Senior Scholarship Coordinator (x2) – Strongim Wok Long TVET

Senior Scholarship Coordinator (x2) – Strongim Wok Long TVET

· Fixed term contract up to 10 July 2028 (with possible extension)

· Based in Port Moresby, Papua New Guinea

· Open to PNG national candidates only

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 2,000 employees operating in 75-plus countries and a global network of over 35,000 experts, we help improve economies, societies, and, most importantly, people's lives.

About PNG-Australia Strongim Wok Long TVET (SWLT)

The PNG–Australia Strongim Wok Long Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) (SWLT) program is a four-year, AUD 80 million investment by the Australian Government Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT) to support Papua New Guinea’s (PNG) efforts to strengthen its TVET sector. Aligned with PNG’s national priority to build an educated and skilled workforce for resilient economic growth, SWLT aims to enhance the quality, relevance, and inclusiveness of skills development. The program supports improvements in national quality assurance systems, technical college standards, graduate employability, and Australia’s visible and trusted development partnership with PNG.

The program aligns with the broader goals of the Australia–PNG Development Partnership Plan 2024–2029 , which emphasizes locally led development, education investment, and inclusive growth, as well as PNG’s Higher and Technical Education Reform Act 2020 .

This Opportunity

As Senior Scholarship Coordinator you will lead the operational execution, compliance, and administration of the TVET scholarship portfolio ensuring scholarships are administered efficiently, transparently and in accordance with donor requirements and program policies. This role bridges strategic policy and ground-level execution, ensuring selection processes are transparent, financial management and supports the full scholarship lifecycle, from promotion and selection through to mobilisation, scholar support, monitoring, completion and alumni engagement under the direction of the Scholarship Lead and DHERST as key partners

This will include

· Lead the annual end-to-end scholarship cycle, including application design, marketing campaigns, eligibility screening, and award processes.

· Manage scholarship application processes, assessments, interviews, implement student selection criteria and clear scoring matrices and ensure alignment with priority skill quotas.

· Manage the scholarship disbursement budget, approve tuition payments to TVET colleges, and ensure zero-error financial tracking.

· Quality control and problem solving, make sure SWLT scholarship processes run smoothly, fix issues quickly, and ensure students and partner technical colleges get clear and timely support.

· Compliance and risk management, check that all SWLT scholarship activities follow DFAT and GoPNG rules, and identify risks early to avoid mistakes or delays.

· Provide Scholar support in coordinating predeparture and orientation activities.

· Coordinating response to scholar enquiries and emerging issues.

· Facilitate communication between scholars and education institutions.

· Manage the accurate and up-to-date scholarship records in relevant databases and systems and its reporting.

· Prepare regular reports on scholarship uptake, progress, outcomes, and issues.

· Contribute to MERL activities, including data collection and report

· Ensure scholarship contracts, agreements and reports are complete, accurate and compliant

· Monitor scholarship budgets and financial documentation

· Supervise, mentor, and evaluate TVET Scholarship Coordinators to ensure high-quality service delivery and accurate data management.

· Coordination and communication, act as the main contact between students, colleges, finance teams, and managers to ensure everyone understands processes, timelines, and responsibilities.

About you

You will demonstrate proven experience in the following areas:

· Demonstrate extensive experience in the delivery, and oversight of scholarship programs, including management of scholarship support systems, with a strong track record of working with technical colleges or other relevant training institutions.

· Demonstrate proven senior-level program management experience, with the ability to lead, plan, and oversee complex program activities in a development context, including strong expertise in financial management, compliance, and risk mitigation.

· Demonstrate highly developed interpersonal and communication skills, both verbal and written, with demonstrated ability to build and sustain effective relationships with a wide range of stakeholders, including government counterparts, partners, and service providers.

· Demonstrated experience promoting inclusive and equitable access to programs, with a strong understanding of gender equality, disability inclusion, and social inclusion principles.

· Demonstrate strong leadership capability, including the ability to work autonomously, provide strategic direction, and effectively guide and support team members to achieve program objectives.

· Demonstrate active contribution to and leadership within diverse teams, fostering a collaborative, inclusive, and results-driven culture that promotes continuous learning and improvement.

· Demonstrated commitment to locally-led development approaches, including applying socially inclusive, politically informed, and adaptive programming principles in program design and implementation.

To Apply

Please submit your application online, including your CV and brief cover letter, outlining your suitability in line with the requirements of the position.

Closing date: Saturday 25 th July 2026, 11.59pm AEST

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 to be made due to a disability or you are a neurodivergent individual or for any other circumstance, please email our team at accessibility@thepalladiumgroup.com 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.