The Partnerships for Social Protection (P4SP) program is recruiting a Monitoring, Evaluation, Reporting, Learning and Adaptive Management (MERLA) Manager for its next program phase (October 2025 – September 2029). This senior role will lead the program’s MERLA approach, ensuring high-quality performance data informs strategy, decision-making, and adaptive management across all levels. The MERLA Manager will oversee program-wide monitoring and reporting, support research and learning activities, and provide technical advice on MEL frameworks to both internal teams and partner governments.

Working closely with DFAT and other stakeholders, the role emphasises collaborative, flexible, and evidence-based approaches, with a strong focus on gender equality, disability equity, and inclusion. This is a unique opportunity to shape how data and learning drive real impact in social protection policy and practice across the Pacific region.

The MERLA Manager will:

• Lead P4SP’s approach to monitoring, evaluation, reporting, learning and adaptation.
• Maintain a focus on building robust, credible and useful performance information that serves the overall goals of the P4SP program and supports the P4SP team to use this information to shape programming approaches and directions.
• Support design and implementation of P4SP research activities.
• Support P4SP partner governments with their MEL frameworks and activities, if requested.
• Emphasise collaborative and flexible approaches to support the P4SP Management Team and their emerging priorities.
• Facilitate and support effective coordination and information flow between P4SP, DFAT, and other relevant stakeholders.
• Provide independent and evidence-based advice that applies best-practice and innovative approaches to support delivery of the program.
• Ensure a strong focus on gender equality, disability equity and inclusion considerations throughout the MERLA cycle, including disaggregation of data for different excluded, marginalised or vulnerable groups. 

The Mekong Support Unit (MAP SU) is seeking a skilled and strategic Monitoring, Evaluation & Learning (MEL) Manager to lead the MEL function for its flagship Leadership & Skills Program. This is a rare opportunity to join the program at its inception, to co-design and implement a best-in-class MEL system.

Pre-Tender Notice

PNG Biosecurity Infrastructure Project

On behalf of the Australian Government, the Economic and Social Infrastructure Program (ESIP) will soon invite tenders from suitably qualified contractor(s) to construct a new polymerase chain reaction (PCR) suite at the National Agriculture and Quarantine Inspection Authority (NAQIA) headquarters in Kila Kila, Port Moresby, Papua New Guinea.

The scope of works will include:

1. Construction of a purpose-built PCR laboratory facility with ancillary spaces and secure access.
2. Provision of specialised building services including HVAC, electrical, ICT, plumbing, and laboratory waste systems.
3. Laboratory fit-out and integration of specialist equipment.
4. Associated civil and site development works including foundations, external services, and security upgrades.
5. Compliance with relevant Australian and PNG building codes and occupational health and safety requirements.

The upcoming tender will be open to contractors that meet the eligibility and capability requirements outlined in the tender documentation, which will be released in the coming weeks.

Be part of a dynamic team as Scholar and Alumni Engagement Manager, inspiring meaningful connections and empowering a vibrant Mekong alumni community.

About the Program 

Investing in Women: Women in Inclusive Sustainable Economic Recovery (IW) is a multi-country Australian Government initiative in Southeast Asia that seeks to accelerate women’s economic empowerment through increased and equitable opportunities in the private sector, contributing to inclusive, sustainable economic recovery and growth in targeted countries. Our objective is to support women to thrive in the workplace and succeed in business.

Building on the results, partnerships and lessons established under the first seven years of the program, IW’s new phase will extend and deepen Australia’s contribution to advancing gender equality in Southeast Asia through influencing and growing an ecosystem of policymakers, business leaders, capital providers and women’s economic empowerment actors. 

Positioning women at the centre of economic resilience and accelerating their economic empowerment is critical to achieving a wide range of sustainable development objectives in Southeast Asia. As the region recovers from the COVID-19 pandemic, gender-sensitive economic recovery strategies will be critical to prevent further deterioration in women’s economic empowerment indicators as seen during COVID-19. Focus on an inclusive recovery seeks to harness the productivity, skills, capacity, talent, innovation, and leadership that women offer, and realise the benefits of women’s economic empowerment for themselves, their families, and their communities.

