The Vanuatu Australia Policing and Justice Program Phase 3 (VAPJP3) is an AUD25m investment. The program will continue Australia’s engagement in Vanuatu, building upon the positive outcomes of previous investments in policing and justice. The previous program, (VAPJP2) was also managed by Palladium and concluded at the end of December 2024. The Government of Australia supports the continuation of this program commencing from January 2025 over four years. The possibility exists for a further four-year extension. In continuing this assistance, Australia responds to the expressed wishes of the Government of Vanuatu (GoV)  who were consulted in the Mid-Term Review of VAPJP2 and the development of the VAPJP3 investment design.

Duration of the Contract: Up to 43 months, until 31 December 2028

Location: Port Vila, Vanuatu, with the ability to travel to other locations in Vanuatu as required

The Opportunity:

The GEDSI and Community Engagement Manager shall play a pivotal role in supporting the Vanuatu Australia Policing and Justice Program (VAPJP), the Department of Women's Affairs, and relevant stakeholders. Key responsibilities include facilitating transition planning for the Authorised Person Program (APP) through multistakeholder liaison at both central and sub-national levels. The Manager oversees the implementation of community grant arrangements, ensuring alignment with the VAPJP's Monitoring, Evaluation, Research, and Learning (MERL) framework. Additionally, they strategically engage with community services and key Government of Vanuatu (GoV) partners to strengthen therapeutic referral systems. This involves collaboration with organizations such as the Women's Centre, Vanuatu Society for People with Disability, and various government ministries and departments, including support for Multi-Service Delivery Protocol (MSDP) coordination in targeted provinces.

Key Responsibilities include:

Community Engagement 

• Management of Community Grants established through VAPJP in line with Commonwealth Procurement Rules.
• Identify opportunities for capacity development support to partner CSOs, focussed on good governance, corporate functions, MERL, communications and service delivery.
• Oversee the delivery of the Community Access to Justice (CA2J) Program, including legal awareness programs for chiefs, community groups, and selected groups.
• Maintain relationships with Malvatumauri National Council of Chiefs and Island Council of Chiefs, for delivery of targeted initiatives with Chiefs and selected community groups; and 
• Encourage the participation of marginalised groups and advocacy organisations in decision making. 
•  Be prepared to support MJCS establishment and coordination of an annual Community forum for connection with Community Service Organisations (CSOs). 

Technical and Capacity Support 

• Support the Vanuatu Police Force (VPF) in the implementation of various inclusion initiatives as part of Annual Work Planning, including (but not limited to) stakeholder engagement/ advocacy support with the FPU, and provision of support to the Women’s Advisory Network (WAN)  
• Support MJCS agency GEDSI programming in line with relevant GoV policy and planning, with a focus on technical support to the Child Desk and Disability Desk where required 

• Facilitating strengthened justice chain coordination from community to state services and multi stakeholder forums – through provision of technical support to: 

  i. the Justice, Gender and Protection Cluster;

  ii. Child Protection Working Group;

  iii. Support  Program’s partnership with Vanuatu Women’s Centre (VWC) across policing, justice and community components

  iv. Support the Program’s partnership with Vanuatu Society for People with Disabilities (VSPD) and Vanuatu Disability Promotion and Advocacy Association (VDPAA)  

• Support key Ministry stakeholders in the governance, and implementation of the Community Access to Justice (CA2J)  program through oversight of the Authorised Persons Program (APP) transition with DWA and both expansion and transition in selected provinces.  
• Support the piloting of multiservice community, justice and policing centre in a demonstration province (SANMA), focussed on improving outcomes for victims of SGBV. 
•  Develop and delivery or facilitate training for Program personnel, counterparts and other stakeholders; and  
•  Conduct routine training for Program personnel and sub-contractors for compliance with safeguarding policies, including Child Protection (CP) and Prevention of Sexual Exploitation, Abuse and Harassment (PSEAH), in collaboration with the VAPJP Human Resources Officer 
•  Collaborate with the SGBV Investigations and Police Prosecutions Adviser on joint initiatives which seek to reduce incidents of SGBV and improve outcomes for victims of SGBV.  

 Gender Equality Disability and Social Inclusion (GEDSI) Mainstreaming 

•  Provide in-country facilitation support to the VAPJP GEDSI Specialist to assist with development of a GEDSI Strategy and GEDSI Action Plan (GAP) for VAPJP III and input to alignment with national and international frameworks (E.g. SDGs, CEDAW, CRPD); 
•  Support Program staff and Government of Vanuatu (GoV) counterparts to meaningfully integrate GEDSI into all aspects of their work, including planning, implementation, monitoring, evaluation, adaptation, reporting and learning, in line with VAPJP's GAP; 
• Support GEDSI focused capacity development within VAPJP team, justice agencies, Vanuatu Police Force (VPF) and across community programming as reflected in the VAPJP GAP, to support the realization of agency and sector priorities; 
•  Actively collaborate and coordinate with Program partners, including UN Women, UNICEF, UNFPA VWC, VSPD, VDPAA, V Pride, Sista and others for Program synergies and delivery support; 
• Support Department of Women’s Affairs in the development and implementation of key gender initiatives across the sector, in line with the National Gender Equality Policy  2020 – 2030 as required;  
•  Support the Child Desk in the mainstreaming/integration of Child Protection/Safeguarding across our sector; 
•  Oversee the development and delivery of Disability inclusion activities delivered through the Disability & Inclusion Officer; 
•  Support the MERL team, where required, in its monitoring, data collection and reporting on GEDSI elements of VAPJP’s programming;  
•  Support the VAPJP communications team to integrate gender principles into VAPJP internal and external communications; 
•  Identify and mitigate risks related to gender inequality, disability, social exclusion, and social discrimination; and 
•  Function as the Social Safeguarding focal point for compliance with Palladium Policy implementation at Program level.  

