• Term: Full-time contract (until December 2024)
• Location: Brisbane
• Remuneration: $120,000 – 149,999 per annum, depending on experience

Background

The Pacific Australia Labour Mobility (PALM) scheme allows eligible Australian businesses to hire workers from 9 Pacific islands and Timor-Leste when there are not enough local workers available. Through the PALM scheme, eligible businesses can recruit workers for seasonal jobs for up to 9 months or for longer-term roles for between one and 4 years in unskilled, low-skilled and semi-skilled positions. This helps to fill labour gaps in rural and regional Australia and allows workers to develop skills and send income to support their families and communities.

The PALM scheme is administered by the Australian Government’s Department of Employment and Workplace Relations (DEWR) and Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT). Until December 2023, Australia-facing implementation will be delivered in partnership with the Pacific Labour Facility (PLF). From January 2024, Australia-facing functions will be delivered exclusively by DEWR, whilst Pacific-facing functions will be delivered by the PLF on behalf of DFAT. A design for DFAT’s next phase of support is currently in development and is expected to be completed by end of 2023/early 2024. Under current contact arrangements, PLF will implement on DFAT’s behalf until December 2024.

Purpose of the Position

The purpose of the M&E Manager is to promote evidence-based decision making and learning within the PALM scheme, primarily within sending country governments (specifically labour sending units – LSUs) and DFAT.

The M&E Manager will lead a geographically dispersed team of professionals (including in-country QLP Managers and QLP Coordinators in up to 9 Pacific locations) to develop and implement country-level monitoring, evaluation and learning frameworks and activities, including data collection, collation, analysis, reporting, and learning events and products.

Duties

Under the direction of the Quality, Learning and Performance (QLP) Lead, the M&E Manager will be responsible for the following duties:

Supporting MEL activities and uptake of evidence:

• Ensure the QLP Managers and Coordinators are supporting the M&E and data efforts of LSUs, including the development of M&E frameworks, as well as their collection and use of evidence to inform their participation in the scheme.
• Support the production of a range of user-focused MEL products that promote the uptake of evidence, particularly by LSUs and DFAT, to inform policy and operational decision-making.
• Oversee the testing and re-design (if required) of M&E data collection tools and methods, ensuring that they are culturally appropriate and meet the information needs of Pacific stakeholders and DFAT.
• Ensure M&E activities meet the reporting, accountability, learning and information needs of key PALM scheme stakeholders, including LSUs, and DFAT.
• Respond to requests for M&E related information, including rapid turn-around briefs, info-graphics, dash-board support, thematic / topical papers, etc.

Strategic management of the M&E team:

• Manage the M&E team which includes: the M&E Coordinator, MEL Data Administrator, 2 QLP Managers and up to 9 QLP Coordinators (these positions will be located in Pacific partner countries and report to the QLP Managers).
• Coordinate M&E team support and collaboration with other QLP units (including GEDSI and research) to pursue QLP team objectives and priorities, especially where they related to increasing diversity and inclusion in the scheme as well as uptake and use of evidence.
• Manage and provide leadership to the M&E team of staff, including performance feedback and assessments, mentoring, etc.
• Coordinate with relevant PALM scheme stakeholders on performance data to enable accurate and timely performance reporting.
• Ensure Mid-Year Briefings and Annual Reports are produced in line with DFAT quality standards.

Qualifications and Experience:

The M&E Manager will be a seasoned senior expert with experience in managing M&E teams for development programs. The ideal candidate will have the following skills, competencies and experience:

• A minimum of 10 – 15 years of experience in the design and implementation of M&E in development projects.
• Experience working with DFAT and/or on DFAT-funded programs, and experience working in the Pacific, are desired.
• Excellent stakeholder engagement and communication skills including internal and external stakeholders in Australia and in partner countries.
• Excellent organizational and project management skills, including an ability to initiate and follow up tasks, delegate, prioritize and monitor progress, manage a team to achieve targets and outcomes.
• Social science research skills including to collect and understand the evidence from a range of sources, data collection and survey development skills, testing the efficacy of one intervention against another, identify progress against outcomes, and understanding the limits around causal inference.
• Data analytical skills to determine whether and how the program is tracking against its outputs and outcomes, and against its annual workplan and thematic strategies including quantitative and qualitative design and analysis, and cost-benefit analysis.
• Strong training & facilitation skills, including ensuring that learning events are engaging and dynamic, and achieving desired outcomes.
• Strong communication skills with an ability to communicate with diverse audiences using multiple channels (info-graphics, written, workshops, reports, etc), and to communicate results to people without technical backgrounds.

Diversity and Inclusion

Alinea International is committed to a diverse and inclusive workplace.

We encourage applications from Aboriginal Australians, people with a disability, people of all genders, and people from culturally diverse backgrounds.

All candidates must have the right to work in Australia.

To Apply

Please submit your CV (max 3 pages) and a cover letter addressing the selection criteria (max 2 pages) to ap-recruitment@alineainternational.com. Applications close 5pm AEST Friday 6 October.

This position may involve contact with children and vulnerable adults so will require a background check and police clearance.