IW continues the ambitious agenda of advancing women’s economic empowerment through:

• Workplace Gender Equality (WGE), Workstream 1 – We support Business Coalitions that work with influential businesses on shifting workplace cultures, practices, and policy barriers to achieve workplace gender equality, with member companies together employing more than one million people;

• Enabling Policy Reforms, Workstream 2 – We support locally identified reform agendas that promote women’s workforce participation, generate support for the business case for WGE, and build the case for the value and importance of the care economy to business, the economy and women’s economic empowerment; 

• Campaigns and Communities of Practice, Workstream 3 – We support locally driven campaigns in Indonesia, the Philippines, and Vietnam that highlight positive examples of gender equality to strengthen public support for women’s economic participation. Through fostering a community of gender equality advocates, IW will continuously build evidence that supports the broader adoption of progressive attitudes and behaviours; and

• Gender Lens Investing, Workstream 4 – We work to increase investment in Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) that disproportionately benefit women in Indonesia, the Philippines and Vietnam. We do so by increasing capital providers’ demand for Gender Lens Investing strategies and products, catalysing the supply of financial instruments available to small businesses owned or led by women, and investing in the growth of SMEs that support women through a ‘fund of funds’ strategy. 

In collaboration with corporations and business leaders, policymakers and implementers, capital providers, entrepreneurs, and advocates, we are working with those who are driving change for women's economic equality in our region.

Investing in Women supports the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) 2030 Agenda and the leveraging of private sector investments to achieve the Goals. The SDGs recognise that gender equality is not only an essential human right, but a necessary foundation for peaceful, prosperous and sustainable societies. 

Australia’s Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT) has contracted Abt Associates Australia to implement Investing in Women. Abt Associates Australia is a mission-driven, global leader in research, evaluation and implementing programs in health, social and environmental policy and international development.

Investing in Women’s new phase is anticipated to be up to AUD 80 million in value, initially for four years (from January 2023 to June 2027), with an option to extend for a further six years. Initial countries of focus will be at least Indonesia, the Philippines and Vietnam, with some activities engaging at a regional level. Further information about Investing in Women can be found on the website: www.investinginwomen.asia.

An opportunity to be part of a panel of Climate Finance consultants providing advice on the Australian Government’s Climate Resilient Communities program in the Indo-Pacific, covering the Pacific, Southeast Asia and South Asia regions.

The Australia Awards South Asia & Mongolia program is seeking technical proposals from Registered Training Organisations in Australia, or Australian tertiary institutions as defined in the Higher Education Support Act, 2003 Table A, B and C, to design and deliver a Short Course on Gender-Responsive Interventions for Climate Adaptation and Mitigation for Policy Makers (Regional).

The Australia Awards South Asia & Mongolia program is seeking technical proposals from Registered Training Organisations in Australia, or Australian tertiary institutions as defined in the Higher Education Support Act, 2003 Table A, B and C, to design and deliver a Short Course on RFT03-2025 Building Export Competitiveness (Regional).

Background / Overview

The Australian Papua New Guinea Subnational (APSP) program through its Bougainville Partnership (BP) are currently implementing infrastructure upgrades in partnership with the Autonomous Bougainville Government and other government agencies in the law and justice sector in accordance with the Bougainville Police Infrastructure Project (BPIP) Preparation Plan.

The project locations agreed are Buka, Arawa & Buin Police Stations which are situated in the North, Central and Southern regions of the Autonomous Region of Bougainville (ARoB).

The infrastructure upgrades aim to deliver sustainable, quality and fit-for purpose infrastructure that supports policing throughout the Autonomous Region of Bougainville.

About the Proposal

On behalf of the Australian Government, the Economic and Social Infrastructure Program (ESIP) is seeking a contractor to further upgrade PNG Power Limited’s Kimbe power grid via an engineering, procurement and construction contract.  

This tender process is open to companies/contractors that can meet the eligibility and capability requirements outlined in the tender documentation.