INOVASI 3 - District Officer in NTT

Background:
Indonesia’s Vision 2045 sets the goal for Indonesia to transition from a resource-based economy towards an advanced service, technology, and knowledge-based economy by the centenary of its independence (2045). The 2025-2045 National Long Term Development Plan emphasises the urgency of Indonesia’s human resource development to fully realise 2045 goals.

Faced however with persistent low student performance that is emblematic of a learning crisis, significant improvement in student learning will be required to reach Indonesia’s 2045 goals. Government of Indonesia (GoI) has started an ambitious program of education reforms. Successive education ministers have set out to modernise the education system through reforming the national curriculum and teaching and assessment approaches, to produce citizens with strong foundational skills, open minds, and inclusive values. 

Australia is a long-term supporter of the Indonesian basic education sector, with continuous investments supporting education quality improvements for the past two decades, including through the INOVASI program (Phase 1 2016-2020; Phase 2 2020-2023) that focused on supporting acquisition of literacy and numeracy foundational skills in early grades classrooms; exploring local problems and solutions; and generating evidence to inform government policy development and practices.

This third phase of INOVASI (2024-2027) builds upon the existing program’s approach and lessons learned and takes the focus on the development of foundational skills through to the end of the primary grades. Phase 3 will engage with priority issues of Australia’s development policy: gender equality, effective inclusion of children with a disability, responses to the climate change challenge in education. It will focus on the challenge of policy implementation and the gaps that exist between national policies and practices at district and school levels, and use the well attested-success of INOVASI’s local problem-based approach to continuously support policy development for effective fit between policy and implementation context.

INOVASI Phase 3 is implemented in 25 districts and cities across Indonesia, in the provinces of West Nusa Tenggara, East Nusa Tenggara, North Kalimantan, East Java, West Java, and Maluku. The program also works in Ibu Kota Nusantara (IKN).

The Program is managed by Palladium on behalf of the Government of Australia through the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT).

Purpose of the Position: The District Officer is responsible for strengthening district-level education ecosystems by enhancing stakeholder collaboration, policy alignment, and capacity-building. The role combines support for inclusive teaching/learning practices, instructional leadership, and climate-responsive strategies while ensuring effective implementation of INOVASI’s goals.

Duties: Under the direction of Provincial Manager and the Coordinators, the District Officer’s main duties will include:

Establish and maintain close relationships with key partners Dinas Pendidikan, BPMP, BGP, BDK, MoRA, DPRD, CSOs, universities (LPTK), Organisation of People with Disability (OPD), and other stakeholders to facilitate implementations of activities and initiatives that strengthen the ecosystem;Facilitate activities aimed at strengthening the commitment and collaboration of government bodies and stakeholders. The goal is to implement and devise new policies and regulations that enhance the attainment of inclusive Minimum Service Standards including Rapor Pendidikan, while promoting the use of disaggregated data and evidence;Facilitate the implementation of activities and initiatives to improve supervisors’ capacities in supporting schools and madrasahs to strengthen principals’ leadership practices, teaching and learning quality to increase students’ foundational outcomes. The implementation will be based on the Guiding Notes, suited to local needs and context;Support the implementation of INOVASI’s GEDSI and climate change strategies at the district level to ensure stakeholders are working towards creating learning environment that is safe, inclusive and sustainable. Collaborate with relevant units to guarantee that support is technically sound and is responsive to institutional contexts and realities;Coordinate the implementation of possible piloting activities at the district level to improve teachers’ and principals’ capacities and practices in curriculum and assessment, literacy and numeracy, character education, integrated school framework, GEDSI and climate change;Plan, monitor, and report on district-level activities, ensuring adherence to budgets, work plans, and INOVASI guidelines;Prepare timely report, work plans, budget revisions, and monitoring updates, for provincial and national teams;Address emerging challenges through problem-solving and innovation.Perform other duties as directed by supervisors and in line with the officers' skills and experience.

Qualifications and Experience:
The District Officer will possess the following qualifications and experience:

A bachelor's degree in education or a related field from an accredited institution. A Master’s Degree in a relevant field is preferred;Three years of proven experience in educational development programs within non-profit or development organizations. Experience in key focus areas for INOVASI, such as primary education, teacher quality development, school management and leadership, foundational skills, engagement with government and stakeholders, community participation, and/or GEDSI;Demonstrated understanding of teaching learning and instructional leadership issues and practices;Demonstrated strong organizational and communication skills;Proven ability to achieve tangible results;Ability to innovate, improvise and solve problems;Fluency in written and spoken Indonesian essential. Basic proficiency in English is an advantage;Politically and culturally sensitive, possessing qualities of patience, tact, and diplomacy;Ability to manage stress, prioritize tasks, and remain flexible and accommodating under challenging circumstances;Strong understanding of the Indonesian educational systems, mechanisms and procedures;Computer literacy, including proficiency in Microsoft Word, Excel, PowerPoint, and email;Experience with DFAT or another development agency, especially within the education sector, is an advantage.

Application closes on Tuesday, 22 July at 23:59 Jakarta time

Equity, Diversity & Inclusion - Palladium is committed to embedding equity, diversity, and inclusion into everything we do. 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 and expression, religion, ethnicity, sexual orientation, disability, nationality, veteran, marital or Indigenous status.
Women are encouraged to apply