Job Description

• Location: Canberra, Australia (Domestic and international travel may be required.)
• Commencement: June 2026
• Duration of contract: 12 months to 30 June 2027
• Open to those with full work rights for Australia

About the Program

The Australia Pacific Leaders Program (APLP) is an Australian Government initiative that seeks to empower current and emerging Pacific leaders to deliver outcomes in their communities, strengthen their skills and build relationships with Australian agencies and institutions.

Activities include study tours, high-level visits, professional development and support for locally led projects, including assistance to deliver community-level initiatives.

APLP aims to:

• empower leaders to deliver practical outcomes in their communities

• build stronger, long-term relationships between Pacific leaders and Australia

• strengthen leadership capability across the Pacific.

About the Program Support Unit (PSU)

The Program Support Unit (PSU) supports DFAT to deliver the program. Abt Global is contracted to deliver the PSU.

The PSU provides the practical support needed to deliver activities including planning, logistics, procurement and coordination. This includes supporting DFAT-led study tours and visits to Australia, coordinating training and events and supporting the delivery of grants and other program activities.

The PSU works closely with DFAT in Canberra and Posts across the Pacific to ensure activities are delivered to a high standard.

About the Opportunity

Abt are seeking to engage a Program Activity Lead who will be responsible for leading the design, quality and delivery of all APLP program activities, including professional development, study tours, high-level visits and support to locally led projects.

This role is central to translating DFAT priorities into high-quality, relevant and deliverable activities for Pacific leaders. The Program Activity Lead is accountable for ensuring activities are well-designed, compliant with DFAT and Abt policies, and deliver a safe, inclusive and high-quality experience for participants.

Working in close partnership with the Operations Lead, who oversees systems and logistics, the Program Activity Lead ensures activity design is translated into high-quality delivery. The role also leads engagement with DFAT and Posts to identify priorities, shape activities and ensure ongoing responsiveness to emerging needs.

Ongoing, the Program Activity Lead leads a small team and maintains oversight of activity quality, participant experience and pastoral care, including coordinating responses to issues and escalations as required.

Key Responsibilities

Program Activity – team, design, quality and compliance

• Lead the program activity function within the PSU, including oversight of Program Activity Coordinator and liaison roles
• Set and maintain standards for activity design, quality and delivery across all APLP activities
• Ensure alignment of all activities with DFAT priorities and program objectives
• Work closely with the Team Leader to prioritise, sequence and manage the program activity pipeline
• Lead the design of professional development programs, study tours, high-level visits and events
• Ensure all activities are:
  • Aligned with DFAT priorities
  • Contextually appropriate for Pacific leaders
  • Designed in line with DFAT and Abt policies, processes and compliance requirements
• Apply robust quality assurance processes prior to delivery
• Integrate GEDSI, climate and safeguarding considerations into activity designs
• Contribute to APLP progress reporting and planning requirements, including providing quantitative and qualitative data to meet DFAT reporting requirements throughout the term of the head contract.

Participant experience, pastoral care and risk management

• Maintain overall accountability for participant experience across all APLP activities
• Ensure appropriate pastoral care, accessibility and inclusion measures are embedded in activity design and delivery
• Oversee participant risk management, including safeguarding and duty of care requirements
• Coordinate responses to participant issues, incidents or risks, including escalation to the Team Leader and DFAT as required.

DFAT engagement

• Work closely with the DFAT Management Unit and Posts to identify priorities and shape activity design
• Provide strategic advice on activity options, feasibility and sequencing
• Support Posts to refine activity concepts and align with bilateral priorities
• Build and maintain strong, trusted relationships with DFAT stakeholders.

Delivery coordination with Operations Lead

• Work in close partnership with the Operations Lead to translate activity design into operational delivery
• Ensure clear handover from design to execution, including participant requirements, logistics and risk considerations
• Provide ongoing input during delivery to maintain quality
• Support resolution and escalation of delivery issues as required.

Provider and partner engagement

• Identify and engage learning providers, institutions and delivery partners
• Define scopes of work and input into procurement processes
• Monitor providers’ delivery of high-quality, relevant and culturally appropriate programs
• Build and maintain a strong pipeline of delivery partners.

Continuous improvement and adaptive delivery

• Use participant feedback, MEL data and DFAT input to refine activities
• Identify opportunities to improve relevance, impact and efficiency
• Adapt activity design in response to emerging priorities and program learning

About You

We are seeking an individual for this role who brings:

Qualifications

• Tertiary qualification in international development, public policy, education, governance, or a related field (desirable)
• Minimum 10 years’ experience working with DFAT or comparable organisations, with a track record in large, complex program delivery. Experience in people-to-people, leadership, or Pacific programs is highly desirable
• Experience working on multi-country development programs desirable
• Proven experience delivering study tours, exchanges, leadership programs and high-level visits
• Strong experience in Pacific Island contexts, with understanding of cultural and political dynamics
• Ability to translate strategic priorities into high-quality activities under tight timeframes
• Established networks across Australia and/or the Pacific, including learning providers and delivery partners
• Experience managing provider panels or partnerships to support flexible, high-quality delivery
• Familiarity with key development priorities: GEDSI, climate and disaster resilience, governance and leadership, economic development
• Strong understanding of DFAT policies and compliance, including safeguarding, PSEAH and risk management
• Proven ability to build trusted relationships with DFAT, Posts and government stakeholders
• Strong leadership and coordination skills, including managing teams and multidisciplinary delivery.

Skills and Experience

Don’t meet every requirement? Studies have shown that women and people with sexual diversity or disability, are less likely to apply to jobs unless they meet every single requirement for a position. At Abt Associates we are dedicated to building a diverse, inclusive and authentic workplace, so if you are excited about this role but your past experience doesn’t align perfectly with every role requirement, we encourage you to apply in any case. You may be just the right candidate for this or for other roles across our programs.

How to Apply

Applications close midnight on Wednesday, 17 June 2026

Please apply online through Abt Careers addressing the Key Selection Criteria (See: About You) in your cover letter, and submit your application online, along with your CV as a single document.

Applications must be submitted personally by individuals only. Applications submitted by a company or organisation will not be accepted.

About Abt

Abt Global Australia (Abt) is a mission-driven company working in partnership with governments and communities to help create a more equitable, prosperous and sustainable future for people worldwide.

Drawing on 60 years’ experience, Abt designs, tests and applies evidence-based approaches to development challenges – from design to implementation and technical assistance through to evaluation. Abt has expertise in governance, economic growth, health, education, gender equality, disability and social inclusion, climate and environment, monitoring, evaluation and learning, and infrastructure. 

Abt manages complex development programs on behalf of clients including the Australian Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade, Asia Development Bank, and various Australian state governments. These programs are based in over 15 countries in the Asia Pacific region.

Commitment to Equity

Abt Global values individuality and celebrates difference with a strong commitment to diversity, equality, racial equity, gender, and disability inclusion. We strongly encourage people from culturally and linguistically diverse communities and Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people to apply for this position. We offer flexible work arrangements and a culturally safe environment for staff members from diverse backgrounds. We provide equitable opportunities for local talent who apply for this position and reasonable accommodation for people with a disability.

Commitment to Safeguarding

We are deeply committed to safeguarding, to protect and prevent harm and abuse to individuals we work for and who work for us. Our recruitment and selection procedures reflect our commitment to protecting children and vulnerable adults from abuse and exploitation. We will not tolerate discrimination, harassment, child abuse, sexual abuse or exploitation in any form, and expect everyone to be treated with respect and dignity.

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