About Palladium
Palladium is a global company working to design, develop and deliver positive impact on the lives and livelihoods of people around the globe; broaden access to health, water, power, and infrastructure; build enduring, sustainable, and transformative institutions and market systems to address global challenges; and conserve the natural world. We operate in over 90 countries and have a workforce of 4,000 talented, motivated, and diverse staff of all religions, races, languages, and gender identities.

About Program
The New Colombo Plan (NCP) is an initiative of the Australian government that aims to lift knowledge of the Indo Pacific in Australia by supporting undergraduates to study and undertake internships in the region, ultimately helping to strengthen Australia’s regional standing by building a diverse cohort of Australian alumni with deeper Indo-Pacific knowledge, capability, and con nections.

Palladium is the Service Provider appointed to deliver the NCP Managed Administrative and Support Services (NCP MASS) program, reporting to and working closely with DFAT’s New Colombo Plan Secretariat (NCS) team, who have overall responsibility for program strategy, policy, and oversight. Palladium provides an integrated suite of services to enable the NCP’s operational delivery and support the achievement of the program’s strategic objectives across three programs: scholarships, mobility grants, and alumni.

The success of the NCP is underpinned by the support and contributions of a range of stakeholders, including Australian undergraduate students, NCP alumni, Australian universities, a range of host organisations in the Indo-Pacific (education institutions and language training providers, businesses, and other organisations), as well as DFAT Posts in the region and other government departments and agencies. NCP MASS provides support for all NCS communications and stakeholder engagement activities, including organising events, providing information on the NCP and delivering promotional campaigns relating to the NCP Scholarships, Mobility, and Alumni Programs.

Role
The Communications and Engagement Manager is responsible for leading the communications and stakeholder engagement functions of the NCP MASS program, ensuring that high quality, timely, brand compliant services and advice are delivered to the NCP Program. The role is responsible for developing and implementing communications and stakeholder engagement plans for the NCP, under the direction of the DFAT NCS and in support of the NCP’s strategic communications and engagement objectives. The role has overall responsibility for supporting the delivery of multi-faceted communication, promotions, and stakeholder engagement approaches across all the Scholarships, Mobility, and Alumni programs, as well as ensuring events and other s takeholder engagement activities are supported by robust communications strategies and plans.

This role reports to the NCP MASS Director and is a member of the NCP MASS management team. The role is full-time, fixed term contract until 30 June 2025, although part-time/hybrid working arrangements will be considered.

Location
Our preference is for the role to be based in Adelaide or Brisbane; however, we will consider candidates who are based in other locations in Australia.

Primary Duties and Responsibilities
The Communications and Engagement Manager will be responsible for the development, publication, monitoring, evaluation, and reporting of communications activities and digital content across a range of channels. The position will manage the creation of content, including ideation, planning, copywriting, design, video, and photo production. Duties include the preparation and publication of written an d visual communications, social media management, event design and implementation, and brand management. The role will also manage service providers and consultants contracted to produce high quality communications products and activities. The role will lead in managing the relationship with the NCS communications and engagement counterparts in delivering high quality services in accordance with contractual requirements and client expectations.

This position is also required to take an internal client servicing approach by providing functional communications and promotions support across the Scholarships, Mobility, and Alumni programs, and ensuring all campaigns, events and engagement activities are supported by integrated communications plans.

Key skills and experience

• Experience in government communications in a client delivery context, with a strong understanding of brand compliance, public diplomacy, and stakeholder.
• Demonstrated experience managing communications and stakeholder engagement functions, leading the development of communications plans and promotional campaigns.
• Exceptional client relationship management and project management skills, with experience designing and delivering communications plans and projects to meet set objectives, outcomes and service level standards.
• Demonstrated ability to manage multiple projects simultaneously with competing deadlines and multiple stakeholders, including the management of subcontractors and consultants.
• Strong process skills and the ability to develop systems, tools, and processes to improve project efficiency and effectiveness.
• Exceptional interpersonal skills with the ability to effectively communicate both written and verbally and build a rapport with a diverse range of stakeholders both internally and externally to deliver successful events, programs, and services.
• Experience in leading and developing teams and providing internal client services to deliver communications activities in support of wider program objectives and plans.
• Strong analytical thinking and pro-active problem solving.
• Fluency in English.
• Demonstrated commitment to diversity and inclusion, particularly in a cross-cultural context.

Desired

• Experience of delivering projects and/or events for scholarships and awards programs, or international development programs.
• Tertiary qualification in a relevant discipline such as communications and marketing, public diplomacy, and international development.

Applications close date – 20th September 2024

For more information about the role, please send your inquiry to: ncp.recruitment@thepalladiumgroup.com

Please note – we are only accepting applications from job seekers with full working rights within Australia as this role is unable to be sponsored.

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.

Safeguarding – We define Safeguarding as “the preventive 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.