Role

The Deputy Program Director - Education Policy, Performance and Learning will be a senior member of the INOVASI leadership team with overall responsibility for the strategy, design and technical delivery of INOVASI's support to education policy reform, as well as INOVASI's Monitoring Evaluation Research and Learning. The Deputy Program Director, Education Policy, Performance and Learning, will contribute to achieving program objectives by leading the establishment and management of strategic relationships with program partners (GoI, DFAT, other DFAT programs and other Development Partners) as well as identifying and driving new program initiatives and activities in response to GoI requests, or by generating and/or seizing opportunities to contribute to policy change and reform. The Deputy Program Director, Education Policy, Performance and Learning will also provide strategic leadership to the Policy and MERL teams to ensure the program design, planning, implementation and evaluation meets both program and partner needs.
Location
The role is based in Jakarta, Indonesia on a full-time basis.
Primary Duties and Responsibilities
Under the direction of Program Director, the Deputy Program Director - Education Policy, Performance and Learning will:
• Provide high level strategic guidance and leadership to Policy, Performance and Learning staff including overseeing high-level contributions to the design, planning, implementation, monitoring and evaluation, learning and communication of activities and achievements;
• Provide guidance and advice for the identification, design and management of policy support at national and subnational levels, including:
o Providing strategic direction to the Policy Lead, Policy Manager, and other Policy team members, as well as key short-term Technical Advisers for the delivery of strong technical advice and engagement with the GoI, ensuring support is delivered in ways that are technically sound, yet politically feasible and appropriate to Indonesian contexts, and policy-related activities contribute to achievement of INOVASI Intermediate Outcomes (IO) and End of Program Outcomes (EOPO);
o Guide and mentor staff to pursue opportunities for policy engagement with the GoI, sustaining momentum on individual activities and areas of investment, and helping broker and connect institutions and relationships in pursuit of program IO and EOPOs;
o Working closely with the INOVASI Deputy Program Director - Education Ecosystems and Subnational Management, and the Deputy Program Director - Development Priorities, and Provincial Managers, identify and seek opportunities to draw on subnational evidence and lessons in national activity and policy dialogue and ensure policy support realizes the program's design ambitions in relation to DFAT development priorities;
o Oversee a program to support the Government of Indonesia, through the Ibu Kota Nusantara (IKN) Authority and relevant national ministries to develop the capacity and quality of local schools within the newly-created IKN region to improve education services and learning outcomes for children.
• Provide leadership to the Performance and Learning Manager to ensure that INOVASI's MERL system and approach is;
• fit for purpose, effective and efficient; that evidence coming from INOVASI activities is useful;
o producing necessary data in a timely manner and promotes learning;
o reporting requirements including against an INOVASI results framework and DFAT performance indicators are met; and
o approaches to develop M&E capacity of program partners support their own learning and improvement.
o maintain a one-team approach across the MERL functions.
• Work with the program's Gender and Inclusion specialists to promote the appropriate consideration of gender and inclusion in program activities;
• Coach and support staff and advisors in applying thinking and working politically, knowledge to policy and Problem Driven Iterative Adaptation (PDIA) approaches, including in the use and continual improvement of supporting tools and methodologies;
• Build and maintain effective relationships with Program stakeholders, including GoI counterparts in MoEC, MoRA and Bappenas, DFAT and other programs and development partners;
• Oversee and ensure the technical part of INOVASI Risk Management Matrix in relation to Policy and MERL is maintained and updated as needed. Follow up with relevant INOVASI Managers, Leads and consultants to update this technical part of the risk matrix on a quarterly basis. Highlight technical risks to INOVASI Program Director and liaise with INOVASI Managers to manage, address and mitigate those risks;
• Oversee the high-level budget of the Policy and MERL teams and confirm the budget allocation between those two units based on INOVASI forecasts and approved yearly budgets. Approve and oversee the implementation of program activity concepts, as well as the budget plans and spending of the Policy and MERL teams. Ensure implementation and budget spending follow approved plans and budget allocations;
• Lead and/or contribute to reports, briefs, and other knowledge products for a range of stakeholders to inform and advance the overall objectives of INOVASI, and contribute to INOVASI program reporting to DFAT as required;
• Support teams to plan, budget and implement program activities, providing management advice to program activities, as required, and ensure value for money for the Program both in terms of economy and results;
• Serve as acting Program Director as assigned by the Program Director on specific topics or during periods of absence, and as Palladium's alternate liaison to DFAT, GoI, local organisations, and program partners as required;
• Other duties as may reasonably be required by the Program Director consistent with the incumbent's qualifications and experience.

Key Competencies

The Deputy Program Director - Education Policy, Performance and Learning will possess the following qualifications and experience:
• Advanced degree in education or relevant development subject or appropriate tertiary qualification and significant, relevant experience in education, public policy, or international development;
• Minimum of 15 years' work experience working in education development programs, preferably in Indonesia
• High level ability to think and work politically, and a very good knowledge and experience in education policy development;
• Demonstrated ability to lead and manage teams and programs of work to achieve results, including experience in managing subnational activities;
• Demonstrated ability to identify new opportunities or activities and oversee these from concept through to full implementation
• Demonstrated understanding of basic education and the challenges and conditions for improving and sustaining quality education within a decentralised environment in Indonesia; international understanding and experience in education and development is an advantage;
• Knowledge of and experience working with Government of Indonesia ministries, especially the Indonesian Ministry of Education, Culture, Research and Technology, Ministry of Religious Affairs, and Bappenas,
• Demonstrated ability to oversee program monitoring, evaluation, research and learning (MERL) in a complex program; including providing direction to the MERL team and coordinating with DFAT and international advisors;
• Experience in working with bilateral or other development agencies, preferably within the education sector;
• Sound problem-solving and decision-making skills; ability to work independently and as a part of a team;
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills in English and Bahasa Indonesia;
• A high level of integrity, initiative, adaptability, and ability to perform in a high-pressure environment;
• A proven ability to work in a flexible and adaptable way in a dynamic environment, and
• A strong track record of working collaboratively and productively within dynamic teams.
• Flexibility to travel to various locations throughout the Indonesia provinces/districts.

Choose Palladium for

If you are looking for an opportunity that will allow you to create a positive impact in the international community development space, then this is the place for you.

Palladium is a child-safe organisation, and screens applicants for suitability to work with children. A copy of Palladium's Child Protection Guidelines is available on our website: thepalladiumgroup.com/policies

Application closed on Friday, June 21st 2024 at 11.59 PM (Jakarta time)

This position is locally-engaged from Indonesia in accordance with Indonesian labor law. A competitive salary package will be determined based on the candidate experience and in alignment with the INOVASI national salary benchmark.

Due to the anticipated volume of applications, only successful candidates will be contacted. All applications should be submitted through the Palladium website. Should you experience any issues lodging an application online please contact inovasi.recruitment@thepalladiumgroup.com stating the position in the subject line.

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 accommodation 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