 Policy and Legal Reform Support 

•  Advocate for policy reforms and inclusive development practices, while being mindful of cultural sensitivities. 
•  Support policy development and legislative reforms to enhance case handling of vulnerable groups especially vulnerable groups experiencing Sexual and Gender based Violence (SGBV), aligning with international human rights standards; and 
•  Assist in strengthening multi-agency collaboration, ensuring a cohesive approach to SGBV prevention and response. 

 Monitoring, Evaluation, Research and Learning 

• Advise on performance indicators to GEDSI benefits within the sector, directly or indirectly supported through the Program. 
• Utilise GEDSI data to monitor benefits outcomes, behaviour changes and institutional changes and contribute to the analysis of any data or other collected information. 
• Support improvements to VPF and Justice agency Monitoring, Evaluation, Reporting and Learning systems for support to Tier 2 reporting relating to GEDSI and Community Engagement. 
• Support the facilitation of baseline, midline and endline surveys for provision of MERL data to support Programmatic reporting and assessment of progress against outcomes. 
• Document lessons learned and best practices for ongoing program improvement. 
• Participate in Political Economy Analysis (PEA), Annual Work Plan (AWP) development and input to regular verbal and written reporting (E.g. Six-monthly reporting and Annual Reporting) and other ad-hoc reporting, as directed by the SRO.  
• Provide regular reports and recommendations to the Senior Justice Adviser, VAPJP Senior Management Team and relevant government counterparts. 
• Contribute to VAPJP MERL team products such as workplace surveys, authorised case studies and Impact Tracing studies; and 
• Provide input to any Program public diplomacy or communication products, including advice on integrating gender principles into VAPJP internal and external communications. 

Deliverables / Reporting Requirements 

• An Individual workplan linked to the VAPJP Annual Work Plans 
• Training sessions conducted on GEDSI for Program and external stakeholders 
• Technical advice provided on legislative and policy reforms. 
• Strengthened inter-agency and stakeholder coordination mechanisms for case management, particularly those involving SGBV. 
• Fortnightly reports: Verbal and written updates on activity progress against Individual and VAPJP Annual Work Plan (AWP) on a fortnightly basis, including issues and workable solutions, for consideration by Team Leader 
• Quarterly reports as required by Team Leader and MERL team including written data and information, in an approved format, as directed 
• A handover / completion report at the end of the contract term, in a format agreed by VAPJP Management and DFAT

Key Relationships

• Internal: Team Leader, Senior Justice Adviser, SRO AFP,  Program Facilitator (Justice) and advisers, Community Access to Justice Teams, AFP Advisers, SGBV Investigations and Police Prosecutions Adviser, other VAPJP Advisers, Operations and Business Managers, MERL and Communications Team, HR Officer, Palladium Corporate Management Team and Palladium Safeguarding Lead 
• External: DG MJCS, Capacity Development Coordinator, Human Rights Coordinator, Justice Agency Heads, Commissioner of Police, Police Departments, Department of Women’s Affairs, Community Services Organisations (VWC, VSPD), close working relationship with DFAT (Gender Lead), other donors

Key Selection Criteria 

Essential Qualifications and Experience

• A bachelor’s degree in community development, gender, law  or other relevant fields 
• 3 years (minimum) experience in implementing programs to promote and mainstream gender, disability, and social inclusion (GEDSI), including child protection and child rights  
• Relevant professional experience, including in Government, supporting civil society or similar organisations with governance and strategic decision-making processes as well as administrative functioning (incl. HR and finance) 
• Experience working effectively in international development and inclusive community development 
• Experience managing complex, inter-linked initiatives in culturally sensitive environments 
• Experience working collaboratively with senior managers while being able to effectively communicate across all levels within a public organisation 
• Experience in the management and supervision of a multi-disciplinary team 
• Strong skills and experience in working with issues related to violence against women 
• Good knowledge of the context of Vanuatu and violence against women in Vanuatu 
• Able to show initiative and drive the implementation with limited oversight, but also able to work within a team and able to seek advice and support when needed 
• High level oral, written and communication skills appropriate to a range of levels and audiences 
• Demonstrated skills in the conduct of facilitative, participatory consultations 
• Demonstrated skills, experience, and commitment to mentoring and skills transfer, particularly in a Melanesian context 
• Demonstrated understanding of the role of law as an intervention to prevent and protect vulnerable members of the community 
• An understanding of Grants management and Commonwealth Procurement Rules 

Essential Skills and Attributes

• Analytical and practical
• Strong oral and written communication skills 
• Good interpersonal and networking skills 
• Tact and negotiation skills 
• Cultural sensitivity
• Integrity and transparency  
• Commitment to skills transfer and effective capacity development  
• Willingness to consult and work in a multi-disciplinary team 

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.