Program Director

Health Nutrition Education and Agriculture Research Development Nepal (HEARD Nepal) invites applications from qualified, dynamic, and experienced Nepali professionals for inclusion in its Roster of Experts for the executive leadership position of Program Director. Empaneled experts will be engaged on an assignment/contractual basis to provide overarching strategic direction, institutional leadership, and portfolio oversight across HEARD Nepal’s ongoing and upcoming health and nutrition programs as operational needs arise.

1. ORGANIZATIONAL BACKGROUND

Health Nutrition Education and Agriculture Research Development Nepal (HEARD Nepal) is a national, non-profit, charitable, and humanitarian non-governmental organization dedicated to enhancing the well being, resilience, and dignity of vulnerable and marginalized communities across Nepal. Implementing integrated, community-centered development models, HEARD Nepal works across Health, Nutrition, Education, Early Childhood Care and Development (ECCD), Water, Sanitation and Hygiene (WASH), Agriculture, Livelihoods, Child Protection, Disaster Risk Reduction (DRR), Climate Change Adaptation, and Humanitarian Emergency Response.

HEARD Nepal is legally registered with the District Administration Office, Saptari (Registration No. 1761/077/78) and affiliated with the Social Welfare Council, Kathmandu (Affiliation No. 52601).

2. POSITION OVERVIEW

Position Title

Program Director (Roster of Experts)

Thematic Area

Overall Management and Leadership

Engagement Modality

Roster Empanelment; Assignment-Based Fixed-Term Contract

Duty Station

Project-specific field locations / Central Office across Nepal (as per assignment requirements) _ Kathmandu

Roster Validity

Six to twelve months (one year) from the date of empanelment.

Date of Publication

12 November 2026

Application Deadline

25 November 2026 (5

00 PM NST)

3. PURPOSE OF THE POSITION

The Program Director will provide executive leadership, strategic vision, and overall programmatic governance for HEARD Nepal’s health and nutrition portfolio. Serving as the senior institutional representative to funding partners, federal/provincial/local government ministries, and consortium stakeholders, the Program Director ensures strategic alignment with national health and nutrition frameworks, drives multi-sectoral program excellence, and oversees resource stewardship and organizational growth.

4. KEY RESPONSIBILITIES AND ACCOUNTABILITIES

A. Executive Leadership and Portfolio Governance

Portfolio Vision & Strategy: Provide visionary strategic leadership and technical governance across HEARD Nepal’s health and nutrition portfolio, ensuring full alignment with Nepal’s Multi-Sectoral Nutrition Plan (MSNP), national health strategies, and donor commitments.

Strategic Planning: Oversee the formulation and institutional sign-off of multi-year strategic plans, program inception frameworks, annual work plans, Detailed Implementation Plans (DIPs), and results frameworks.

Portfolio Delivery: Ensure high-impact, compliant, and timely delivery of all programmatic portfolios within approved budgets and international quality benchmarks.

Risk & Adaptive Governance: Lead high-level adaptive management and risk governance by reviewing portfolio performance, anticipating systemic bottlenecks, and authorizing strategic course corrections.

Multi-Sectoral Convergence: Champion cross-sectoral convergence of nutrition-specific and nutrition sensitive interventions across Health, WASH, Agriculture, Education, and Social Protection portfolios.

B. Senior Team Leadership and Institutional Capacity Building

Executive Supervision: Provide executive supervision, mentorship, and strategic guidance to Team Leaders, Program Coordinators, thematic specialists, and senior technical advisors.

Performance & Accountability: Define leadership roles, institutional accountabilities, and Key Performance Indicators (KPIs), overseeing structured performance management and leadership succession.

Organizational Capability: Identify organizational and technical capacity gaps across program teams and institutionalize targeted mentorship, coaching, and professional development initiatives.

Culture & Ethics: Foster an inclusive, ethical, and high-performing organizational culture rooted in HEARD Nepal’s mission and humanitarian values.

C. External Representation, Policy Advocacy, and Strategic Partnerships

High-Level Government Liaison: Cultivate and sustain high-level strategic partnerships with federal ministries, provincial directorates, local governments (Palikas), Nutrition and Food Security Steering Committees (NFSSCs), and sectoral line agencies.

Policy Advocacy & Systems Strengthening: Lead policy dialogue and technical advocacy with government counterparts to institutionalize and co-finance sustainable health and nutrition systems within federal, provincial, and local planning cycles.

Institutional Representation: Serve as HEARD Nepal’s principal institutional representative in national nutrition clusters, donor consortiums, technical working groups, and high-level policy forums.

Partnerships & Resource Mobilization: Spearhead strategic consortia, donor engagement, and business development/resource mobilization opportunities in collaboration with UN agencies, I/NGOs, and bilateral/multilateral partners.

D. Fiduciary Oversight, Governance, and Donor Compliance

Fiduciary Stewardship: Exercise overarching fiduciary responsibility over multi-project budgets, financial forecasts, and procurement frameworks to guarantee transparent, cost-effective, and accountable resource stewardship.

