Abt Global - Team Leader Economic Development | BP-APSP

Job Description

Abt Associates is seeking a suitably qualified individual to fill the role of Team Leader, Economic Development with our Bougainville Partnership - Australia Papua New Guinea Subnational Program.

About the Organization

About the Program

For Australia and New Zealand, the emergence of a peaceful, stable and prosperous Bougainville is a key national interest; supporting the Government of PNG and the Autonomous Bougainville Government (ABG) to implement the Bougainville Peace Agreement is an explicit commitment in the Australia government 2017 White Paper. An overriding interest is to maintain the peace that the Agreement brought about and that is enabled by political dialogue, within and outside Bougainville, and economic development. It implies a readiness to engage for the long term, accepting that the development of institutions and diversified economic opportunities will be slow.

The Bougainville Partnership (BP) took on its current form in 2016, inheriting activities from a number of separately administered initiatives. The structure of the program remains similar to the BP’s previous program, but with updated outcomes as follows:

Pillar 1 - Capable Institutions

1. GoPNG and ABG institutions are able to carry out high priority tasks that support Bougainville’s development and the post-referendum dialogue: Supporting defined tasks connected with the development of essential institutions, the draw-down of powers, and Post-Referendum Dialogue.

Pillar 2 - Economic Development

2. ABG and business associations jointly plan and implement initiatives to improve the private sector environment for inclusive economic development: Measures to improve the environment for private sector development and deepen the dialogue between the government and the private sector will be promoted through technical assistance.

3. Women and men engaged in primary production have increased incomes and benefit from inclusive associations and cooperatives: The current agricultural value chain activities will be continued, focussing on improving cocoa quality and linking producers to markets.

Women and men engaged in primary production have increased incomes and benefit from inclusive associations and cooperatives: The current agricultural value chain activities will be continued, focussing on improving cocoa quality and linking producers to markets. This objective must be complemented with an economic inclusive policy and strategy that helps the interest of women, youth and people living with disabilities to actively take part and benefit from the economic activities.

Pillar 3 - Stronger Communities

4. Community, youth and women’s groups collaborate effectively to establish sustainable community assets, deliver services and advocate for their target groups: Formerly the peace-building component, activities will include continuation and expansion of the existing successful community grants program,
initiatives to provide skills and foster networks for youth, and community infrastructure.

Pillar Crosscutting Outcome:

5. Women increasingly participate in decision making and take on leadership roles in civic, economic and political spaces: The program will use the entry points from its range of activities to promote women’s leadership.

The BP is part of the Australia PNG Subnational Program (APSP), which is an enabling mechanism comprised of three separately designed programs including: BP, the Western Province Partnership (WPP), the Kokoda Initiative Partnership (KIP), and the Subnational Governance Implementation Plan (SGIP). Each program has its own outcomes, theory of change, operational approach and separate monitoring and evaluation systems.

Position Overview

The Team Leader, Economic Development will have responsibility for Pillar 2 End of Program Outcomes including:

• Operating in a senior leadership role in supporting the Director, Bougainville Partnership, Advisers and teams to provide technical assistance and advisory support to Bougainville’s key Economic Development stakeholders as per the design for Bougainville Partnership.
• Building the capacity of key ABG and partner stakeholders to carry out identified economic development objectives as agreed through the Economic Sector Working Group and the Pillar 2 Technical Working Group.
• Technical Support to the operationalisation of the ABG’s Economic Sector Development Plan.
• Oversight of long and short-term advisory support to the ABG’s Department of Commerce Trade, Industry and Economic Development (DCTIED) and Department of Primary Industries (DPI).
• Experienced in agricultural value chains and provide management oversight for the Commodity Support Facility and lead on grants design and programming to Cocoa Cooperatives and Farmer Groups.
• Lead on program implementation of strategic support to the development of the Bougainville Business Associations.
• Management oversight for the Bougainville Labour Mobility program in close consultation with the ABG, DFAT and the Labour Mobility Unit.
• Demonstrating a visible and systematic commitment to achieving agreed GEDSI outcomes and for achieving against agreed gender equality performance objectives.

The Team Leader will report to the Director (BP).

About You

Qualifications

• Tertiary qualifications in international development, economics, agriculture, private or public administration or a related field or equivalent experience

Knowledge

• Demonstrated understanding of sub-national economic development in PNG or regional Melanesia
• Knowledge of strategic planning, functional analysis, organisational design, organisational governance, capacity building and change management.
• An understanding of the monitoring, evaluation and reporting, and public diplomacy requirements of Australian/Papua New Guinea Government or donor programs.
• An understanding of agricultural value chains (desirable)

Skills/Experience

• At least 5-10 years of economic or international development experience preferably in PNG or regional Melanesia
• Demonstrated experience in grants management in the international development context.
• Ability to understand local contexts and provide advice to donors on adaptive programming to ensure investments remain aligned with partner’s priorities.
• Strong negotiation skills that are applied across various contexts to ensure program continuity and program growth.
• Excellent representational skills that ensure key relationships are well maintained with senior government officials (national and sub-national), donor partners, implementing partners and civil society.
• Experience in monitoring & evaluation of complex government or international development programs with
  multiple contributing workstreams and providing high-level written reports to management and donors.
• Demonstrated skills and experience in advancing gender equality and inclusion approaches across workstreams.
• Exceptional interpersonal skills with a demonstrated ability to lead and build effective teams, especially in a remote, cross-cultural context.

Personal Attributes

• Delivers Results
• Builds Internal and External Customer Satisfaction and Loyalty.
• Develops People
• Communicates
• Sets Vision and Direction
• Demonstrates Sound Financial and Business-Related Practices
• Builds Teams and Cooperation
• Promotes Technical Excellence and Quality
• Promotes Diversity Acts as a Role Model

For more information on the role and how to apply, please click on ‘Apply Now’