Program Overview:    

FPSP, also referred to as the ‘Platform’, a Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT) investment, will contribute to the delivery of Fiji’s national development priorities, in line with the Australia’s International Development Policy, the Fiji-Australia Vuvale Partnership and the Development Partnership Plan. 

The Platform will deliver key bilateral programs, such as health, education, scholarships, social infrastructure, governance, climate and emergency preparedness and response. Platform activities will identify and address climate risks, promote climate action, and gender equality, disability and social inclusion (GEDSI) across and beyond the sector programs.

The Platform has three functional Outcomes: 

1. The Platform has delivered its sector program outcomes, including through supporting strategic coherence, planning, partnerships management, data and learning across the portfolio of investments.
2. The Platform has prioritised gender equality, disability-inclusive development, and climate and disaster resilience, in its systems and practices. This includes in how it undertakes sector programming and its engagement with selected Government of Fiji (GoF) agencies.
3. The Platform administers timely and efficient programming that is: value for money; maximises use of local supply chains; and supports good governance, and public diplomacy, effective decision making and risk management.

Australia-Fiji Education Program (AFEP) Overview

The Platform implements over fifty percent of Australia’s bilateral development support to Fiji across a range of sector programs in education, health, Australia Awards, disaster response, cyclone recovery, social infrastructure and technical assistance to improve public sector governance in Fiji.   

The Platform integrates cross-cutting themes, including gender equality, disability and social inclusion (GEDSI), climate and disaster resilience, across sector programs. In particular, the Platform seeks to strengthen program outcomes by better addressing the needs of targeted populations including those who are often marginalised. 

The Australian Government is supporting Fiji’s education sector through the Australia Fiji Education Program (AFEP, the Program) working with the Ministry of Education (MoE). 

The objective of the AFEP is “to work with the Government of Fiji under the Vuvale Partnership to catalyse quality education delivery for all Fijian children”. 

The changes expected by the end of the five-year program are: 

EOPO 1: Schools, particularly trial schools, have improved student literacy and numeracy outcomes, supported by enabling policies, plans and data from the Ministry of Education. 

EOPO 2: Heads of schools and teachers, supported by enabling policies and data from the Ministry of Education, provide a safe, resilient and inclusive learning environment for all students, particularly in trial schools. 

Four intermediate outcomes will provide pathways to meet these end of program outcomes in priority areas, like implementation of the revised literacy and numeracy curriculum in primary and secondary schools, professional development interventions, analysis and improvement of the Fiji Education Management Information System (FEMIS), as well as GEDSI and student wellbeing.  

The funding for the program is approximately AUD45million over 9 years (5 years, with an option to extend for a further 4 years) and delivered through a range of activities to achieve the program’s objectives. Implementation modalities include technical advice, procurement of technical services and goods, minor works and infrastructure upgrades, capacity building and training support, support to Ministry led initiatives and innovations, and grants to civil society organisations (CSOs). 

Position Summary:

The MEL Specialist, Education (the ‘Specialist’) will take a lead role assessing AFEP’s performance, providing decisionmakers with timely data and evidence on the effectiveness of program interventions, to inform program strategy and planning, and support progress reporting. To do this the Specialist will maintain the Education Program’s results framework, undertake field monitoring visits with technical staff, collect a range of evidence, and evaluate the performance of various aspects of the Program. 

Together with the Senior Specialist, Education Evaluation and Research and the Platform MEL team, the Specialist will convene Talanoas bringing together Education Program, DFAT and MoE staff and other stakeholders to discuss results, progress towards outcomes, and how AFEP can continuously improve its performance. 

The Specialist will lead AFEP’s reporting to the Australian Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT), ensuring the Program’s MEL system collects performance information on key program outcomes, including the cross-cutting priorities of GEDSI, climate and disaster resilience, locally-led development and Indigenous engagement. The Specialist will also contribute to the Platform’s broader MEL approach through advice on MEL tools, processes and guidance, and support Platform communications and public diplomacy by identifying and supporting development of communication products. 

