Indonesia: Deputy Program Director - Delivery, Innovation

Palladium develops and delivers solutions that create positive impact for communities, businesses, societies and economies. We transform lives and create enduring value by working with governments, corporations and non-profit organisations. Palladium is built on the idea that progress will be supported by four key pillars:

• International Development


• Strategy Execution Consulting


• Impact Investment


• Training and Events

We create positive impact through more than 100 current projects with more than 2000 employees operating in over 90 countries.

Background
Over the past decade, Indonesia has substantially increased its spending on education and now many more millions of children are in school. There is a significant void in knowledge about what teachers in Indonesia are teaching in the classroom, what the primary constraints they face are, and how teaching quality can be more efficiently and effectively improved. The Government of Australia (GOA), through the Australian Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT), is seeking to assist the Government of Indonesia (GOI) to fill this void by establishing Innovation for Indonesia’s School Children (INOVASI).

The Program
INOVASI is an ambitious new four-year (with the possibility of an extension for another four), AUD 49 million program. It will collaborate closely with the GOI at the district, provincial and national level to develop and implement action-oriented research and pilots to answer the broad question: “What works to improve student learning outcomes in Indonesia?” It will focus on three sub-topics of investigation: the quality of teaching in the classroom, the quality of support for teachers, and learning for all. INOVASI is managed by Palladium on behalf of DFAT, and will formally start on 18 January 2016.

The Role
The key role of the Deputy Program Director – Research, Innovation and Learning is to coordinate a program of research, pilot and Monitoring, Evaluation and Learning (MEL) activities designed to advance understanding of how to improve student learning outcomes in Indonesian primary and junior secondary schools.

The position is long-term and based in Jakarta, Indonesia.

Key responsibilities will include:

• Lead in the development of an evidence-based strategy for improving student learning outcomes in project supported sites;


• Lead the implementation of research, pilot and MEL activities designed to generate evidence for how to best improve student learning outcomes in Indonesian primary and junior secondary schools;


• Lead in the establishment of a monitoring and evaluation results framework for the Program;


• Collaborate with provincial and district teams to develop and support locally developed priorities for improvement, learning and effective use of knowledge;


• Ensure coordination and quality assurance of all INOVASI technical activities;


• Serve as interim Program Director and as Palladium’s alternate liaison to DFAT, GOI, local organisations, and program partners as required.

A full Terms of Reference for the position is available here.

The Requirements
The successful candidate will:

• Advanced degree in education or relevant development subject or appropriate tertiary qualification and significant, relevant experience in education;


• Deep understanding and practical experience of school improvement methodologies and how to influence teaching practice to improve learning;


• Ability to provide leadership and guidance to a multi-disciplinary team and coordinate and manage a complex program of work to produce measurable outcomes;


• Over 10 years of professional experience in education, experience in developing country contexts is highly desirable for this position;


• Substantial experience conducting educational research, preferably in Indonesia;


• The ability to establish and maintain sophisticated performance and results frameworks for bilaterally funded programs;


• Experience with DFAT or other development agency work, preferably within the education sector;


• Excellent written and verbal communication, liaison and interpersonal skills;


• Fluency in written and spoken Bahasa Indonesia is highly desirable.

Benefits
This position will be remunerated in line with the Australian Government’s Adviser Remuneration Framework (ARF) and will fall within Discipline Group C, Job Level 4.

The successful candidate will be offered a competitive package including a living allowance, housing allowance, a contribution towards children’s school fees, and mobilisation costs. Remuneration is in AUD.

Palladium is an equal opportunity employer and is committed to Child Protection in all fields. Any offer employment will be subject to criminal history clearances.

Indonesian Nationals with relevant experience and qualifications are encouraged to apply for this position.