Job Description

Development Impact and Learning Unit Coordinator / Manager

• Location: Melbourne, Australia (other locations in Australia considered)
• This is a full-time and ongoing role
• To be considered for this position, you must have valid work rights in Australia. Please note that visa sponsorship is not available for this role.

The Opportunity

The Development Impact and Learning (DIL) Unit brings together Palladium APAC’s development impact, learning, knowledge sharing and selected technical coordination functions. The Unit is intended to create clearer accountability, strengthen coordination across existing GEDSI, monitoring, evaluation and learning (MEL), and program design capabilities, and improve the visibility of priorities, effort and outcomes.

The DIL Unit Coordinator / Manager is responsible for the day-to-day coordination, work planning and administration of the Unit. The role will maintain momentum across the Unit’s workstreams, support technical leads to deliver agreed priorities, and ensure activities are planned, tracked, communicated and completed to a high standard. The Coordinator/Manager is not expected to replace the technical leadership of GEDSI, MEL or design specialists, but to provide the structure and follow-through needed for these capabilities to operate as a coherent portfolio.

What you will do

• Coordinate the DIL Unit’s annual and quarterly workplans, priorities, milestones and resource requirements.
• Maintain a clear schedule across all DIL workstreams, identify dependencies and capacity constraints, and escalate delivery risks early.
• Convene and document DIL Unit planning and coordination meetings, including decisions, actions, owners and deadlines.
• Lead on all Dev+ Panel proposal development, including opportunity tracking, work planning, contributor mobilisation, timelines, approvals and submission requirements.
• Support the effective and end-to-end management of the Dev+ Panel Service Orders, including maintaining key records (internal and external), adviser management, coordinating deliverables, reporting and monitoring obligations, and ensuring information is current and accessible.
• Work closely with adjacent teams including commercial, legal, finance, geographic teams to ensure Panel opportunities are progressed efficiently.
• Coordinate the internal knowledge sharing sessions (From the Field, Lets talk development series), including the forward program, contributor engagement, content development, quality review, communications and delivery - ensure topics are relevant, contributors are supported and sessions are delivered consistently.
• Capture and disseminate practical lessons, insights and reusable materials from programs, bids and technical activities.
• Provide dedicated coordination and follow-through for APAC First Nations engagement priorities.
• Support the development and implementation of a realistic workplan, including stakeholder engagement, internal capability building and agreed deliverables.
• Coordinate requests for GEDSI technical support to projects and bids, including scoping, scheduling, resourcing and tracking of billable activities.
• Work with the GEDSI Adviser to maintain a transparent pipeline of support and ensure competing requests are prioritised appropriately.
• Coordinate requests for MEL and program design technical support to projects, bids and the Dev+ Panel, including scoping, scheduling, resourcing and tracking of billable activities.
• Work with the Performance and Learning Adviser to maintain a visible pipeline of support and facilitate effective work planning.
• Coordinate the development and piloting of a flexible strategic health check model for selected programs, in collaboration with relevant technical and program leaders.
• Support proportionate, independent and high-level reviews focused on strategic quality and development performance rather than contractual compliance.

What you will bring

Please apply if you can show evidence of:

• Relevant bachelor’s degree in international development, public policy, social sciences, program management, monitoring and evaluation, business administration, communications, knowledge management or a related discipline.
• At least five years’ relevant experience in international development, preferably within donor-funded, consulting or multi-stakeholder environments.
• Demonstrated program management experience, including managing multiple assignments, service orders or workstreams from initiation through to completion, while coordinating deliverables, timelines, stakeholders, resources and dependencies.
• Experience managing the financial and commercial aspects of assignments or service orders, including work planning, budgeting, forecasting, expenditure monitoring, invoicing and delivery against agreed scope, budget and contractual requirements.
• Strong client and relationship management skills, with experience building trusted relationships with government, donor and other key clients, understanding their priorities and providing responsive, solutions-focused support.
• Demonstrated experience supporting business development, proposal development, RFQs or competitive tender processes within international development or professional services, ideally including standing offer, panel or service-order arrangements.
• Ability to review RFQs, Terms of Reference and scopes of work and quickly understand the client requirement, required technical capabilities, delivery approach, resourcing needs and key considerations for developing a competitive response.
• Broad understanding of international development disciplines and the ability to recognise and mobilise the appropriate mix of technical expertise for different assignments. This may include program design, MEL and evaluation, GEDSI, safeguards, political economy, governance, climate, research, knowledge and learning, and other specialist development capabilities.
• Experience coordinating rapid-turnaround RFQ and proposal responses, including managing timelines, allocating responsibilities, identifying personnel, coordinating technical and commercial inputs, obtaining CVs and supporting material, and ensuring submissions are responsive, complete and compliant.
• Ability to develop and maintain networks of internal and external technical expertise and understand available capability across sectors, themes, geographies and methodologies, enabling suitable expertise to be mobilised quickly for opportunities and assignments.
• Experience supporting communities of practice, technical networks, knowledge-sharing initiatives and organisational learning, with the ability to connect lessons and expertise across programs and teams.
• Strong written and verbal communication skills, including the ability to prepare concise client communications, proposals, scopes of work, workplans, budgets, progress updates, meeting records and learning products.

