Strategic Learning Unit Lead

Resilience, Adaptation, and Inclusion in Nepal (RAIN) programme is UKaid / FCDO funded six-year long programme that aims to strengthen the Government of Nepal (GoN)’s climate change adaptation, mitigation, and disaster risk management efforts and to help make social protection systems more adaptive and shock-responsive. This will reduce losses and damage and build the resilience of the most vulnerable communities at risk of natural (climate-induced and earthquake) hazards. RAIN will provide technical assistance to three spheres of the government on strengthening systems to design, develop, and implement policy, planning, and budgeting systems to support the at-risk communities in adapting to climate change and preparing and responding to natural hazards. It aspires to unlock additional climate finance for adaptation and mitigation, support the work on early action and early warning to build community resilience and make existing social protection systems adaptive and shock responsive. Inclusion, evidence, and strategic learning underpins the entire programme. The RAIN programme has four components:

Component A: Technical Assistance (TA) and Strategic Learning Unit (SLU)

Component B: Climate Adaptation and Finance (implemented through multilateral agencies)

Component C: Community Resilience, Early Action, Adaptation, and Inclusion (implemented through civil society consortium partners)

Component D: Adaptive and Shock Responsive Social Protection (implemented through an international financial institution)

underpinned by the ‘system strengthening’ approach rather than ‘project delivery’ alone, by placing political economy, empowerment and systems thinking at its core.

Expected impact of RAIN TA: Resilience of vulnerable groups and communities to climate risks and other hazards is built through increased government capacity to prevent, adapt, anticipate, and absorb shocks.

Outcomes:

1. The GoN accesses international climate finance to meet the goals of its NAP.
2. The GoN uses its own fiscal resources to allocate, spend and monitor its interventions on DRRM.
3. Improved resilience of communities to cope from natural hazards (climate and non-climate induced) shocks.

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Output areas / Workstreams: The RAIN TA comprises of four workstreams or output areas:

1. Federal Engagement: To improve policy coherence and alignment at the federal level.
2. Provincial and Local Engagement: Strengthen alignment of local and provincial budgets and expenditures with policies.
3. Access to Climate Finance: To support a strengthened GoN system to access international climate finance
4. Strategic Learning Unit: SLU will lead on Monitoring and Strategic Learning (M&SL) across the RAIN portfolio based on a flexible and adaptive management approach informed by data and evidence, political economy and GEDSI.

Mott MacDonald has been awarded as a supplier for the component A (TA and SLU), which starts from 01 November 2024. The RAIN TA has been designed to support for transformative change in the Government of Nepal’s responses to climatic and non-climatic shocks, building the resilience of some of the most vulnerable communities in Nepal. MM has reimagined and proposed the TA to be transformative which is 

• Understanding the local context, policies, and regulations (in Nepali language).
• Responsible for the day-to-day leadership, strategy setting and management of the Strategic Learning Unit (SLU).
• The SLU Lead will be both an internally and externally facing role and will be responsible for providing overarching leadership for monitoring, learning, evidence generation for adaptive management and coordination with RAIN implementing partners. The post-holder will have reporting lines to FCDO as well to ensure accountability towards the flexible learning agenda within the technical assistance workstreams.
• The SLU Lead will be FCDO’s primary contact for all issues related to strategic learning, innovation, evidence, results, value for money, knowledge management and communications.
• The post-holder should demonstrate relevant expertise in implementing monitoring and results frameworks of large and complex programmes; delivering at pace; seeing the big picture and maintaining a broad yet working level knowledge of all aspects of the project. Stakeholder management, project management, leadership, communication skills alongside flexibility and seeing the big picture would also be key prerequisite for this role.
• Responsible for the development of M&R Strategy, planning, systems development – including development of data collection templates and methodologies, development of digital data collection tools and dashboards, (where required) co-creation with BEK, TA SLU team, and Component Partners. Responsible for leading M&R capacity building (for RAIN TA SLU team, as well as Component Partners, where necessary)

   

   

  • Expected to travel when required to support delivery and engagement at the provincial and local level for effective collaboration and coordination with RAIN’s implementing partners.
  • Deploy internationally competitive competencies regarding strategic thinking, analysis, seeing the bigger picture and communication/presentation skills.
  • Leading communication and coordination with BEK and RAIN Component Partners on SLU matters.
  • Accountable for leadership and coordination to generate learning products in collaboration with the Deputy Team Leader (DTL) for RAIN TA SLU, other RAIN partners and British Embassy Kathmandu (BEK).
  • Accountable for directing the Strategic Communications and Knowledge Collaborate with the DTL for RAIN TA SLU to identify opportunities for learning and improvements.
  • Management Lead in distributing strategic learning to relevant audiences as required.
  • Oversee and provide strategic direction for strategic communications and knowledge management  within RAIN TA SLU to ensure that meaningful communications materials are produced and disseminated.
  • Oversee and provide strategic direction for GEDSI to ensure it is mainstreamed into all TA interventions and SLU products (including Monitoring and Evaluation, Strategic Learning and Strategic Communications).
  • Coordinate with the Project Manager in relation to Value for Money activities and provide inputs where required.

Key skills and experience 

• Leadership: Should have strong leadership skills and the ability to motivate and manage a team of professionals from diverse backgrounds. Other requisite skills include the ability to delegate tasks, provide feedback and facilitate communication.
• Project Management: Should have strong project management skills, including experience in developing project workplans, tracking progress, and managing project workplan budgets for the SLU. Knowledge of project management tools is helpful.
• In addition, should be able to provide inclusive and effective management of large teams of senior, junior or mid-career professional staff from diverse backgrounds, ensuring that the correct people, resources, and processes are in place to ensure efficient and effective delivery, and making difficult management decisions to maximise impact of the programme and drive good value for money, including moving or replacing staff and closing down underperforming workstreams.
• Stakeholder Engagement: Should be skilled in stakeholder engagement and able to effectively communicate with diverse stakeholders, including government officials, private sector, civil society organisations and international investors and donor community.
• Client Management: Ability to understand client perspectives, needs and expectations. Provide independent advice which may include challenge and guidance on SLU related matters, budgeting and deliverables.
• Communication Skills: Should have strong verbal and written communications skills, including the ability to communicate complex policy concepts to non-experts. This role also requires drafting briefs, reports, and the ability to deliver presentations to a diverse audience.
• Flexibility and big picture vision: Should be able to see big picture to support the design and implementation of policies and programme workstreams so that the component works coherently and in tandem with other RAIN components.
• Problem solving: Should be solutions-orientated with the ability to look ahead and identify emerging risks and opportunities, and develop solutions in collaboration with relevant team members and/or escalate appropriately.

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