Summary
The Program
Australia Awards – South Asia & Mongolia is administered by Palladium on behalf of the Australian Government’s Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT). The Program goal is to support eight partner countries – Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Maldives, Mongolia, Nepal, Pakistan and Sri Lanka – in achieving their development goals through education and knowledge transfer, and to build enduring relationships with Australia that advance mutual interests.
In support of this goal, the Program aims to achieve two key outcomes:
- Alumni are using their skills, knowledge and networks to contribute to sustainable development.
- Alumni are contributing to cooperation between Australia and partner countries.
Australia Awards – South Asia & Mongolia is a multi-country program with service delivery offices in Colombo, Dhaka, Islamabad, Kathmandu, Thimphu and Ulaanbaatar. Leadership, coordination, and support are provided by “the Hub” – a regional team based in a range of locations in South Asia & Mongolia as well as in Australia.
The role
The Consultant will support the program's Monitoring, Evaluation and Learning (MEL) team in the development of a Power BI Dashboard for the Annual Statistical Report 2026, with a particular focus on data management and PBI report generation in line with Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT) reporting requirements.
Description
Reporting/working relationships
The Consultant reports to the Program Team Leader but will receive technical tasking and leadership from the Montoring Evaluation & Learning (MEL) Short Term Advisor (STA), working closely under the guidance of the program Regional MEL Coordinator.
The products will be submitted to the MEL Advisor and Regional MEL Coordinater by the Consultant.
Other internal working relationships may include: the Team leader, Deputy Team Leader, Senior Program & Operations Manager, Country Program Managers, Manager – Continuing Professional Development Solutions, Gender Equality, Disability & Social Inclusion (GEDSI) Advisor and Coordinator, Regional Management Information Systems (MIS) Coordinator, and a number of supporting Short-term Advisers.
Special conditions
Palladium is an Equal Opportunity Employer. All staff and contractors are required to read and comply with Corporate Policies including Code of Conduct, Child Protection, Modern Slavery, Preventing Sexual Exploitation, Abuse and Harassment (PSEAH), and Reporting Concerns (Whistleblowing), and to complete police and security checks where required.
Statement of key responsibilities and associated duties
The key responsibilities of the position are to:
| Key responsibility |
Associated duties |
| Key Duties |
- Develop a Power BI (PBI) dashboard and associated reporting products, aligned to the AASAM MEL framework.
- Develop visuals, filter drill down features and and other functionalities to meet AASAM reporting and analysis needs for the AASAM Statistical Annex.
- Pro-actively identify issues and participate in meetings to ensure the Power BI dashboard meets the needs of the AASAM MEL team.
- Ensure the Dashboard framework and layout are aligned with Australia Awards reporting standards and DFAT requirements.
- Participate actively in orientation sessions, planning meetings and review process as directed by the MEL Advisor.
- Work collaboratively with the MEL team and other Australia Awards staff to ensure the Dashboard design meets the reporting expectations.
- Provide timely updates on progress, identify any risks or challenges, and propose practical solutions to support successful delivery of the assignment.
- Ensure all assigned deliverables are completed to a high standard and within the agreed timelines.
- Execute the highest degree of professional integrity, including neutrality and confidentiality throughout and after the data analysis activities
|
| Deliverables |
1. PBI Datasource and country-level data collection templates
- Based on existing materials, develop a master data source and easy-to-use data collection template to support the collection, consolidation, validation and tabulation of country-level data for the Annual Statistical Report
- Establish data relationships, and reporting logic to publish Power BI Annual Statisitcal Report for 2026 that can be updated for subsequent years and support time series analysis.
2. Prototype of Annual Statistical Annex Power BI report
- Develop a complete Power BI Annual Statistical Report (Prototype), incorporating all statistical tables (Tables 1-45, including all associated sub-tables).
- Configure the report with appropriate visualisations, filters, and navigation features.
- Publish a draft Annual Statistical Annex report in A4 PDF format for review and feedback by RMELC and MEL advisor.
- Revise and update the Power BI report configuration and data collection templates as necessary to ensure they are fit for purpose.
3. Handover to MELC and MEL advisor
These deliverables shall be used to detail the days worked in the Consultant invoice.
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| Effective team performance |
- Promote a positive program culture.
- Contribute to continuous improvement in service delivery and program performance.
- Work with a collaborative and team-based approach.
|
| Quality and Legislative Compliance |
- Comply with all program and DFAT policies, procedures, practices and quality systems
- Comply with role specific policies and procedures
- Ensure all relevant documentation is provided for storage on the program’s SharePoint in accordance with ISO certification requirements
|
| Other duties |
- Comply with all Program operational, administrative, and contractual requirements.
- Undertake other duties as directed in agreement by the MEL Advisor
|
| Timing |
The project is expected to commence in early November 2026 and complete no later than 31 January 2027.
1. PBI Datasource and country-level data collection templates, together with handover, to be completed no later than 30 November 2026
2. Prototype of Annual Statistical Annex Power BI report to be completed no later than 11 December 2026.
3. Handover, support and documentation for MELC and MEL advisor to be completed no later than 31 January 2027.
|
Person specification
Minimum requirements/key selection criteria:
Essential
- Demonstrated expertise in Power BI dashboard design and report creation with complex datasets and statistical reporting.
- Strong understanding of data visualization principles and prototype model development.
- Excellent technical, analytical, communication, and facilitation skills.
- Experience of working with and within a diverse, dispersed multicultural team
- Demonstrated ability to share and handover Power BI products to a non-expert audience
- High ethical standards and a commitment to integrity and professionalism
- Flexibility and responsiveness to respond at short notice to urgent requests
- Proven organisational skills and attention to detail, with ability to prioritise own workload and deliver quality outputs within agreed timeframes.
Desired
- Understanding of the Australian Government’s development priorities in South Asia and Mongolia.
- Experience working with MEL for development programs, and/or statistical reporting for education programs, or donor-funded initiatives is highly desirable.
The role will be based out of the Program's Hub office in Colombo, Sri Lanka. However, the successful candidate may work remotely from another location, without travel. Applications will be assessed on a rolling basis.
