About Vacancy:
Deadline: 09 Dec 2025
Position: Senior Program Officer
Available Seat: 1
Location: Kathmandu
About Organization:
The Lutheran World Federation (LWF) Nepal is an international non-governmental humanitarian and development organization that has been working in Nepal since 1984, focusing on sustainable livelihoods, quality services, protection, and social cohesion.
The Lutheran World Federation Nepal invites applications from eligible Nepali female candidates for the following position:
About Position:
Senior Program Officer – Assistance to People We Serve in Nepal (APWSN) Project
Grade/Step: 8/10
Duty Station: Kathmandu
The Senior Program Officer is responsible for planning, implementing, monitoring, and reporting on protection interventions. These include reception services, registration support, counselling, case management, community engagement, and inter-agency coordination, while ensuring compliance with LWF and UNHCR protection standards.
Job responsibilities :
Management and operation
- Take a lead role in implementing the APWSN project interventions.
- Ensure high-quality and accountable implementation of project activities in line with LWF, UNHCR, and Government of Nepal requirements.
- Maintain effective communication and strong working relationships with UNHCR, local, provincial, and federal government authorities, humanitarian and development partners, and private sector stakeholders.
- Advocate with local, provincial, and federal governments, relevant ministries, and private sector partners to promote the inclusion of refugees in development planning.
- Build and maintain strong coordination and working relationships with LWF Nepal teams, settlement-based community-based organizations (CBOs), Settlement Management Committees (SMCs), project beneficiaries, and host communities.
Reception, Registration & Counselling
- Manage the front-desk reception for refugee and asylum-seeker cases, ensuring services are delivered respectfully, efficiently, and confidentially.
- Provide on-site information on available assistance, protection procedures, services, referral pathways, and eligibility criteria.
- Deliver protection-focused counselling, including guidance on legal documentation, access to services, safety concerns, and available support.
- Identify urgent and high-risk cases at the reception stage and refer them through appropriate case management channels.
- Support UNHCR with screening, document verification, and registration processes, ensuring accurate data entry and proper record keeping.
- Maintain up-to-date digital and physical records in accordance with data protection and confidentiality standards.
Protection Case Management & Service Delivery
- Conduct detailed protection assessments, including home visits and follow-up, for assigned cases.
- Manage cases involving persons with specific needs (PSNs), survivors of sexual and gender-based violence (SGBV), children at risk, older persons, and persons with disabilities, ensuring individualized support plans.
- Provide protection assistance through referrals to health, education, legal aid, psychosocial support, and livelihood services.
- Ensure case documentation and information management are handled safely and confidentially.
Program Planning, Implementation, Monitoring & Reporting
- Develop and implement work plans, financial plans, indicator matrices, risk registers, detailed implementation plans (DIP), and activity schedules.
- Provide technical guidance and support to partner organizations and service providers to ensure timely, high-quality implementation in line with programmatic and financial requirements.
- Carry out protection activities such as outreach, assessments, awareness sessions, counselling, and community events.
- Track progress against indicators and contribute to donor and internal reports.
- Advocate with local, provincial, and federal authorities to promote the inclusion of refugees in government plans and policies, and support their access to public services and entitlements.
- Assist refugees in accessing government services and entitlements.
- Support refugees in connecting with market actors and networks to improve market linkages and access to financial services.
- Conduct regular field visits to refugee settlements and host communities.
Community Engagement & Capacity Strengthening
- Work closely with community leaders, youth groups, community-based organizations (CBOs), and Settlement Management Committees (SMCs) to strengthen and institutionalize a community-based approach.
- Support capacity-building activities for refugees on protection, rights, accountability, life skills, and resilience.
- Facilitate community-level feedback and complaints mechanisms.
Coordination & Representation
- Attend meetings organized by UNHCR and LWF, including MCM, MFT, MRC, and others as required.
- Coordinate closely with UNHCR, government authorities (MoHA, CDO offices, municipalities), partner NGOs, and service providers.
- Participate in inter-agency coordination meetings, protection working groups, and sector clusters as assigned.
- Maintain strong working relationships at the field level with community leaders, community-based organizations (CBOs), Settlement Management Committees (SMCs), and other relevant stakeholders.
Documentation, Reporting & Compliance
- Prepare periodic, monthly, quarterly, annual, and event-based reports, case updates, and required documentation for donor reporting.
- Ensure compliance with LWF Nepal policies, accountability standards, PSEA requirements, and international protection standards.
- Support audits, monitoring missions, and donor visits.
Other Responsibilities
- Contribute to proposal development and program design as needed.
- Support emergency protection responses and participate in rapid assessments during crises.
- Assist in resource mobilization by conducting needs assessments and preparing concept notes, project documents, and budgets.
- Engage in policy advocacy to promote the inclusion of refugees in local, provincial, and federal policies.
- Stay informed about local, provincial, and federal government programs, plans, and policies related to humanitarian response, including those for internally displaced persons (IDPs), refugees, stateless persons, and asylum seekers.
- Maintain regular interaction with refugee communities, partners, and government authorities.
- Perform other duties as assigned by the Supervisor and/or Country Director.
Required Qualifications and Experience :
Academic Qualifications:
Bachelor’s degree in Social Work, Law, Development Studies, Human Rights, or a related field (Master’s degree preferred).
Professional Experience:
- Minimum of 3–5 years of experience in refugee response or humanitarian protection.
- Recent experience working with refugee caseloads in Nepal or the region is highly preferred.
- Experience in refugee reception, registration, counselling, and case management is strongly preferred.
- Knowledge of and experience with UNHCR procedures and policies will be an asset.
Skills & Competencies:
- Strong knowledge of humanitarian protection, refugee law, and protection principles.
- Excellent counselling, communication, and interpersonal skills.
- Competence in documentation, data management, and maintaining confidentiality.
- Ability to work sensitively in multicultural settings and with vulnerable groups.
- Fluency in English and Nepali; knowledge of Hindi, Urdu, or Bangla is an added advantage.
- Proficient in computers, including MS Office and protection data management systems.
LWF Nepal Values & Ethics :
- Commitment to LWF’s humanitarian values, accountability, and safeguarding principles.
- Zero tolerance for discrimination, exploitation, harassment, and abuse.
- Respect for diversity and cultural sensitivity.
- Work in alignment with LWF’s Vision, Mission, and overall goals as a humanitarian and development organization.
- Follow the established strategies and policies of LWF Nepal and UNHCR.
- Strictly adhere to LWF Nepal’s Safeguarding Policy, Staff Code of Conduct, Code of Ethics, Child Protection Policy, Protection from Sexual Exploitation and Abuse (PSEA) Policy, and Complaint Response Mechanism procedures.
Application Process:
Interested Nepali candidates are requested to review the detailed Job Description and apply online through the following form:
LWF Nepal requires all associated individuals to adhere to its Safeguarding Policy, Child Protection & Child Safeguarding Policy, Prevention of Sexual Exploitation and Abuse (PSEA) Policy, and Code of Conduct.
Qualified female candidates, as well as candidates from Dalit communities, persons with disabilities, and other disadvantaged or socially excluded groups, are strongly encouraged to apply. Only shortlisted candidates will be contacted for the selection process. Canvassing will result in automatic disqualification, and telephone inquiries will not be entertained.