MEL Lead – Solomon Island

Position description

Job Title MEL Lead – Solomon Islands
Project Name Solomon Islands-Australia Partnership for Governance
Job type Full time, contract to December 2025, with possibility of extension
Location of Position Honiara
Reporting to Governance Partnership Team Leader
Remuneration Salary range is AUD$139,000 to 154,000 inclusive of superannuation, depending on experience.
Indicative LOE/Time Frame 5pm AEST 18 March
Citizenship This position is open to experienced candidates currently based in Honiara or willing to relocate to Honiara at their own expense.
Language Requirements Proficiency in English (reading, writing, speaking) is required.
Application Deadline: March 11, 2025

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Alinea International (Asia and the Pacific) is a rapidly growing international development consulting firm dedicated to quality contributions towards sustainable futures with empowered communities. We are committed to supporting economic, social, and political development that leads to positive, inclusive and sustainable impacts. We provide a range of technical, advisory, facilitation, and managerial services tailored to the needs of our clients.

We work with the Australian Government and other international donors, civil society, non-governmental organisations, and private sector groups. As a certified B Corporation, Alinea International is proud to be an ethical business that upholds the highest standards of environmental and social performance and accountability throughout our work.

Alinea International (Asia and the Pacific) is part of the global Alinea International group, headquartered in Canada. www.alineainternational.com
At Alinea International we value diversity, equity, inclusivity, accessibility and belonging in everything we do. We are an equal opportunity employer opposed to all forms of discrimination. We actively seek and encourage applications from people of diverse backgrounds recognizing that an inclusive workforce enriches our organization and achieves smarter, more innovative results.

Alinea is committed to the protection of children and vulnerable adults. Due to the nature of our work, all candidates will be subject to due diligence checks and extensive background checks where appropriate.

About the Solomon Islands-Australia Partnership for Governance
The Solomon Islands-Australia Partnership for Governance (Governance Partnership or the partnership) is a AUD35.8 million investment funded by the Australian Government and managed by Abt Global (Abt).
The partnership complements Australia’s broader engagement in governance in Solomon Islands and aligns with the Solomon Islands National Development Strategy (2016-2035). Primarily the partnership focuses on strengthening Solomon Islands Government’s (SIG) central government financial management systems to enhance integrity, timeliness, and accuracy, as well as enhanced revenue generation and improved capability in targeted areas.

The partnership also works with SIG’s democracy institutions to promote political accountability and inclusive representative government. The partnership has four end-of-program outcomes (EOPOs):

• EOPO 1: SIG has strengthened public financial management and oversight.
• EOPO 2: SIG has improved domestic revenue generation and improved capability in targeted areas.
• EOPO 3: SIG has strengthened inclusive democratic processes and expanded opportunities for stakeholder engagement in public policy dialogue.
• EOPO 4: The program generates strengthened relationships between SIG and GoA.

Alinea International manages the Governance Partnership Monitoring Evaluation and Learning (MEL) Unit which delivers monitoring, evaluation, communication, and public diplomacy services to Abt, DFAT and SIG. It measures the partnership’s performance and results which Abt, DFAT and SIG use as evidence for decision-making and adaptive programming, and communication with program stakeholders.

The MEL Unit services are primarily guided by the partnership’s Monitoring, Evaluation, Research, Learning, and Adaptation (MERLA) Plan and Framework, and the Communication and Public Diplomacy Strategy in tandem with other key partnership plans and strategies including the investment design document, annual workplans, GEDSI Strategy and Action Plan. The unit manages data collection and analysis systems to ensure high-quality evidence.

About the Role
The MEL Lead manages the MEL Unit and is a key member of the Governance Partnership senior management team. They ensure the MEL Unit delivers high-quality MERLA outputs that meet DFAT’s Design Monitoring, Evaluation and Learning Standards and enables Abt, DFAT and SIG to track the partnership’s performance and results and have reliable evidence for effective decision-making and adaptive programming. These include the preparation and submission of reports and deliverables to Abt and DFAT.
Additionally, the MEL Lead ensures the partnership’s communication and public diplomacy outputs promote the partnership’s benefits and the mutual interests of the Governments of Solomon Islands and Australia.

Key Responsibilities
Under the direction of the Governance Partnership Team Leader, the MEL Lead:

• Manages the MERLA system and processes to enables the partnership to fulfil its reporting and accountability requirements, and inform its learning, planning and adaptive management activities.
• Leads regular reflection and learning activities including six monthly reflection and learning events, value for money assessments, impact assessments and rapid reviews.
• Manages all communication and public diplomacy activities and products that promote the partnership’s benefits and the mutual interests of the Governments of Solomon Islands and Australia.
• Leads the development of all MERLA reports and knowledge products including the partnership’s six-monthly reports, program completion report, and reflection and learning event reports.
• Reviews and regularly updates the Governance Partnership MERLA Plan and Framework and Communications and Public Diplomacy strategy.
• Integrates cross-cutting priorities of gender equality, disability, and social inclusion (GEDSI), safeguarding and climate and disaster resilience throughout MERLA and communication and public diplomacy activities and deliverables.
• Manages the MEL Unit staff and supports technical advisers, grantees, and sub-contractors to fulfill their reporting obligations to the partnership.
• Tracking and communicating progress to IOs, EOPOs and Goal/objective, and regular testing of the ToC.
• Working with the advisers on improving their reporting so progress towards EOPOs can be measured.
• Identifying risks and opportunities in real time, as information is collected.
• Cultivating a learning culture, regularly analysing data and summarising lessons in a way which is useful to the client and the program.
• Working collaboratively with the whole a team including supporting capacity development of local team members.
• Other duties as requested by DFAT and the Governance Partnership team leader.

Key Working Relationships

• Governance Partnership Team Leader and implementation team, technical advisers, grantees, sub-contractors.
• Australian High Commission investment managers.
• Abt Global Senior Program Delivery Manager and Contractor Representative.
• Alinea International Chief Operating Officer and Contractor Representative.
• Working with other consultants/advisers in Alinea and Abt teams as necessary.

Key Deliverables

• Six monthly progress reports.
• Six monthly reflection and learning events and reports.
• Program completion report.
• Knowledge and communication products.
• Support with DFAT’s evaluation and review processes.
• Appropriate handling of key program documents with accessible options as necessary.
• Public diplomacy events, media releases, social media posts for DFAT.
• Ad-hoc deliverables as required by Abt and DFAT.

Selection Criteria

• Tertiary degree (post graduate level preferred) in monitoring and evaluation, public financial management, international development, or related fields.
• At least 5 years in leading and managing MERLA systems for international development programs.
• Demonstrated expertise in qualitative and quantitative analysis, reporting and communicating complex information to diverse audience.
• Experience in leading reflection and learning events and advising on or operationalising learning and adaptation processes.
• Experience in integrating MERLA processes with communication and public diplomacy activities.
• Experience in integrating GEDSI and safeguarding priorities in MERLA systems and processes, and communication and public diplomacy activities.
• Experience with MS Office applications (Excel, Word, PowerPoint) and data management applications such as Dedoose.
• Good experience of drafting quality donor reports, often needing complex information/data analysis
• Excellent writing and reporting skills.
• Client focused.

Application instructions

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