About Program

The New Colombo Plan (NCP) is an initiative of the Australian government which aims to lift knowledge of the Indo Pacific in Australia by supporting undergraduates to study and undertake internships in the region, ultimately helping to strengthen Australia’s regional standing by building a diverse cohort of Australian alumni with deeper Indo-Pacific knowledge, capability, and connections. 

Palladium is the Service Provider appointed to deliver the NCP Managed Administrative and Support Services (NCP MASS) program, reporting to and working closely with DFAT’s NCP Secretariat team, who have overall responsibility for program strategy, policy and oversight. Palladium provides an integrated suite of services to enable the NCP operational delivery and support achievement of the program's strategic objectives, across three programs: scholarships, mobility grants, alumni.

​​The NCP Scholarship Program awards scholarships to undergraduate students to undertake immersive programs of up to 19 months across 40 Indo Pacific host locations, involving university study, language training and internships. 

The NCP MASS team provides administrative and support services to the Scholarships Program across its lifecycle phases, from promotion and selection of new awardees, through to pre-departure training and on-award case management support. This includes administration of scholar grant-based benefits; risk and incident management support; and contributing to communications, stakeholder engagement and monitoring and evaluation processes relevant to the Scholarship Program. 

This Opportunity:

The Scholarship Program has been expanding and a further increase in the number of scholarships awarded is expected for the upcoming intake of scholars for 2026. Support services will need to adapt to meet the needs of this expansion.

The NCP MASS Scholar Support Services function includes a team of student service coordinators who collectively provide consistent, high-quality support to NCP scholars. We are expanding the team of Student Services Coordinators in anticipation of an increase in the number of scholars on the NCP Scholarships Program for 2026. 

Student Services Coordinators are responsible for assisting scholars at each stage of their Scholarship Program, ensuring they meet the requirements of the NCP Scholarship Agreement and are contributing to the objectives of the NCP Program overall. They support transition to the alumni program upon completion of the scholarship program. 

As Student Services Coordinator, you will manage a diverse caseload of scholars engaged in various programs across various contexts and locations, ranging from small Pacific Island nations to large Asian countries. The role entails some interaction with other NCP stakeholders, including university partners, host institutions, and alumni, and is expected to maintain a high standard of professional representation for the program.

You will be responsible for ensuring delivery of quality, timely, and accountable services to scholars. An essential part of the role is timely and precise data entry and records management, employing NCP management information systems and databases, administering scholar benefits and payments, and producing high-quality reporting information for analysis on the Scholarship Program for DFAT and other stakeholders.

Location: The position is based in Palladium’s Adelaide or Brisbane office. However, we will also consider applicants from other locations in Australia. Flexible working arrangements can be considered, although the position is full time. 

Reporting Lines: The role reports to the NCP MASS Manager, Scholarship, and is part of a cohesive team of Student Service Coordinators. You will also be expected to work collaboratively with other teams within the MASS program.

Primary Roles and Responsibilities: 

• Strong customer service and case management skills, with background in the international education or student service industry deemed beneficial, although not required if applicable experience and transferable abilities can be demonstrated.

• Strong interpersonal skills, including verbal and written communication, and the ability to develop and maintain positive working relationships with a variety of internal and external stakeholders.

• Demonstrated ability to manage a high volume and varied workload, which involves setting priorities and overseeing workflows, as well as the capacity to execute tasks with a high degree of accuracy and adhere to deadlines.

• Verified experience in utilizing live online database systems and ensuring accuracy in data entry and record management. Familiarity with the Microsoft Office Suite is also essential.

• Effective problem-solving skills, which encompass the ability to gather relevant information, make decisions based on evidence, and escalate issues when necessary.

• Demonstrated sound judgment and the ability to operate within and apply guidelines and policies effectively, including implementing and adapting to changes in policy.

• A flexible and pragmatic approach to work, with the ability to adjust to changing or unexpected situations and modify actions during peak times when needed.

Desirable Criteria:

•  Demonstrated experience providing welfare and/or academic student support to tertiary students.

• Experience working in the Australian tertiary education sector, knowledge of scholarships and/or outbound student mobility programs.

For more information about the role, please send your inquiry to: NCP Recruitment at ncp.recruitment@thepalladiumgroup.com.

Please note - we are only accepting applications from job seekers with full Australian working rights as this role is unable to be sponsored, and you must be living in Australia. We do not accept resumes from recruitment agencies for this role.

Closing date: 25 April 2025. Applications will be reviewed on a rolling basis

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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.