Interns - Aquaculture Grants Support

Project: USDA Food for Progress Modernizing Aquaculture in Nepal

Implementing Organization: Lutheran World Relief / Corus International

Positions: Up to 10 (one per grant cluster; final number subject to grant approval)

Duration: Six months, aligned to the grant implementation period

Locations: Chitwan, Rupandehi (Bhairahawa), Dhanusha (Janakpur), Sunsari, Morang and Bara districts

Reports to: Activity Manager (day-to-day supervision)

Technical oversight: Senior Manager, Grants & Operations

Overall supervision: Deputy Chief of Party

Recruitment follows: Corus Global Recruitment and Selection Process (Country Office hires)

The project is modernizing aquaculture systems in Nepal through the USDA Food for Progress programme, running to March 2029 across 12–13 districts with five sub-recipient NGOs. It currently supports 18 grantees including hatcheries, cooperatives, a municipal ward office, a farmer user group and small aquaculture businesses with equipment and small infrastructure. Each grant runs about 12 months and covers procurement by LWR, handover to the grantee, installation, commissioning and early operation.

Running these many grants at once requires close, consistent field follow-up. The internship meets that need and gives aquaculture and fisheries students supervised field experience that can count towards their academic requirements.

The intern provides field data collection, monitoring and reporting support across the in-kind grants portfolio and acts as the day-to-day point of contact between the grantee and the project team.

The intern supports the project team. The Activity Manager and the Senior Manager, Grants & Operations remain accountable for all verification, approval and reporting decisions.

3.1 Grantee documentation

• Record basic information on the assigned grantee: facilities, production data, staffing, equipment and market linkages
• File grantee documentation (registration, agreements, receipts, handover records) in the project's grants filing system
• Record GPS coordinates and site details for each grant location

3.2 Installation and handover monitoring

• Attend equipment delivery, installation and commissioning
• Record quantities, specifications, serial numbers and condition against the approved equipment list
• Report any difference between the items delivered and those approved to the Senior Manager, Grants & Operations the same day
• Support completion of handover and asset-tagging documentation
• Photograph each stage, recording the date, location and the subject's consent

3.3 Monthly monitoring and reporting

• Make monitoring visits on the agreed schedule
• Collect indicator data against the PMP, disaggregated by sex
• Draft a monthly grant progress report in the project template, covering physical progress, utilisation, problems and grantee feedback
• Submit the draft report to the Activity Manager by the 5th of the following month

3.4 Technical observation and learning

• Observe and document technical practice at the grant site: hatchery operation, nursery management, water quality, feed handling, post-harvest handling and processing hygiene, as relevant
• Record water quality parameters where monitoring equipment has been provided
• Note good practice and problems worth the technical team's attention
• Contribute observations towards case studies and evidence stories

3.5 Liaison and coordination

• Act as the day-to-day contact between the grantee and the project team
• Pass on project communications accurately and refer anything needing a decision to the Activity Manager
• Support coordination with local government, cooperatives and other stakeholders as directed

Required

• Final-year Bachelor's degree, Master's degree, or a recently completed degree in Aquaculture, Fisheries, Aquatic Sciences or a closely related field
• Fluent in Nepali and able to draft in English
• Able to use MS Word and Excel
• Willingness to be based in or travel regularly to the assigned district
• Available for the full assignment period

Preferred

• Students whose institution permits the internship to count towards academic credit, thesis or dissertation requirements
• Prior field experience in aquaculture or fisheries operations
• Familiarity with the assigned district
• Knowledge of Maithili, Bhojpuri or Tharu for Madhesh Province placements

LWR encourages applications from:

• Women candidates
• Candidates from Dalit, Janajati, Madhesi and other under-represented groups
• Candidates from the working districts

Selection is made on merit against the criteria above, in line with Corus' Equal Employment Opportunity and Non-Discrimination Policy.

This is a supervised learning placement, not employment. The following support and conditions apply:

• Transport costs for authorised field travel, arranged or reimbursed under LWR policy
• Accommodation for authorised overnight field travel, arranged or reimbursed under LWR policy; food costs are reimbursed against receipts
• Per diem does not apply
• Orientation and training before deployment
• Certificate of completion and an academic letter to the intern's institution on satisfactory completion

This arrangement does not create an employment relationship, and the internship carries no expectation or promise of subsequent employment with LWR.

Where the intern's institution agrees, LWR will:

• Provide a letter confirming the placement, scope and duration
• Complete institutional evaluation or supervision forms as required
• Permit use of non-confidential project data for the intern's thesis or dissertation, subject to a written data-use agreement, prior written approval of the specific dataset, and appropriate acknowledgement of USDA and LWR

Project data remains the property of LWR and USDA. Publication, presentation or sharing of any project data requires prior written approval from the Chief of Party.

Before deployment, every intern must complete orientation on and sign:

• LWR Code of Conduct
• Safeguarding and PSEA policy
• Anti-fraud, bribery and corruption policy
• Conflict of interest declaration, including any family, financial or business relationship with any grantee, vendor or sub-recipient
• Confidentiality and data protection undertaking
• Field safety and security briefing

Interns will not be assigned to a grantee with whom they have a declared relationship. Any conflict arising during the assignment must be reported immediately.

• Weekly check-in with the Activity Manager (may be remote)
• Monthly review meeting with the Senior Manager, Grants & Operations covering deliverables and learning progress
• Mid-term performance review at month 3
• Final review and certification at the end of the assignment

Performance is assessed on quality and timeliness of deliverables, accuracy of data, professional conduct, and quality of the working relationship with the grantee.