Civil Society Organisations (CSO) and Community Services Adviser – VAPJP At Palladium International

Company Overview:

About Palladium – Palladium is a global leader in the design, development and delivery of Positive Impact – the intentional creation of enduring social and economic value. We work with governments, businesses, and investors to solve the world’s most pressing challenges. With a team of more than 3,000 employees operating in 90 plus countries and a global network of over 35,000 experts, we help improve economies, societies and, most importantly, people’s lives.

Diversity, Equity & Inclusion – 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, religion, ethnicity, sexual orientation, disability, nationality, veteran, marital or Indigenous status.

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Project Overview and Role:

The Program

The Vanuatu Australia Policing and Justice Program (VAPJP) is a long-standing and integral part of Australia’s aid investments in Vanuatu, delivering policing and justice sector support. It has a hybrid modality and a joint management approach between Palladium, as Managing Contractor for the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT), and the Australian Federal Police (AFP).

The program implements a ‘two-track’ strategy which involves pre-positioning resources to support the Government of Vanuatu (GoV) to respond to challenges to the maintenance of security and the rule of law; and building longer-term capability to provide the justice and policing services needed by communities. The program has a range of input modalities, including technical assistance, operational support and funding, training and professional development, community grants, infrastructure, and project delivery.

VAPJP entered its second 4-year phase (2021-2024) in January 2021. The implementation of VAPJP Phase Two is guided by a Design Update document.

The End of Program Outcomes (EOPOs) as articulated in the Design Update document[1] include:

Justice and policing agencies improve quality and reach of services to Vanuatu communities, particularly in their handling of cases involving women, children and youth.
Women, children and youth are increasingly accessing state policing, justice and community services.
Policing and Justice agencies maintain public security and the rule of law.

Purpose

Support provided by the CSO and Community Services Adviser will assist the program in achieving the EOPOs, Intermediate Outcomes and Outputs detailed above by engaging with, and supporting, targeted and relevant NGOs, CSOs and CBOs. The Adviser is intended to achieve, but is not limited to, the following overarching role objectives:

To coordinate and oversee the VAPJP Community Grants facility (and associated processes);
To support grantee organisations in their strategic decision-making, governance, corporate functions (including HR and finance) and sustainability efforts, as required and requested by grantees;
To facilitate CBO and NGO partnerships with GoV to improve access and quality of services by women, children, and vulnerable people;
To support civil society and the community services sector to develop processes and systems to facilitate the chain of justice across the policing, justice, and community services sectors;
To build the capacity of justice and policing agencies to access GoV, CBO and NGO services to support vulnerable people;
To support and facilitate cross-sector capacity development initiatives; and
To support the Justice and Community Services Decentralisation Program.

Key functions for the position in support of the objectives above are as follows:

Enhance the impact of VAPJP activity outcomes through support to NGOs, CSOs and CBOs;
Strengthen therapeutic referral systems between the Community Services sector and key GoV partners, (i.e., Vanuatu Women’s Centre (VWC), Vanuatu Society for People with Disability (VSPD), MJCS Child Desk, Ministry of Health, the Courts, Police, Prosecutions, and the Public Solicitor’s Office (PSO));
Coordinate and oversee the VAPJP Community Grants facility and processes (including support to potential grantees on the application process);
Facilitating provision of ongoing support to grantees as required.
Support communication and coordination between GoV, Donors and identified NGOs, CSOs and CBOs;
Support the establishment, coordination, and outcomes of the Community Forum Group;
Support community and civil society sector engagement with GoV during disaster response;
Support the development and roll-out of a decentralised service delivery model for justice and community services through VAPJP programs;
Monitoring and reporting on support provided; and
Collaboration as a member of a multi-disciplinary team of VAPJP Advisers with the collective responsibility of achieving the program’s EOPOs by mutually reinforcing strategies developed by the program as well as participating in processes that facilitate this.

Required Qualifications:

Key qualifications and experience sought are as follows:

A degree in community development, gender, law, or other relevant fields
At least 5 years’ relevant professional experience, including experience supporting civil society or other similar organisations with governance and strategic decision-making processes as well as administrative functioning (including HR and finance)
Experience working in international development
Experience working with NGOs and CBOs in the Pacific
Experience working in the field of inclusive community development
Experience in implementing programs to promote and mainstream gender, disability, and social inclusion (GEDSI)
Experience and demonstrable skills in training delivery and confidence in leading and facilitating group discussions, planning, and training
Experience and demonstrable skills in supporting organisations’ financial record-keeping
Demonstrated ability to work effectively with people at all levels of an organisation, maximising cooperation
Demonstrated ability to work collaboratively and respectfully in a cross-cultural setting
An understanding of Grants management and Commonwealth Procurement Rules
Strong oral, written and communication skills appropriate to a range of levels and audiences
Previous experience working in Melanesian cultures (desirable)
Driver’s licence (desirable)