We will support the right candidate to build knowledge of Palladium’s systems, governance and ways of working.

How we work here

At Palladium, you'll be part of a collaborative and inclusive workplace where your contribution matters. We offer opportunities for professional growth through diverse projects, mentoring and development pathways, alongside flexible ways of working that support wellbeing and work–life integration. Employees benefit from a values-driven culture that promotes diversity, inclusion, integrity and recognition, while working alongside talented colleagues committed to creating meaningful impact.

How to apply and what happens next

Please apply online through the Palladium careers website with:

• your CV; and
• a brief cover letter outlining your suitability in line with the requirements of the position.

Shortlisted candidates may be asked to complete a short work sample, scenario, technical exercise or structured interview. We will explain the process and available adjustments before each stage.

We welcome applications from candidates of all backgrounds, including First Nations peoples, people of diverse sexual orientations, gender identities and expressions, and people with disabilities - disclosure will not affect your application, and we will work with you to provide appropriate adjustments.

Please note: While this role does not involve direct work with children, the successful candidate will still be required to complete a police check and relevant due diligence checks as part of Palladium’s commitment to being a child-safe organisation.

To apply: Click the "Apply Now" button

Closing date: Sunday 29th November 2026, 11:59pm AEDT

If this opportunity interests you, we encourage you to apply promptly. Please note that only shortlisted applicants will be contacted.

About Palladium

Palladium is a global development and consulting firm, part of the GISI Consulting Group, working alongside some of the world’s leading project management and engineering organisations. We partner with governments, businesses, investors and communities to design and deliver complex programs that create lasting impact. With a presence across more than 90 countries, Palladium offers the opportunity to work on meaningful challenges, alongside talented colleagues, in environments where your work can truly make a difference.

Equity, Diversity & Inclusion

Palladium is committed to embedding equity, diversity, and inclusion into everything we do. We welcome applications from all sections of society and actively encourage diversity to drive innovation, creativity, success and good practice. We positively welcome and seek to ensure we achieve diversity in our workforce; and that all job applicants and employees receive equal and fair treatment regardless of their background or personal characteristics. These include: (but are not limited to) socio-economic background, age, race, gender identity and expression, religion, ethnicity, sexual orientation, disability, nationality, veteran, marital or Indigenous status.

Should you require any adjustments or accommodations to be made due to a disability, or you are a neurodivergent individual, or for any other circumstance, please email our team at accessibility@thepalladiumgroup.com and we will be in touch to discuss.

Safeguarding

We define Safeguarding as all the actions taken by Palladium to protect our people, communities where we work and our clients from harm, including Sexual Exploitation, Abuse or Sexual Harassment; Child Abuse in any form; Trafficking for sexual exploitation of adults or children and any form of Trafficking of children. We have zero tolerance for all forms of child abuse as well as sexual exploitation, abuse and harassment and zero-tolerance for inaction to prevent, protect against, respond to and report harm. We are committed to ensuring that all children and adults who come into contact with Palladium are treated with respect and are free from abuse. All successful candidates will be subject to an enhanced selection process including safeguarding-focused interviews and a rigorous due diligence process. Our Code of Conduct and Child Safeguarding and Protection against Sexual Exploitation, Abuse and Harassment Guidelines have additional details.