Regional Programme Manager for Education Out Loud in Asia Pacific

Are you motivated to make an impact in an international funding mechanism for civil society? Are you experienced in leading, motivating and inspiring team members to maximise their full potential? And do you have strong knowledge about civil society strengthening, education advocacy and social accountability mechanisms? If yes, we would like to hear from you!

Background

Education Out Loud (EOL) supports civil society organisations in shaping education policy to ensure the right to free inclusive education to all, especially for the most marginalized communities. We promote inclusive, gender responsive and equitable national education policies and systems through enhanced civil society capacities and participation in social accountability and policy advocacy processes.

Managed by Oxfam Denmark and financed by the Global Partnership for Education (GPE), EOL is the biggest fund in the world for education advocacy with grants awarded to app. 80 organisations in more than 60 countries. Created in 2019, the EOL programme was recently extended to mid-2027 bringing the total funding of EOL to USD 133 million.

The EOL programme consists of five entities: A Global Management Unit (GMU) based at Oxfam Denmark’s offices in Copenhagen, Denmark, and four Regional Management Units (RMUs) located in Senegal, Guatemala, Nepal, and Uganda. Altogether, our grant agent set-up for EOL comprises app. 30 positions, 6 of these are in the Regional Management Unit for Asia Pacific. 

Who we are looking for

Oxfam Denmark’s Education Out Loud Programme is looking for a Regional Programme Manager for our Regional Management Unit in Asia Pacific. The candidate shall hold 

a minimum of five years’ relevant work experience with the ability to lead, inspire and manage multi-disciplinary teams in a complex programme. 

The successful applicant must demonstrate ability to work collaboratively and manage relationship with consortia, strategic partners, and grantees, to oversee reporting process and ensure high quality and timely deliverables. The ideal candidate will have strong knowledge and understanding of working with civil society strengthening, education advocacy and social accountability mechanisms and understand its importance in the development of resilient and strong democratic societies able to deliver quality education for all citizens. Knowledge and experience in topics within education such as gender equality and inclusion is an added advantage.

The candidate must further possess experience in managing people, motivate and inspire team members to maximise their full potential, while providing guidance and feedback for staff on project design, implementation and monitoring experience in project management and monitoring is essential. We expect strong individual planning and organizational skills with ability to prioritise, coordinate, control and forward plan several tasks at the same time, without supervision and within tight timing constraints. Fluency in English is a key requirement for this role. 

The candidate will ideally be based in Kathmandu, Nepal. It is, however, also possible to work from another location in the Asia Pacific region and travel to Kathmandu regularly. A substantial number of travel days are required in the job for monitoring visits, experience exchange and meetings.  

EOL is an extensive, complex, and ambitious programme with a wide outreach to a diverse range of stakeholders. Our new colleague should be motivated by making and impact in an international funding mechanism for civil society and consider it a meaningful challenge to be responsive to individual grantees as well as collaborative learning across the region. Our new colleague will be maintaining consistent and systematic approaches to ensure fair and transparent relations, assessments and decision-making processes with supported organisations. 

Our new colleague is willing and able to travel across the region in up to 8-10 weeks per year.

Job purpose

The Regional Programme Manager is leading the Regional Management Unit in Asia Pacific, physically located in Kathmandu, Nepal, with a total of five other staff members some of whom will be working remotely. The team includes a Regional Finance Manager, a Regional Education Advisor, Regional MEL advisor, Regional Project Assistant, and a Regional Gender Equality and inclusion advisor. The incumbent leads the team efforts while also managing particular strategic support to and relationship with individual grantees in the region in the development, implementation and reporting of thematic and strategic advocacy and social accountability projects on education funded by the EOL mechanism. The incumbent will provide strategic orientation and oversight to the wider EOL operations in the region while also being part of the EOL Managers’ Virtual Team (MVT) with other RPMs and the Global Programme Manager. 

The incumbent leads technical support to app. 25 EOL grantees allocated to the Regional Management Unit from across the region in the development and implementation of thematic and strategic advocacy and social accountability projects on education funded by the EOL mechanism. 

The incumbent will work under the line management of the Global Programme Manager and supervise the utilization of resources allocated to the team, ensuring support to regional staff so they are able to provide comprehensive oversight and management of the regional portfolios.

The incumbent will lead strategic planning processes, be responsible for impeccable implementation of the programme according to agreed procedures and principles as well as represent Oxfam Denmark/EOL programme at regional level (including convening meetings and preparing the annual work plan). The Programme Manager will report to the Global Programme Manager, ensuring that key information and lessons are shared between the region and Copenhagen-based staff.

