Community Technical Lead

We are searching for an experienced Community Technical Lead at the Samoa Tautua Program. 

Primary Duties and Responsibilities: 

Position Title

Community Technical Lead

Duration / Term

Full-time FXTE, until 15 Nov 2025 with option of 2-year extension
(DFAT has indicated intention to extend the program/head contract pending clearances)

Location

Apia, Samoa

Appointment

Samoan National

Travel

Within Samoa as required

Reporting to

Team Leader

Objective

The Community Technical lead is a crucial role within the Technical Team and involves a strategic, collaborative and coordinated approach with a strong focus in critical analysis, designing, implementing and monitoring activities that promote human development and address critical social issues under the Tautua program.

About the Tautua Program

The Tautua Program assists in the delivery of Australia’s commitments to the development of Samoa through building and supporting the human development foundations required for Samoa’s health security, economic recovery, and continued stability thereafter. Tautua prioritises five interconnected pillars of human development: Education, Health, Gender Equality, Disability and Social Protection. Guided by the Government of Samoa, Tautua provides opportunity to create transformative change in human development by addressing complex development needs though multi-sectoral, innovative approaches that identify and focus on the underlying issues. Simultaneously, Tautua intends to be able to respond to emergency, short-term needs, build capacity and through research, monitoring and evaluation apply lessons learned and evidence-based decision making to continuously improve delivery.  The goal for Tautua is 'improved health, education, gender equality and social outcomes, and social harmony for all Samoans'.

Tautua has three end-of-investment outcomes (EOIOs):

EOIO1: Samoans, especially women and girls, youth, persons with disabilities, the vulnerable and those living in hardship, have more equitable access to health, education, disability and social protection services.

EOIO2: Samoans benefit from the delivery of more inclusive, gender-responsive and higher-quality health, education, community and social development, and social protection services in line with GoS priority areas.

EOIO3: Tautua is an effective partnership between the Governments of Samoa and Australia that supports Samoa’s human development priorities and contributes positively to the bilateral relationship, and delivers the specific EOIOs of each of the sub-programs.

Scope of Services

The Technical Lead for the Community sector is responsible for leading engagement in the sector to identify support priorities and oversee the planning, implementation, monitoring and evaluation of initiatives aimed at addressing   critical social issues within the community. It includes ensuring effective stakeholder engagement and relationship management by consulting with DFAT, maintaining strategic partnerships, fostering collaboration, supporting policy implementation, and integrating GEDSI initiatives within the Tautua Program. The Technical Lead provides strategic and management guidance, oversee performance of the technical advisers and the program activity coordinator, collaborate with technical teams, promote a culture of learning within the Tautua team and keep the Team Leader informed. The Technical Lead prioritises ongoing desk reviews and analysis, conduct environmental scanning, contribute to sector policy priorities, and ensure strategic alignment of requests to foster innovative, evidence-based solutions to critical social issues. The Technical Lead leads the development of community program plans, budgets, and reports, contributes to monitoring and evaluation, manages technical assistance and advisors, develops necessary documentation, oversees budgets and program activities, and ensures timely reporting within the Tautua program.

Responsible Technical Area

The Technical Lead will be responsible for managing community-related programming and be the key focal point for the following governance forums and responsible lead agency.

·         Sector and Governance Forum:             Community Sector, Community Sector Steering Committee and Subsector Working Groups

·         Responsible Lead Agency and Focal Point:     Ministry of Women, Community and Social Development, ACEO Research, Policy and Planning

Programming Integration

The Technical Lead has a pivotal role in developing and implementing program interventions and activities. While the Technical Lead's primary responsibility lies in overseeing and advancing community sector activities that address critical social issues, it is imperative that a cross-sectoral and GEDSI focus is applied in program design and implementation. 

a)      Cross-sectoral: must promote program integration by identifying and harnessing cross-sectoral opportunities to maximise the impact of program delivery by addressing interconnected development challenges.  Ensure a unified approach through demonstrated collaboration and consultation with other Technical Leads, including an exchange of knowledge and expertise.

b)     Gender, Equality, Disability and Social Inclusion (GEDSI): must be prioritised across all program processes and activities.  This involves embedding GEDSI principles and consideration, in line with Tautua’s Program Design and GEDSI Strategy, into the core of activity design, implementation and evaluation.  The Technical Lead will lead on proactively identifying opportunities related to targeted GEDSI interventions in their responsible sector.

Duties

1.        Strategic Leadership and Management

a)      Provide strategic, programmatic and management guidance and advice across the Critical Social Issue components under the Tautua program.  This will require an ability to think critically within an analytical framework, identifying core issues and thinking adaptively.

b)      Provide guidance to the Program Activity Coordinator (Community) through strong leadership, mentoring and coaching.

c)       Provide effective performance management and oversight of the Community Program Activity Coordinator’s work management and deliverables.

d)      Work collaboratively and cohesively with the Technical Team within the program, ensuring adherence to the principles and ways of working described in the Tautua Investment Design Document (IDD) and the Government of Australia (GoA) and Government of Samoa (GoS) Ways of Working Agreement (WoWA).

e)      Assist the Performance, Quality and Learning Manager and Team Leader in promoting a culture of reflection, learning and adaptation within the team.

f)        Provide advice and ensure the Team Leader is kept apprised of implementation work and emerging developments.

