Deputy Team Leader, International Scholarship Program

Deputy Team Leader – Technical, International Scholarship Program

About Palladium

Palladium is a global leader in the design, development, and delivery of Positive Impact – the intentional creation of enduring social, climate and economic value. We work with governments, businesses, and investors to help solve the world’s most pressing challenges. With a team of more than 4,000 employees operating in 90-plus countries and a global network of over 35,000 experts, we help improve economies, societies, the environment, and, most importantly, people’s lives.

The Program

The Australia Awards Global Support Mechanism (AAGSM) is a new initiative designed to enhance the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade’s (DFAT) international scholarship program delivery by providing operational, technical and analytical services. The AAGSM consists of the Program Support Unit (PSU) – responsible for operational and technical services to DFAT and the scholarship delivery network, and the Research and Analytical Support Unit (RASU) – responsible for analytical and research services for international scholarship programs. Palladium delivers the AAGSM PSU and cooperates with DFAT to ensure effective functioning with the RASU.

The role

The Deputy Team Leader, Technical, as part of the Senior Management Team, will lead the technical support team, by ensuring high quality, coherent, consistent and fit for purpose technical support services that also promote gender equality, disability and social inclusion outcomes throughout DFAT’s international scholarship programs network. You will work closely with the Senior Management Team to ensure coherence across the PSU and lead the inputs and workflow of the technical support team according to the agreed Six-Monthly Work Plans. You will identify opportunities for collaboration, efficiency and innovative approaches to delivering outcomes and strategic priorities (particularly Australian development priorities), including collaboration with other DFAT funded programs.

Leadership responsibilities will ensure:

• Services enrich the experience of scholars and alumni and enhance perception and visibility of Australia’s international scholarship programs.
• Performance monitoring and reporting services support enhanced accountability, international scholarship programs’ performance management and communication of outcomes
• Gender Equality Disability and Social Inclusion (GEDSI) services proactively address GEDSI and safeguarding issues and barriers on gender, sexual orientation or gender identity, race, location or accessibility throughout the scholarship cycle.
• Disability support services enable recipients with disability to fully and equitably participate in the scholarship and develop as leaders.
• First Nations engagement and policy support facilitates sustainable engagement with First Nations Australian communities
• Country programs have access to high quality on demand services to meet their needs.
• The scholarship delivery network has access to knowledge sharing services including a Knowledge Hub and peer-to-peer learning.

About you

You will have significant experience in large complex donor program delivery (preferably DFAT) with a working knowledge of Australian development priorities. You will have previous experience in team leadership and management, particularly for a diverse / multi-cultural team.

Additional key requirements include:

• Considerable leadership experience in international scholarship program management and/or public diplomacy programs is highly desirable.
• Highly developed interpersonal and social skills including cross-cultural experience and communication skills, business writing skills and the ability to influence a wide range of stakeholders.
• Demonstrated excellence in client management and stakeholder engagement to maintain engaged and productive relationships.

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.

Should you require any adjustments or accommodations to be made due to a disability or you are a neurodivergent individual or for any other circumstance, please email our team at [email protected] and we will be in touch to discuss.

Safeguarding – We define Safeguarding as “the preventative action taken by Palladium to protect our people, clients and the communities we work with from harm”. We are committed to ensuring that all children and adults who come into contact with Palladium are treated with respect and are free from abuse. All successful candidates will be subject to an enhanced selection process including safeguarding-focused interviews and a rigorous due diligence process.

Application closing date: Sunday 13th April 2025