• Are you a highly experienced international development program manager?
• Are you interested in working with dynamic teams that support the Government of Timor-Leste to improve service delivery in basic education, and gender equality and disability inclusion across the program portfolio?
• Join the Australia Timor-Leste Partnership for Human Development (PHD) on a long-term contract to May 2026, DFAT ARF level C4, based in Dili, Timor-Leste

About the Program 

The Australia Timor-Leste Partnership for Human Development (PHD) supports the Government of Timor-Leste’s (GoTL) Strategic Development Plan 2011-2030 and reflects Australia’s commitment to work in partnership with Timor-Leste to invest in improved wellbeing for Timor-Leste’s people. PHD aims to deliver lasting impact on the program goal: ‘People in Timor-Leste are healthier, better educated and better able to contribute to Timor-Leste’s development’. Through PHD, Australia supports the GoTL to deliver higher quality and inclusive services in primary health, basic education.

PHD is a multi-sector Facility with dedicated resources to improve outcomes in gender equality, disability and social inclusion (GEDSI) across all sectors. The Education sector focuses on strengthening Timor-Leste’s school leadership to enhance improvements in teacher quality and inclusive education through basic education schools.

Abt Associates Australia is the implementation partner for PHD, contracted since May 2016 until May 2026.

About the Opportunity

The GEDSI and Education Director forms part of the PHD executive team and is responsible for the functional units of Gender, Disability, Social Protection and Education and performs a lead role in quality assurance of program delivery to ensure high performance against expected outcomes. Responsibilities of the position include:

GEDSI and Social Protection

• Leading strategic oversight and quality assurance of gender, disability, and social protection program delivery, ensuring the program remains positioned to achieve its agreed goals and outcomes. Proactively drawing in technical advice as required.
• Overseeing implementation and annual refinement of the approved Gender Equality Strategy and Disability Inclusion Strategy and related workplan for PHD.
• Working closely with the Sector Lead –GEDSI and Social Protection and GEDSI focal points in sector programs, ensure strategic and high-quality technical services deliver GEDSI integration (principles, minimum standards, deliverables) into all program activities.
• Ensuring GEDSI considerations are reflected, monitored, and reported through the program’s results frameworks, annual work plans and budgets.
• Ensuring GEDSI and social protection workplans and budgets are developed in consultation with government counterparts / grantees (where applicable); are technically reviewed and proactively monitored through use of internal and external governance mechanisms.

Education

• Leading strategic oversight and quality assurance of education program delivery, ensuring the program remains positioned to achieve its agreed goals and outcomes. Proactively drawing in technical advice as required.
• Ensuring education sector workplans and budgets are developed in consultation with government counterparts; are in line with GoTL Education policies and strategies, PHD ESSU, and sector context; are technically reviewed and proactively monitored through governance mechanisms.
• Providing quality assurance of education program documents and processes, including six-monthly and annual reports, annual work plans and budgets, policy dialogue priorities, Partner Performance Assessments and other documents as required.
• Working closely with the Sector Lead – Education and Program Performance and Communications Director, ensure the implementation of the education program’s MEL framework to produce credible evidence against end of program outcomes, demonstrates the program performance story and informs strategic and operational decision-making.

Senior Leadership and Management

• Overall accountability for the annual budget for GEDSI, Social Protection, and Education, including oversight of budget preparation, resource scoping to achieve value for money and timely budget execution.
• Leading a high-performing team including management of relevant Sector Leads, and short- and long-term advisers to achieve objectives and outcomes as set out in program strategies.
• Working as a collaborative member of the PHD Executive, contribute to decision-making and the success of PHDs integrated Facility delivery model.
• Networking and sharing information through Communities of Practice and other knowledge management mechanisms.
• Together with the Health & Nutrition Director, facilitate effective linkages and collaboration across PHD team and program partners to enhance integrated programming.
• In coordination with relevant Sector Lead and Team Leader building and maintaining productive and responsive relationships with DFAT, government agencies, implementing partners, development partners, relevant organisations, and technical experts.
• Representing PHD at key meetings and events in close coordination with relevant Sector Lead and PHD Team Leader.
• Contributing to the ongoing political economy analysis activities to inform PHD and DFAT decision-making.
• Working with the Executive on operational systems improvements to enhance program management and performance standards.
• Participating in the recruitment, orientation, training, mentoring and performance management of program staff.
• Maintaining systems for senior management accountability for GEDSI and Education programming and results.
• Identifying and managing risk and policy compliance relevant to functional units.
• Ensuring that relevant Abt Associates policies such as gender, safeguarding, environment, social inclusion and work health and safety and any emerging policies are fully integrated into program delivery.

About You

We are seeking an individual for this senior level position who has the following:

• Advanced degree in a relevant field such as education, social sciences, public policy, international development
• Demonstrated senior program management experience, preferably in the education development sector, in a donor funded, large scale, multi-sectoral program.
• Previous experience with programs applying government system strengthening and institutionalisation approaches.
• Demonstrated commitment to and ability to oversee integration of Gender Equality, Disability and Social Inclusion (GEDSI) strategies/activities and teams.
• Exceptional interpersonal skills and proven experience in developing and maintaining relationships with senior partner government officials, donor representatives and other key stakeholders.
• Demonstrated experience and success in leading, managing and mentoring large, multi-disciplinary teams, ensuring team and program coherence.
• Exceptional communication and writing skills, with demonstrated results in providing high-quality reporting.
• Working knowledge and experience with DFAT funded program management and policies is desirable.
• Experience in and knowledge of Timor-Leste (or other countries in the Asia Pacific region) is desirable and language skills valuable.

Further Information & How to Apply

Please apply online through the Careers page of the Abt Global website via the following link https://egpy.fa.us2.oraclecloud.com/hcmUI/CandidateExperience/en/sites/JoinAbt/job/105059/?utm_medium=jobshare

Please attach a cover letter and up-to-date CV as a single document, addressing how you meet the requirements of this role.

For further information please email the PHD People & Culture team via [email protected].  Please insert the job title in the email subject heading.

Closing date: Wednesday, 10 April 2024 (AEST)