Financial Governance: Review and authorize major financial commitments and monitor portfolio burn rates, cost-efficiency, and audit readiness in coordination with senior finance leadership.

Regulatory & Donor Compliance: Ensure uncompromising compliance with donor contractual obligations, Government of Nepal statutory regulations, and HEARD Nepal’s internal governance policies.

E. Quality Assurance, Evidence Generation, and Safeguarding

Executive Reporting: Oversee the synthesis and executive sign-off of high-caliber analytical reports (quarterly, annual, and strategic evaluations) for funding partners, government ministries, and HEARD Nepal’s Executive Board.

Research & Impact Evidence: Champion rigorous evidence generation through baseline, midline, and endline evaluations, operational research, and impact assessments to inform policy and programmatic scaling.

Thought Leadership: Drive institutional knowledge management, thought leadership, and dissemination of scalable models, best practices, and lessons learned.

Safeguarding & GEDSI Governance: Enforce institutional zero-tolerance standards for safeguarding while mainstreaming Gender Equality, Disability, and Social Inclusion (GEDSI), Accountability to Affected Populations (AAP), and Do-No-Harm principles across all programs.

5. REQUIRED QUALIFICATIONS, EXPERIENCE, AND COMPETENCIES

Education and Experience

Academic Qualification: Master’s degree (or PhD) in Public Health (MPH), MBA, MPA, Development Studies, Social Sciences, Rural Development, Agriculture, Education or relevant discipline.

Work Experience: Minimum of Ten (10) years of progressive senior/executive leadership experience (for Master’s degree holders). Minimum 10 years of relevant professional experience in the development and humanitarian sector.

Minimum of five (5) years of progressive experience in senior Program Management or executive leadership roles overseeing complex, multi-sectoral development and humanitarian initiatives within Nepal’s socio political context, with a proven track record in strategic proposal development, resource mobilization, donor compliance, and partnership management.

Demonstrated expertise in institutional liaison with the Social Welfare Council (SWC), federal/provincial/local governments, and development partners, backed by exceptional leadership, team coordination, reporting, and diplomatic communication skills.

Policy & System Mastery: Comprehensive mastery of Nepal’s federalized health and nutrition governance architecture, MSNP frameworks, national health policies, and donor compliance ecosystems.

Core Skills and Competencies

Executive Leadership: Demonstrated executive acumen in portfolio management, strategic planning, multidisciplinary leadership, decision-making, and adaptive governance.

Strategic Communication: Superior written and verbal communication skills in both English and Nepali, with proven capability in high-level donor reporting, proposal development, and policy briefs.

Diplomacy & Partnership: Exceptional diplomatic, negotiation, and partnership-building skills for engaging senior government officials, UN agencies, and institutional donors.

Field Mobility: Willingness and physical readiness to travel to remote and rural project implementation areas as required by assignment scope.

6. TERMS OF ROSTER EMPANELMENT

Nature of Engagement: Empanelment on the Roster of Experts does not constitute a guarantee of immediate or continuous employment. Rostered professionals will be contacted for specific executive assignments based on programmatic needs and thematic alignment.

Contractual Terms: Specific scope of work, duration, remuneration, and duty station will be stipulated in an individual assignment contract at the time of deployment.

Validity Period: Selected candidates will remain active on the HEARD Nepal Roster of Experts for a period of two (2) years from the date of selection.

7. APPLICATION PROCEDURE

Interested and eligible Nepali citizens meeting the above criteria are invited to submit their application package via email to [email protected] no later than 25 November 2026, 5:00 PM (NST). The application must include:

Cover Letter: Articulating suitability for the executive leadership role, strategic portfolio track record, and availability for assignment-based deployment.

Updated Curriculum Vitae (CV): Detailing relevant senior program leadership experience and contact details of at least two (2) professional referees.

Supporting Credentials: Scanned copies of academic credentials (with equivalence certificate, if applicable) and experience letters.

Email Subject Line: Please clearly mention “Application for Roster – Program Director” in the subject line of your email.

8. SELECTION PROCESS AND EQUAL OPPORTUNITY STATEMENT

Selection Process: Only shortlisted candidates will be contacted for further assessment (written assessment, strategic case presentation, and/or executive competency-based interview). HEARD Nepal reserves the right to accept or reject any or all applications without assigning any reason whatsoever. Telephone inquiries will not be entertained, and any form of canvassing or lobbying will result in automatic disqualification.

Inclusion & Diversity: HEARD Nepal is an equal opportunity employer committed to workforce diversity and inclusion. Qualified women, persons with disabilities, members of marginalized and disadvantaged communities, and local residents from project areas are strongly encouraged to apply.

Zero Tolerance Safeguarding Policy: HEARD Nepal enforces a strict zero-tolerance policy toward Sexual Exploitation, Abuse, and Harassment (SEAH) and child abuse. All empaneled experts are required to adhere strictly to HEARD Nepal’s Code of Conduct and Safeguarding Policies, and selection is subject to background and reference verification.