Skills, experience, and knowledge

The ideal candidate will demonstrate the following skills.

Essential

• Master’s degree in or significant experience in a relevant field (International Development, education/public policy, Programme/Project Management etc.)
• Experience in managing programmes of a similar size and complexity, preferably in the development sector
• Ability to lead, inspire and manage multi-disciplinary teams in complex programmes
• Experience of working with civil society in a partnership based approach
• Strong verbal and written communications and language skills in English. 
• Proven ability to analyse and synthesise complex issues
• Very strong interpersonal skills, excellent stakeholder management
• Ability to think critically and strategically
• Demonstrated ability, tact, and sensitivity in working across institutional boundaries, business units, and teams in an effective and productive way
• Some technical expertise in one of the following areas: education policy, civil society, social accountability, campaigning and advocacy
• Risk management experience

Desirable

• Experience from engaging, coordinating with and influencing both governmental institutions, donors and a spectrum of education actors (Government, local civil society, INGOs, UN agencies);
• Robust experience with grant management and reporting from institutional donors. 
• Demonstrable experience working with an adaptive management approach, and an understanding of its challenges and opportunities
• Technical expertise in one or more of the following areas: education policy, civil society, social accountability, campaigning and advocacy

Practical information

Location is flexible but will ideally be in Nepal and must be in a country in the Asia Pacific region, where Oxfam can establish a legal contract. 

This is a full-time role. We offer a fixed-term contract till the end of June 2027. Grading, package depends on qualifications and working hours and location. 

We believe that flexible working arrangements are key to building a strong team, so we are open to talking through the type of flexible arrangements which might work for you with possibilities of working remotely as per Oxfam policies. Grading, package and working hours as per the Oxfam policies.

The candidate will work closely with other Regional Management Unit team members. Further information available from the Global Programme Manager, Larts Udsholt, lu@oxfam.dk.

How to apply

Only applications submitted via Oxfam Denmark’s online recruitment system will be accepted. Please submit your application via the ‘send application’ button and include your motivation letter and CV. 

Application deadline: 23rd March 2025 at 23.59 CET.
Expected interview date: End of March 2025 
Start date: May 2025 or as soon as possible.

Kindly note that only shortlisted candidates will be contacted, usually within two weeks of the application deadline.

Oxfam Denmark is committed to equal employment opportunity. We therefore encourage everybody – irrespective of age, gender and of religious, sexual, national, or ethnic affiliation – to apply for this position.

About Oxfam

Oxfam is a global movement of people working together to end the injustice of poverty. That means we tackle the inequality that keeps people poor. Together we save, protect and rebuild lives. When disaster strikes, we help people build better lives for themselves, and for others. We take on issues like land rights, climate change and discrimination against women. And we won’t stop until every person on the planet can enjoy life free from poverty.

Oxfam Denmark is part of the international Oxfam confederation of 21 organisations (affiliates) working together with partners and local communities in the areas of humanitarian, development and campaigning, in more than 60 countries. All our work is led by three core values: empowerment, accountability, and inclusiveness.

Oxfam is committed to preventing any type of unwanted behaviour at work including sexual harassment, exploitation and abuse, lack of integrity and financial misconduct; and promoting the welfare of children, young people and adults. Oxfam expects all staff and volunteers to share this commitment through our code of conduct. We place high priority on ensuring that only those who share and demonstrate our values are recruited to work for us.

Our commitment to safeguarding

Oxfam is committed to preventing any type of unwanted behavior at work including sexual harassment, exploitation and abuse, lack of integrity and financial misconduct; and committed to promoting the welfare of children, young people and adults. Oxfam expects all staff and volunteers to share this commitment through our code of conduct. We place a high priority on ensuring that only those who share and demonstrate our values are recruited to work for us.

Note: All offers of employment will be subject to satisfactory references and may be subject to appropriate screening checks, which can include criminal records and terrorism finance checks. Oxfam International Secretariat also participates in the Inter Agency Misconduct Disclosure Scheme. In line with this Scheme, if a job applicant has been employed by another member of the scheme, we will request information from that organization about any findings of sexual exploitation, sexual abuse and/or sexual harassment during employment, or incidents under investigation when the applicant left employment. By submitting an application, the job applicant confirms his/her understanding of these recruitment procedures.