• Prepare Program/project implementation plan for province office.
• Gather province level information on disability status, OPDs movement and various information on disability as needed by province office and federal office.
• Collect reports, public commitments, evidences and data related to the project implementation, its progress and results in the given format and send it to federal office.
• Carry out regular reporting to province board and federal office about the progress of the project activities under the planned reporting deadline and given reporting format and tools.
• Do other organizational tasks as the team member under the guidance of the Province Manager and the province board.

Advocacy and Stakeholder Engagement:

• Coordinate with provincial and local governments to promote disability-inclusive policies, plans, and budgets.
• Facilitate dialogues and meetings with government stakeholders, provincial disability coordination committees and disability coordination committees at Local level, Organizations of Persons with Disabilities (OPDs) and civil society.

Other key stakeholders

• Support capacity-building initiatives for women with disabilities and underrepresented groups in leadership and advocacy.
• Organize Joint Advocacy Initiatives at the provincial level to address identified issues.

Project Implementation and Monitoring

• Monitor the implementation of disability-related policies, programs, and commitments at the provincial and local levels.
• Support the mobilization of disability rights advisors and campaigners at the provincial and local levels.
• Conduct regular monitoring visits to local municipalities with federal/provincial board members and project staff.
• Assist in providing support to at-risk individuals and survivors of human rights violations to access the justice system.
• Document good practices, challenges, and lessons learned to inform project reporting and policy recommendations.

Capacity Building and Coordination

• Provide training to local OPD leaders on disability rights and advocacy skills.
• Coordinate with thematic OPDs and Community-Based Organizations (CBOs) on awareness-raising initiatives.
• Support grantee local OPDs in implementing the project activities at local level.
• Work closely with NFDN provincial chapters and member organizations to strengthen grassroots advocacy efforts.

Required qualifications, skills

• At least Bachelor’s degree in Development Studies, Public Policy, Law or a related field (Management, Sociology or disability study is preferred).
• Strong communication, documentation, coordination and team-building skills.
• Able to communicate in English and Nepali (written and verbal).
• Good computer skill in operating basic computer programs such as MS office packs with email and internet handling.
• Skillful in searching information in internet, operating social media, making news and activity and periodic reports.

Required Experience:

• Minimum 2 years of relevant work experience in advocacy, governance, human rights or disability inclusion in leading position with a proven experience of working with marginalized community. (Experience on disability related program management or implementation is preferred).
• Good experience of working with different diverse groups at province level.
• Strong understanding of disability related international legal frameworks, CRPD, disability specific laws and policies, Sustainable Development Goals etc.
• Experience in engaging with provincial and local government structures, civil society organizations and advocacy coalitions.

Required Knowledge:

• Strong knowledge and skills of documentation, report writing, data collection and management.
• Excellent communication, facilitation and report-writing skills in both Nepali and English.
• Knowledge and experience of day-to-day office operation, administrative work, document verification, organizing meeting, writing minutes, record keeping, monitoring etc.
• Commitment to the values of inclusion, diversity and the meaningful participation of persons with disabilities.

How to Apply:

Interested candidates are requested to submit their updated CV, a cover letter mentioning expected salary including 2 referees and with the subject line: "Application for Provincial Advocacy Officer – [Your Interested Province Name]". At vacancy@nfdn.org.np no later than October 7, 2025.

Only shortlisted candidates will be contacted for written tests and interviews. Telephone inquiries will not be entertained. Qualified and Competent persons with disabilities, Women, Dalits and people from marginalized communities are strongly encouraged to apply.

NFDN reserves the right to cancel, postpone or modify the whole recruitment process and reject any application without giving any reasons whatsoever.

Candidates applying for this position must be comply with NFDN policies and guidelines including safeguarding and anti-corruption policies and ensure compliance to all aspects of the Safeguarding and Prevention of Sexual Exploitation, abuse and harassment policies and associated standards and procedures.

Also, you can visit our website for a detailed JD: https://nfdn.org.np/vacancy/vacancy-announcement-for-provincial-advocacy-officer/