Livelihood Promotion Officer

1. Position Information

Project: Sustainable Tourism Project (STP)
Position: Livelihood Promotion Officer

Level: NPPC 8

Duty station (City and Province): Kathmandu

Type (Regular or Short term): Regular

Expected starting date: 15 June 2026

Expected Duration: One year and extension until project duration

2. Project Description

Nepal’s tourism sector, despite its vast natural, cultural, and adventure tourism potential, remains underutilized, contributing approximately 2% to GDP and employing around 200,000 people. The COVID-19 pandemic significantly disrupted the sector, reducing tourist arrivals from 1.2 million in 2019 to 0.15 million in 2021. Although recovery is underway, achieving the national target of attracting 3.5 million tourists annually by 2032 under the Nepal Tourism Decade (2023–2032) requires transformative investments in infrastructure, service quality, sustainability, digitalization, and institutional capacity.

The Sustainable Tourism Project (STP) – a joint project of the Nepal Tourism Board (NTB) and UNDP Nepal aims to revitalise Nepal’s tourism sector post-COVID-19 and support inclusive, resilient, and sustainable economic growth. The project prioritizes the improvement and climate-resilient upgrading of small-scale tourism infrastructure along three major trekking corridors—API Saipal, Manaslu Region, and Kanchenjunga Base Camp—while simultaneously creating tourism-based employment and enterprise opportunities for poor, vulnerable, and marginalized communities. It also focuses on strengthening the institutional capacity of tourism stakeholders at the federal, provincial, and local levels to foster a sustainable and inclusive tourism ecosystem. In addition, the project promotes enhanced digitalization, destination branding, and strategic marketing to improve competitiveness and visitor experience. Across all interventions, it systematically mainstreams Gender Equality and Social Inclusion (GESI), environmental sustainability, disaster risk reduction (DRR), and climate resilience to ensure long-term, equitable, and responsible tourism development. The following are the outputs of the project:

Output 1: Tourism-based employment opportunities created for poor, vulnerable and marginalised community people via development and/or improvement of tourism facilities.

Output 2: Enhanced capacity of tourism stakeholders to create a sustainable, empowered, and inclusive tourism ecosystem for sustainable local economic development.

Output 3: Enhanced digitization, strategic branding, and marketing of tourism destinations to promote and sustain the Nepalese tourism industry.

The Livelihood Promotion Officer, under the guidance of the National Project Manager and in close coordination with the Project Implementation Unit (PIU), supports planning, implementation, monitoring, and reporting of livelihood and enterprise interventions under the Sustainable Tourism Project (STP). The role ensures inclusive participation of local communities in tourism-based livelihood opportunities, strengthens coordination with government and private sector partners, and facilitates capacity-building initiatives. Complying with UNDP NIM guidelines, financial rules, and environmental and social safeguards, the officer contributes to Output 1 and Output 2 by promoting sustainable tourism enterprises and equitable benefits for women, youth, and marginalised groups.

3. Scope of Work

The incumbent’s duties are outlined below and will be fulfilled in line with the prevailing UNDP rules and procedures, as well as with due compliance with the NIM Guidelines. The key responsibilities of the assignment are:

a. Provide technical support for the design and implementation of the livelihood intervention and enterprise development programme

• Develop and operationalise a Livelihood and Enterprise Development Strategy aligned with STP outputs and annual work plans;
• Design tourism-linked livelihood packages tailored to the three priority trekking trails;
•  Promote value-chain development in areas such as homestays, guiding services, agro-tourism, handicrafts, local food processing, transport services, and eco-tourism enterprises;
•  Support business incubation, mentoring, coaching, and enterprise formalization;
• Facilitate climate-resilient and environmentally sustainable enterprise models;
• Provide technical inputs for concept notes, ToRs, partnership agreements, grant schemes, and cooperative strengthening;
•  Provide technical inputs to the preparation of annual work plans, budgets, and expenditure tracking;
• Review and assess livelihood proposals from local governments and partners.

b. Provide research and advisory support, and capacity building of stakeholders for livelihood promotion and entrepreneurship development.

•  Conduct market assessments, value-chain analysis, and skills gap mapping in project areas;
•  Provide advisory support on tourism enterprise promotion policies and guidelines;
• Contribute to the development of marketing strategies and product diversification initiatives;
• Design and deliver capacity-building programs for: Local governments, Community groups, Women and youth entrepreneurs, Tourism association;
• Promote digital entrepreneurship, e-commerce adoption, and online booking readiness for MSMEs;
• Support organisation of exposure visits, FAM trips, policy dialogues, and stakeholder consultations;
• Promote innovation and diversification of tourism products by supporting new experiences, enhancing visitor satisfaction, and creating sustainable livelihood opportunities for local communities.

c. Provide Support for infrastructure and livelihood linkages

• Ensure tourism infrastructure investments generate local jobs and support community enterprises in project areas
•  Coordinate with Project Implementation Unit (PIU), LGs and other local stakeholders to integrate enterprise components into infrastructure interventions
• Support local governments in identifying enterprise clusters around improved infrastructure sites;
• Promote public-private partnerships for tourism service delivery;
•  Facilitate co-financing and resource mobilisation initiatives;
•  Conduct regular field missions to the API Saipal, Manaslu, and Kanchenjunga regions for exploring job creation and entrepreneurship development.

