Closing on: Jun 25, 2025
Job Title: Monitoring, Evaluation, Research and Learning (MERL) Lead
Project Name: Pacific Labour Mobility Support Program
Job type: Full time
Location of Position: Preference for Brisbane-based candidates, but highly qualified candidates in other locations will be considered
Reporting to: PLMSP Team Leader
Remuneration: TBC
Indicative LOE/Time Frame: Until Sept 2028
Citizenship: Must have the right to work in Australia
Application Deadline: June 25th

PROJECT DESCRIPTION:

The Pacific Australia Labour Mobility (PALM) scheme is a signature initiative for the Australian Government that enables workers from 9 Pacific Island Countries (PICs) and Timor-Leste to work in priority sectors in Australia. The Pacific Labour Mobility Support Program (PLMSP) builds on the successes of the Pacific Labour Facility (PLF) program, with a renewed focus on the provision of tailored support to worker sending countries to address their specific needs and priorities. Palladium is contracted to deliver PLMSP on behalf of Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT), with Alinea International engaged to deliver the Monitoring, Evaluation, Research and Learning component.
PLMSP’s role is to provide DFAT and governments in 9 PICs and Timor-Leste with support to enable workers to access PALM scheme in inclusive ways that maximise the benefits for the workers and national economies while minimising risks from labour mobility participation. PLMSP’s primary functions include capacity building for PALM scheme labour sending units; skills development and training for PALM workers; support for returning PALM workers and their families; information system management; monitoring, evaluation, research and learning; and communications.

RELATIONSHIPS

• Proactively build and maintain effective working relationships with the primary clients and support the information needs and dissemination of products.
• Promote effective internal working relationships with the PLMSP management and leaders, maintaining a high degree of professionalism and integrity.
• Focus on self-development, looking for opportunities for continuous growth and development, acting on feedback in a positive way and developing skills in inspirational leadership.
• Mentor and coach others both formally and informally, investing time in their success and ensuring messages from leadership are supported and clearly cascaded
• Nurture and maintain positive and value-adding relationships between the MERL stream and other PLMSP streams and stakeholders.
• Provide leadership and direction to the wider PLMSP team, motivating others to achieve goals through collaboration, trust-building and creating an inclusive work environment.

REQUIRED QUALIFICATIONS:

• Tertiary qualifications in international development/relations, monitoring and evaluation, research methods, public policy, or a related field, with more than 10 years’ experience operating at senior levels.
• Senior management experience and capabilities with strong interpersonal and communication skills with experience leading diverse teams.
• An understanding of current issues in relation to circular labour mobility, including related policy and
• regulatory frameworks, and the ability to translate these to implementation.
• Highly experienced in providing strategic advice to senior officials to lead organisational change and build institutional capacity to implement priorities.
• A demonstrated ability to build productive and sustainable working partnerships with a variety of
• stakeholders (including partner government, civil society and the private sector).
• Experience working with programs in the Pacific and/or Timor Leste, with a strong understanding of gender equality concepts and issues.
• Ability to produce high quality deliverables within tight timeframes.
• Strong ability to prepare accessible written reports and to present findings to a wide range of stakeholders.
  Job Categories: Active Projects
  Job Types: Full Time
  Job Locations: Australia
  Job Sectors: Monitoring Evaluation and Learnin