2.        Stakeholder Engagement and Relationship Management

a)      Ensure DFAT Program Managers are consulted and kept apprised of strategic approaches and progress made with design and implementation of program activities.

b)      Assist the Team Leader in maintaining a strategic and productive working relationship with DFAT through timely information sharing and quality deliverables

c)       Represent Tautua and foster collaboration with key stakeholders and implementing partners.  Serve as one of the key focal points for key GoS partners, DFAT, NZMFAT, suppliers and other stakeholders under the program.

d)      Build networks and think and work politically to link with other sectors within Tautua for cross-component collaboration, cross-sectoral learning and program integration opportunities.  This will require an ability to coach and manage stakeholder expectations.

e)      Broker strategic partnerships and proactively support key actors in the respective lead sectors to ideate, co-create, test, and pursue solutions to important challenges; as well as promote a culture of reflection, learning, adaptation and collaboration. 

f)        Nurture and manage key strategic partnerships and engagements with designated Civil Society Organisations (CSO). This includes working with the program’s GEDSI and Safeguarding specialists to provide and deliver GEDSI and safeguarding support and training.

g)      Ensure that fit-for-purpose GEDSI initiatives and safeguards are mainstreamed across all community sector activities.

h)      Provide informal, day-to-day support to key Samoan stakeholders in their pursuit of effective and timely policy implementation and analysis.

i)        Provide facilitation and moderated support during consultation

3.        Technical Innovation, Research and Analysis

a)      Prioritise and undertake desk review and analysis on an ongoing basis, building a knowledge repository to inform work design and approaches.  Enable innovative, evidence-based and stakeholder informed approaches and solutions to critical social issues.

b)      Undertake regular environmental scanning and political economy analysis.

c)       Contribute to long-term sector policy priorities and effective modality.

d)      Critically analyse and vet requests to ensure strategic alignment to program objectives and mandate.  Contest solutions and manage stakeholder expectations.

4.        Project Management, Monitoring and Reporting

a.       Lead the development of community program plans, budgets and reports as part of Tautua plans and reports – Six-month Progress Report, Annual Work Plan and Annual Report.  Deliverables are developed to a high quality and on time.

b.      Identify potential risks early, evaluating their impact, developing strategies to mitigate them, and continuously monitoring and adjusting these strategies to ensure the program’s success.

c.       Contribute actively to evidence and information requirements in line with the Tautua Monitoring, Evaluation and Learning Plan as part of ongoing implementation work.  This will include reporting and monitoring against activities, interventions and critical social issue areas.

d.      Work effectively with the Operations Manager to commission Technical Assistance required to enable program activities.  Support the development of Terms of Reference and Performance Indicators to ensure work is implemented successfully and to a high standard.  Manage Technical Advisors in collaboration with lead agencies, to meet contractual obligations and performance requirements; as well as complete and submit Advisor Performance Assessments.  Undertake Advisor Performance Assessments.

e.      Support government and civil society partners to develop Concept Notes, Tasking Notes, Terms of Reference (ToR) and Proposals in line with identified activities and interventions.  It includes supporting the building of capacity of partners to develop these documents. Facilitate endorsement of relevant documentation through the Tautua Governance pathways.

f.        Work with Technical Team, Senior Finance Coordinator and Operations Manager in the development and monthly monitoring of Program activity budgets and forecasts for the sector. 

g.      Work with the Technical Team and Program Coordinators to design and implement multi-sectoral approaches where appropriate and effectively coordinate and manage program activities.

h.      Work effectively with Grants Manager and Safeguarding specialist to oversee, monitor and support designated CSO partner implementation, reporting and compliance with due diligence requirements.

i.         Provide timely reporting to the Team Leader, DFAT and the DFAT Technical Meeting as needed.

5.        Other duties:

a.    Contribute actively to a dynamic and collaborative team culture in line with organisational and team values. 

b.    Perform other functions as may be required from time to time, consistent with skills and experience, as agreed with the Team leader and/or Palladium’s Program Manager.

Selection Criteria:

§  Master’s degree in leadership, business administration, anthropology, human resources, international development, or another relevant field, with demonstrated experience.

§  Demonstrated solid experience in addressing social issues, including gender equality, disability, social inclusion and social protection, specifically within the Samoan context.

§  Extensive knowledge and understanding of the cultural and regional dynamics that influence these social constructs in Samoa and the broader Pacific region.

§  Ability to apply this understanding to develop and implement effective strategies and initiatives that address these critical social issues.

§  At least 5 years in development program experience.

Applications must include (1) a written response addressing the selection criteria outlined in the TOR; and (2) an updated CV. All applications must be submitted before 5pm, 27 July 2025 (GMT+13 Samoa Standard Time).
Our company provides equal employment opportunities (EEO) to all employees and applicants for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, national origin, age, disability or genetics.