d. Provide technical support on Monitoring, reporting and safeguards compliance

•  Support the design, implementation, and maintenance of a results-based monitoring framework to effectively monitor and evaluate livelihood interventions.
•  Support the tracking and documentation of beneficiary data disaggregated by gender, caste/ethnicity, age, and disability.
•  Support compliance with the environmental and social safeguards of the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP).
•  Integrate climate resilience, disaster risk reduction, and sustainability considerations.
• Conduct joint monitoring missions and field verification visits.
• Identify risks and implementation bottlenecks and recommend corrective measures.
• Support during the preparation of quarterly, annual, and analytical reports.
• Maintain financial and programmatic transparency and support audit processes.

e. Provide technical support on knowledge management with regard to livelihood interventions

• Document best practices, success stories, and case studies;
•  Develop knowledge products, policy briefs, and analytical reports;
• Contribute to communication materials showcasing livelihood results;
• Support digital storytelling and destination branding initiatives.

f. Ensure Gender and Social Inclusion work through project interventions;

• Integrate GESI principles across planning, implementation, and reporting.
• Ensure meaningful participation of women, youth, persons with disabilities, LGBTIQ+ individuals, and marginalized communities.
• Develop targeted enterprise packages for women and disadvantaged groups.
• Promote safe and culturally sensitive engagement approaches.
• Align interventions with UNDP Gender Equality Strategy and inclusive development principles.
• The incumbent performs other duties within their functional profile as deemed necessary for the efficient functioning of the Office and the Organisation

4. Institutional Arrangement

The Livelihood Promotion Officer will work under the overall guidance of the National Project Manager and work in close coordination with the Project Implementation Unit (PIU). The position involves frequent field travel to project sites and liaises with government agencies, private sector partners, and community-based organisations. The duty station is at the Nepal Tourism Board, Kathmandu. An organigram is attached as an annex.

5. Competencies

Core

Achieve Results:

LEVEL 1: Plans and monitors own work, pays attention to details, delivers quality work by deadline

Think Innovatively:

LEVEL 1: Open to creative ideas/known risks, is pragmatic problem solver, makes improvements

Learn Continuously:

LEVEL 1: Open-minded and curious, shares knowledge, learns from mistakes, asks for feedback

Adapt with Agility:

LEVEL 1: Adapts to change, constructively handles ambiguity/uncertainty, is flexible

Act with Determination:

LEVEL 1: Shows drive and motivation, able to deliver calmly in face of adversity, confident

Engage and Partner:

LEVEL 1: Demonstrates compassion/understanding towards others, forms positive relationships

Enable Diversity and Inclusion:

LEVEL 1: Appreciate/respect differences, aware of unconscious bias, confront discrimination

Cross-Functional & Technical Competencies

Thematic Area

Name

Definition

Business

development

Knowledge Facilitation

Ability to animate individuals and communities of contributors to participate and share, particularly externally

Business management

Partnerships Management

Ability to build and maintain partnerships with wide networks of stakeholders, Governments, civil society and private sector partners, experts and others in line with UNDP strategy and policies.

Business Management

Project Management

Ability to plan, organise, and control resources, procedures and protocols to achieve specific goals

Business management

Resource Management

Allocate and use resources in a strategic or tactical way in line with business needs and priorities, and principles of accountability and integrity

Digital

Co-creation

Ability to design and facilitate a process that enables a diverse group of stakeholders to solve a common problem, develop a practice, or create knowledge together.

2030 Agenda: People

Gender

Innovation for Gender Equality

2030 Agenda: Prosperity

Inclusive Growth

Social Inclusion

2030 Agenda: Prosperity

Recovery Solutions and Human Mobility

Sustainable Livelihoods Diversification/recovery

6. Minimum Qualifications of the Successful NPPC

Min. Education requirements

• Advanced University Degree (master’s degree or equivalent) in project management, sustainable tourism, natural resource management, agriculture, business studies, development economics, or other relevant subject.

Or

• A first-level university degree (bachelor’s degree) in the above-mentioned fields, in combination with 4 years of relevant experience, will be given due consideration in lieu of the advanced university degree.

Min. years of relevant work experience

• A minimum of 2 years (with a master’s degree) or 4 years (with a bachelor’s degree) of relevant experience in the tourism development, livelihood promotion, value chain development, enterprise development, local economic development or related sectors with development programmes or donor-funded projects.

Required skills

•  Experience of working with local governments and community institutions.
• Proficiency in MS Office (Word, Excel, PowerPoint); knowledge of data management systems is an asset.

Desired skills in addition to the competencies covered in the Competencies section

• Experience including project implementation, stakeholder coordination, community engagement, and capacity building supporting sustainable tourism and local economic development initiatives.
•  Experience of working with federal, provincial and local governments, line agencies and the community on development projects is an asset.
•  Strong understanding of Nepal’s tourism sector and rural livelihoods.
• · Experience in project planning, implementation, and monitoring.
• Ability to conduct training and capacity-building for stakeholders.
•  Understanding of gender and social inclusion principles.
•  Strong communication, interpersonal, and coordination skills.
•  Good knowledge of UNDP rules and procedures or experience in completing UN assignments would be an asset.
•  Sound understanding/experience of relevant policies in Nepal.

Required Language(s)

Fluency in written and spoken English and Nepali is required.

Professional Certificates

NA

7. The following documents shall be required from the applicants:

a) Personal CV or P11, indicating all past positions held and their main underlying functions, their durations (month/year), the qualifications, as well as the contact details (email and telephone number) of the Candidate, and at least three (3) the most recent professional references of previous supervisors. References may also include peers.

b) A cover letter (maximum length: 1 page) indicating why the candidate considers him-/herself to be suitable for the position.

c) Managers may ask (ad hoc) for any other materials relevant to pre-assessing the relevance of their experience, such as reports, presentations, publications, campaigns or other materials.

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