Team Leader, VAPJP Phase III

Job Description

Location: Port Vila, Vanuatu

Fixed Term Contract until 31 December 2028

Application closing date: 20 August 2025

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 4,000 employees operating in 90-plus countries and a global network of over 35,000 experts, we help improve economies, societies, the environment, and, most importantly, people’s lives.

The role

The Team Leader is responsible for managing and implementing the technical aspects of Vanuatu Australia Policing and Justice Program (VAPJP), in close coordination with Palladium, the Australian Federal Police (AFP), the Australian High Commission (AHC) in Vanuatu and the Government of Vanuatu (GoV). The Team Leader plays a key role in steering the program’s overall strategy, building a strong and cohesive team that generates recommendations to translate agreed support into results, brokering partnerships with and between stakeholders, in particularly those listed previous, and its broader Vanuatu portfolio. This role requires a deep commitment to ensuring principles of gender quality, disability and social inclusion are integrated into all aspects of the Program.

Key responsibilities include:

• Provide effective and creative leadership and overall direction for VAPJP, demonstrating best practice service delivery standards; and a focus on identifying, recommending and implementing initiatives aimed at continuous improvement of program productivity.
• Provide leadership and strategic direction to deliver program coherence, program goals and End of Program Outcomes (EOPOs), in line with the program design.
• Establish and maintain effective relationships and dialogue with DFAT, GoV and the AFP Senior Responsible Officer (SRO).
• Support the team, colleagues and partners in promoting a culture of respect and a common purpose, in a manner that aligns strongly with shared values which underpin the relationship between Vanuatu and Australia.
• Engage with existing DFAT-funded (and other) Programs working in similar areas to leverage optimal collaboration, innovation and value for money across Australia’s investments in Vanuatu.
• Identify all resources, and deliver all services reasonably required to undertake the planning, coordination, management, liaison, consultation, sub-contracting, grants management, and administration that is necessary to achieve the objectives of VAPJP III.
• Drive innovation in the Program through building upon existing partnerships from VAPJP phase 1 and 2 and fostering new partnerships as is relevant to the Program design.
• Oversee post disaster response and recovery operations delivered through VAPJP, or alternate agreed mechanisms, ensuring continued strategic delivery of the Program while providing post-disaster support to the sector.
• Oversee and/or participate in the recruitment of Program staff, advisers, and support the recruitment of Program funded inline staff for sector agencies as identified. Effectively manage the performance of the Program team to deliver a cohesive, quality program.
• Champion best practice in gender equality, disability and social inclusion awareness and programming.
• Provide strategic guidance for public diplomacy ensuring alignment with DFAT Standards and maintain strategic oversight of the preparation and running of program-related public events and communications products.

About you

You will have significant, demonstrated experience leading complex programs or activities in the Pacific, preferably under DFAT funding. In addition, you will have the ability to build productive and sustainable working partnerships with a variety of stakeholders e.g. Australian and / or partner governments, civil society and the private sector, across different cultures.

Additional key requirements include:

• Excellent representation and diplomatic skills, with the ability to serve as the face of the program in high-level engagements with stakeholders, including government, donors and partners.
• Strong program management and leadership skills with a proven ability to lead diverse and multidisciplinary teams
• Experience in supporting flexible and adaptive approaches to program delivery
• Successful change management and problem-solving skills and the capacity to resolve conflict.
• Experience in management of multi-disciplinary team across a range of technical advisory, MERL, GEDSI, Operations and Communications functions.
• Exceptional interpersonal and communication skills (written and verbal) with a demonstrated ability to engage effectively and respectfully with stakeholders from diverse cultural, political and social backgrounds by ensuring that messaging is inclusive and contextually appropriate.

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.

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