Program Manager

HorizonOne Recruitment; Canberra; On-site; AUD 257,887,000 - 315,195,000; Full time

Job summary

HorizonOne Recruitment is assisting a large federal government department in Canberra. The Program Manager will lead day-to-day delivery of a regional disaster resilience program, ensuring governance, budget, risk management and strong partner engagement across the Pacific and Timor-Leste.

The role involves coordinating with Commonwealth agencies, UN bodies, NGOs and financial institutions, maturing governance frameworks for MEL, GEDSI, and communications, and advancing anticipatory action and

Qualifications

• Demonstrated experience managing and coordinating complex, multi-stakeholder programs, including work planning, budgeting, contract management, risk management, monitoring and reporting.
• Ability to build and maintain relationships with government, multilateral, NGO, private sector, research and regional partners across complex, cross-cultural environments.
• Solid knowledge of international development and humanitarian programming principles.

Responsibilities

• Leading day-to-day program management alongside the department’s Disaster Risk Reduction and Preparedness team, keeping delivery on time, on budget and aligned to agreed objectives
• Coordinating governance meetings, annual work planning, budgeting, risk management and performance reporting
• Managing implementing partners, technical advisers and service providers, including scopes of work, deliverables, timelines and contract performance
• Developing and applying program governance frameworks across monitoring and evaluation, climate, GEDSI and communications, and mobilising technical support panels and mechanisms
• Engaging regional mechanisms, international finance institutions, disaster risk financing actors and insurers to strengthen pre-arranged financing for anticipatory action
• Representing the program in governance, coordination and regional policy forums, and identifying communications and public diplomacy opportunities
• Embedding GEDSI, First Nations perspectives, locally led development, safeguarding and climate integration across delivery, monitoring and reporting

Skills

Multi-stakeholder program management

Governance & reporting

Budget management

Risk management

Stakeholder relationship building

International development knowledge

Disaster risk reduction

Communications

Job description

Our client is a large federal government department responsible for delivering Australia’s international development and humanitarian assistance program across the Pacific and Timor-Leste.

Australia’s international development policy commits to helping partner governments and communities in the region strengthen resilience to climate-related disasters, in line with the Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction.

It’s an area of growing investment: every dollar spent on disaster risk reduction is estimated to save up to eight dollars in post-disaster recovery costs.

The Opportunity

This role sits within a regional disaster resilience program, a Commonwealth initiative working with partner governments and communities in the Pacific and Timor-Leste to strengthen anticipatory and early action systems ahead of climate-related disasters.

As a Program Manager, managing day-to-day delivery alongside the department’s Disaster Risk Reduction and Preparedness team.

You’ll have the opportunity to:

• Take carriage of a well-funded, high-profile regional program with real influence over its direction, rather than a narrow delivery remit
• Build a broad stakeholder network, from Commonwealth agencies and Pacific partner governments to UN agencies, NGOs and international financial institutions
• Contribute to the ongoing development of program governance frameworks across MEL, climate, GEDSI and communications, rather than administering ones already fixed
• Specialise in a growing area of Australia’s international development effort: disaster risk financing and anticipatory action

The Role

As Program Manager, you’ll take day-to-day carriage of the program’s delivery, governance and stakeholder relationships.

Your responsibilities will include:

• Leading day-to-day program management alongside the department’s Disaster Risk Reduction and Preparedness team, keeping delivery on time, on budget and aligned to agreed objectives
• Coordinating governance meetings, annual work planning, budgeting, risk management and performance reporting
• Managing implementing partners, technical advisers and service providers, including scopes of work, deliverables, timelines and contract performance
• Developing and applying program governance frameworks across monitoring and evaluation, climate, GEDSI and communications, and mobilising technical support panels and mechanisms
• Engaging regional mechanisms, international finance institutions, disaster risk financing actors and insurers to strengthen pre-arranged financing for anticipatory action
• Representing the program in governance, coordination and regional policy forums, and identifying communications and public diplomacy opportunities
• Embedding GEDSI, First Nations perspectives, locally led development, safeguarding and climate integration across delivery, monitoring and reporting

The Ideal Person

You’re likely to have led complex, multi-stakeholder programs before, and you’re comfortable managing governance, budgets, risk and reporting while keeping a wide network of partners pulling in the same direction.

You will bring the following skills and experience:

• Demonstrated experience managing and coordinating complex, multi-stakeholder programs, including work planning, budgeting, contract management, risk management, monitoring and reporting
• The ability to build and maintain relationships with government, multilateral, NGO, private sector, research and regional partners across complex, cross-cultural environments
• Sound knowledge of international development and humanitarian programming principles
• An understanding of disaster risk reduction, anticipatory and early action systems, and disaster risk financing, ideally with exposure to the Pacific or Timor-Leste
• The ability to translate strategy into practical
• Strong written and verbal communication skills, including preparing advice and reports for senior and external audiences
• Strong interpersonal skills and sound judgement, with the ability to work independently and manage competing priorities in a fast-paced environment

Australian Citizenship and an NV1 Security Clearance, or the ability to obtain one, are required.

Salary / Rate

• $90/hr – $110/hr + Super
• Labour hire October 2026 to June 2028, with an opportunity for a 2.5-year extension
• Full-time role with part-time arrangements for the right candidate

HorizonOne is committed to building a diverse and inclusive workforce and we encourage applications from people of all cultures, capabilities and backgrounds.