Key Responsibilities:

In collaboration with AFEP’s Senior Specialist, Education Evaluation and Research and the Team Leader, Education: 

• Lead aspects of AFEP MEL including maintaining up-to-date MEL workplans and results frameworks for the Program. 
• Support the design and implementation of AFEP evaluations and reviews, in support of and in consultation with the Platform Performance and MEL Manager. 
• Draft, in close consultation with technical staff, AFEP six monthly and annual progress reports to DFAT (aligning with DFAT Monitoring and Evaluation Standards), and reports as required to MoE and other partners. 
• Work with staff across the Platform to ensure strategies and plans related to key development issues such as gender equality, disability and social inclusion, emergency preparedness and response, and climate change/disaster risk reduction are fully integrated into all AFEP MEL systems/processes. 
• Ensure effective integration of safeguarding standards and mitigation of risks across all AFEP MEL systems/processes, including for child protection and the prevention of sexual exploitation, abuse and harassment (PSEAH). 
• Work with the GEDSI team to update the AFEP GEDSI tracker and contribute to GEDSI evaluations. 
• Support AFEP, the Platform and DFAT to make decisions, by providing timely performance information based on program MEL. 
• Work closely with the Platform communications team to support the identification and development of communication products/factsheets/stories/social media posts to improve the visibility of Australia’s investment in Fiji’s education sector.
• Extract and analyse data from the Fiji Education Management Information System (FEMIS).
• Liaise with the MoE IT/FEMIS team and Research and Planning team for relevant data from FEMIS.
• Other duties as requested.

Key Working Relationships:

Reporting to

• Senior Specialist, Education Evaluation and Research

Other

• Team Leader, Education 
• Australia-Fiji Education Program team  
• Platform MEL team (Performance, Learning and Communications Hub)
• Platform Management Unit.
• MoE IT/FEMIS team and Research and Planning team
• Other relevant MoE teams and program partners 

Selection Criteria:

Qualifications

• A tertiary degree in a field related to MEL, research or program management, or equivalent. 
• Postgraduate degree is preferable.

Experience

• 7 – 10 years’ professional experience in MEL, research, or a related field. 
• Experience leading the development and application of MEL systems with high levels of autonomy. 
• Demonstrated experience presenting performance information to senior management, both verbally and in writing. 
• Significant experience facilitating complex MEL processes, including theory of change discussions and reflective processes. 
• Experience in integrating gender equality, disability inclusion and/or social inclusion in MEL systems and processes. 
• Experience in drafting polished, clear reports and case studies that meet the needs of key clients/stakeholders. 
• MEL experience in the education sector highly desirable. 
• Experience using quantitative and qualitative methods is highly desirable. 

Knowledge

• Understanding of GEDSI, PSEAH and child protection in MEL systems and processes. 
• Knowledge of MEL methodologies and approaches. 
• Knowledge of typical donor and partner reporting requirements. 
• Ability to write in clear, concise and professional English and to copy edit all work to a very high standard. 

Personal Attributes 

• Willingness to take on a challenging leadership role. 
• Ability to facilitate and manage group discussions and consultations in a constructive, open, discursive manner. 
• Ability to work in a Pacific context, including sensitivity, humility and willingness to learn. 
• A demonstrated commitment to child protection and PSEAH and a robust fraud control and anticorruption environment. 
• Ability to communicate and interact effectively including ability to recognize and manage personal behaviours to create an inclusive, equitable and welcoming environment among team members.

About Us
Abt Global is a mission-driven, global leader in research and program implementation in the fields of health, social and environmental policy, and international development. Known for its rigorous approach to solving complex challenges, Abt Global is regularly ranked as one of the top global research firms and one of the international development innovators.  The company has multiple offices in the U.S. and program offices in more than 40 countries.

At Abt Global, we are committed to creating a lasting culture of equity, diversity and inclusion and recognize that in order to achieve full participation, our practices must be free of prejudice, discrimination, and bias that result in inequitable outcomes. We are actively working to advance equity for everyone, and while we still have much work to do, we know that racial and cultural diversity are an asset to our business and the communities where we live and serve. Our ongoing commitment is focused on creating business practices that advance racial and social equity, investments in community impact programs for the benefit of Black, Indigenous, and people of color (BIPOC), and expand upon project work related to racial equity and social justice