About the Program 

The PNG Secondary Education Program (PNG SEP) is a flagship investment of the Australian Government, delivered under the Papua New Guinea–Australia Partnership. PNG SEP aims to improve learning outcomes, equity and access for secondary students across Papua New Guinea’s highest performing schools, while strengthening national and subnational education systems.

The program supports the Government of Papua New Guinea’s priorities under the National Education Plan 2023–2027 and is aligned with Australia’s International Development Policy. PNG SEP focuses on improving teaching and learning quality, strengthening school leadership and governance and supporting safe, resilient and inclusive secondary school environments. Cross-cutting priorities, including gender equality, disability inclusion, safeguarding and climate resilience, are mainstreamed across all program activities.

About the Opportunity

Abt Global is seeking a Monitoring, Evaluation and Learning (MEL) Officer to support implementation of a robust, equity-centred MEL system for PNG SEP. Reporting to the MEL Lead, the MEL Officer will play a hands-on role in coordinating data collection, supporting digital MEL systems and contributing to high-quality reporting, learning and adaptive management. The role works closely with schools, provincial and national education counterparts and program partners to ensure reliable data and evidence inform program delivery and decision-making. This role is well suited to a mid-career MEL practitioner with strong organisational skills, attention to detail and an interest in education data and learning.

Key responsibilities 

The MEL Officer will:

• Support implementation of the PNG SEP MEL Plan in line with DFAT monitoring and reporting requirements

• Coordinate routine data collection, verification and entry from schools, provinces and partners into the digital MEL platform

• Support baseline, midline and endline studies, including learning assessments, surveys and GEDSI monitoring

• Assist preparation of MEL inputs to six-monthly and annual reports, dashboards, briefs and data visualisation

• Support learning and reflection processes, including review meetings and joint learning sessions

• Maintain accurate, secure data systems and filing in line with DFAT and Abt Global standards

• Provide practical support to schools and partners in basic monitoring, reporting and use of digital MEL tools

Key deliverables

• Timely and accurate data collected, verified and entered into the PNG SEP digital MEL system

• MEL inputs to six-monthly progress reports and annual reporting delivered to DFAT standards

• Clean, disaggregated datasets supporting performance tracking and learning

• Case studies, data summaries and learning products prepared in collaboration with the MEL Lead and Communications team

• Strengthened monitoring and reporting capacity among school, provincial and national counterparts

Key working relationships 

• Reporting to: PNG SEP MEL Lead 

• Internal: Program Director, Delivery team, Teaching and Learning team, Digital Technology team, GEDSI & Safeguarding team, Communications team

• External: NDoE, PDoEs, DHERST, schools and school leadership teams, Catalpa digital platform team, consortium partners 

About You 

For applications to be considered, a response to the key selection criteria below must be provided. 

To be successful in this role, you will have:

• Experience supporting monitoring, evaluation, research or data collection in education sector programs

• Practical skills in data collection, data entry and basic analysis, including use of digital data systems

• Strong organisational skills and attention to detail

• Experience working with schools, communities or government counterpart

• Good written and verbal communication skills

• A commitment to gender equality, disability inclusion, safeguarding and ethical data practices

How to Apply

• Please ensure to address the Key Selection Criteria (About You) in your cover letter, and submit your application online, along with your CV as a single document. 

• Applications must be submitted personally by individuals only. Applications submitted by a company or organisation will not be accepted. 

• The successful applicant will be engaged through an employment agreement determined by Abt.

We welcome and thank all applications; however only shortlisted applicants will be contacted.

Closing Date:  1 May 2026 #LI-AUSBRIT

Abt Global is an Equal Opportunity Employer, committed to upholding high standards of Child Protection, Anti-bribery and Fraud Protection.

We encourage applications from experienced and capable women, and people with disabilities

For more information on the role and how to apply, please click on ‘Apply Now’

About Us 

Abt Global is a mission-driven, global leader with a proven track record in complex program implementation in the international development sector. We offer bold solutions and technical excellence in Health, Economic Growth, Governance, Research & Evaluation, Environment & Energy, Gender Equality & Social Inclusion. Working with our many partners, we have driven measurable social impact for more than 55 years, to achieve our mission of improving the quality of life and economic well-being of people worldwide. We operate in remote and challenging environments and employ more than 3,700 staff in over 50 countries. For more information about us and what we do, visit our website at www.abtglobal.com

Equity

Abt Global values individuality and celebrates difference with a strong commitment to diversity, equality, racial equity, gender, and disability inclusion. We strongly encourage people from culturally and linguistically diverse communities and Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people to apply for this position. We offer flexible work arrangements and a culturally safe environment for staff members from diverse racial and ethnic backgrounds.

Safeguarding

We are deeply committed to safeguarding, to protect and prevent harm and abuse to individuals we work for and who work for us. Our recruitment and selection procedures reflect our commitment to protecting children and vulnerable adults from abuse and exploitation. We will not tolerate discrimination, harassment, child abuse, sexual abuse or exploitation in any form, and expect everyone to be treated with respect and dignity.