Job Description

Team Leader – Industry and Institutions - Strongim Wok Long TVET

• Fixed term contract up to November 2029
• Based in Port Moresby, Papua New Guinea

About Palladium

Palladium is a global leader in the design, development, and delivery of Positive Impact – the intentional creation of enduring social, climate and economic value. We work with governments, businesses, and investors to help solve the world's most pressing challenges. With a team of more than 2,000 employees operating in 75-plus countries and a global network of over 35,000 experts, we help improve economies, societies, the environment, and, most importantly, people's lives.

About PNG-Australia Strongim Wok Long TVET (SWLT)

PNG–Australia Strongim Wok Long Technical and Vocational Education and Training (SWLT) is a four-year, AUD 80 million investment by the Australian Government, through the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT), to support Papua New Guinea’s (PNG) efforts to strengthen its Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) sector. Aligned with PNG’s national priority to build an educated and skilled workforce for resilient economic growth, SWLT aims to enhance the quality, relevance, and inclusiveness of skills development. The program focuses on supporting the Government of PNG to strengthen the national TVET system to promote quality TVET; supporting technical colleges to deliver high-quality TVET training; enhancing the diversity and employability of TVET graduates; and elevating Australia’s visible and trusted development partnership with PNG in the TVET sector.

SWLT is the primary mechanism to support PNG and Australia to deliver on commitments made under the revised Joint Statement of Intent on TVET signed at the 2024 Australia-Papua New Guinea Ministerial Forum. It also aligns with PNG’s Higher and Technical Education Reform Act 2020, as well as broader goals articulated in the Australia–PNG Development Partnership Plan 2024–2029, including locally led development, education investment, and inclusive growth.

This Opportunity

The Team Leader - Industry and Institutions is responsible for leading and overseeing (or provides strategic and operational leadership for) SWLT engagement with higher education institutions (HEIs), industry-linked initiatives, and institutional strengthening activities. The role supports delivery against Outcomes 2, 3, and 4 of the SWLT program logic and ensures that implementation is strategically aligned, operationally effective, and responsive to program objectives.

The role forms part of the SWLT's senior management structure and participates on Core Leadership Team meetings and strategic discussions as required, providing technical Leadership on industry, institutional strengthening and higher education engagement. The role works closely with the Principal, Stakeholders and Partnerships to ensure coordinated engagement, delivery, and alignment across institutional and industry-facing workstreams.

The position will be based in the DHERST office in Port Moresby and will require regular travel to provinces, partner institutions, industry sites, and other stakeholder engagement locations as required. The role will work also serves as a high-level strategic counterpart to DHERST Deputy Secretaries in advocating and advancing departmental engagement with business and industry to keep departmental learning focused on meeting employment demand.

Primary Responsibilities

The primary responsibilities of the Team Leader - Industry and Institutions include:

• Provide strategic leadership for Industry and Institutions workstreams under Outcomes 2, 3 and 4, ensuring alignment with SWLT objectives, implementation strategies and DHERST priorities.
• Act as a senior engagement lead with DHERST, higher education institutions (HEIs), industry bodies, government agencies, development partners and implementing partners to strengthen partnerships, labour market engagement and institutional ownership.
• Lead the planning, coordination and delivery of key workstreams, including grants management, HEI engagement, infrastructure support, leadership and management strengthening, and institutional capability development.
• Ensure workplans, schedules, resources and delivery arrangements are realistic, coordinated and effectively implemented across multiple partners and delivery modalities.
• Manage and supervise national and international staff, consultants and advisers, setting priorities, performance expectations and quality standards.
• Oversee technical advisory inputs and ensure consistent, high-quality and accountable delivery of technical and operational activities.
• Coordinate operational readiness, logistics and stakeholder engagement to support implementation across HEIs and partner organisations.
• Monitor progress and performance, ensuring accurate reporting, evidence-based decision making and adaptive learning across Industry and Institutions activities.
• Work closely with MERL personnel to capture outcomes, lessons learned and contributions to Outcomes 2, 3 and 4.
• Manage delegated budgets, approve timesheets and invoices, monitor expenditure, provide forecasts and ensure financial compliance across grants and institutional investments.
• Collaborate with Core Leadership Team members to support integrated planning, risk management, problem solving and program-wide decision making.
• Ensure all activities incorporate gender equality, disability, social inclusion, locally led development, safeguarding, sustainability and other SWLT cross-cutting priorities.
• Support the collection and use of disaggregated data and promote practical, ethical and inclusive systems, tools and reporting processes.
• Contribute to continuous improvement, innovation and delivery of value in accordance with SWLT principles and organisational standards.
• Comply with safeguarding, child protection and PSEAH requirements, report concerns promptly and uphold environmental sustainability commitments.

About you

• You will have proven experience in the following areas:
• Senior experience in institutional strengthening, higher education, or industry-linked skills development
• Proven capability managing complex delivery programs across multiple institutions and partners
• Experience leading and supervising multidisciplinary teams of national and international professionals
• Strong understanding of government systems, stakeholder engagement, and politically informed programming
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills, including strategic reporting and high-level stakeholder engagement
• Strong operational and logistical management skills
• Experience overseeing budgets, grants, and financial monitoring functions
• Demonstrated ability to work autonomously while contributing effectively within a team.
• Participation and positive engagement in diverse teams, supporting a results-driven culture of learning and inclusion.
• Demonstrated commitment to inclusive, locally led, and adaptive development approaches.

To Apply

Please submit your application online at https://thepalladiumgroup.com/careers, including your CV and detailed cover letter, outlining your suitability and experience in line with the requirements of the position.

Closing date: End of day Sunday 4th October 2026. Candidates may be interviewed on a rolling basis.

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 “the preventative action taken by Palladium to protect our people, clients and the communities we work with from 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.