Reintegration Manager

Project Overview:

The Pacific Australia Labour Mobility (PALM) scheme allows eligible Australian businesses to hire workers from 9 Pacific islands and Timor-Leste when there are not enough local workers available. Through the PALM scheme, eligible businesses can recruit workers for seasonal jobs for up to 9 months or for longer-term roles for between one and 4 years in unskilled, low-skilled and semi-skilled positions. This helps to fill labour gaps in rural and regional Australia and allows workers to develop skills and send income to support their families and communities.

The PALM scheme is administered by the Australian Government’s Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT) and Department of Employment and Workplace Relations (DEWR) in partnership with the Pacific Labour Facility (PLF). DFAT and DEWR retain responsibility for key program aspects requiring government oversight, including program integrity and assurance, while working closely with responsible government agencies including the Department of Home Affairs, Australian Border Force, Attorney General’s Department and the Fair Work Ombudsman.

About the Role:

The primary objective of the Reintegration Manager is to work across PLF streams and to support labour sending units (and other stakeholders) to implement activities that contribute to the successful reintegration of returning PALM workers. This will include planning, coordinating, managing, facilitating and delivering reintegration support to partner countries, Pacific workers and Approved Employers.

Key Focus Areas:

Oversee implementation of the PALM scheme Reintegration Strategy across the worker life cycle. The Reintegration Manager will work with PLF streams to:

Mainstream reintegration principles and approaches in relevant existing activities (including pre-departure briefings, monitoring activities, worker welfare approaches etc) – that benefit both short and long-term PALM workers.
Design and implement reintegration-specific activities. These may include activities in Australia or Pacific-sending countries.
Coordinate with other donors and development partners, including IOM, ILO and other Australian-funded programs on their reintegration activities – ensuring assistance to sending countries and other stakeholders is coordinated and complementary.
Monitor, evaluate and research activities and issues relevant to reintegration, including social and cultural issues, skills training, business development.

Work with a team of LSU based Reintegration Coordinators, to support the reintegration efforts of each sending country. This support will include:

Travelling to sending countries to support Reintegration Coordinators to develop workplans aligned with LSU priorities and to design and implement relevant activities.
Ensuring all reintegration activities contribute to the gender equality, disability and social inclusion (GEDSI) outcomes of the PALM scheme.
Developing materials that support and enhance LSU-implementation of reintegration activities.
Support data collection on reintegration outcomes (with the Quality, Learning and Performance stream), including surveys and interviews with returning workers and their families.

Ensure that PLF’s approach to reintegration is informed by best practice and relevant research, including:

Maintaining a library of relevant research and literature, regularly shared with PLF teams to facilitate learning on reintegration.
Networking and coordinating with labour sending and receiving countries, civil society organisations, relevant donors, programs, and multilateral organisations.
Work with the QLP team to monitor and evaluate progress of reintegration activities, provide opportunity for lessons learned across the Pacific and Timor Leste, and contribute to program reporting.

Represent PLF and present on reintegration in relevant forums.

About you:

You will be able to demonstrate the following key skills and experience:

A degree in a relevant social sciences discipline (e.g. Development Studies, Human Geography, Economics, Public Policy, International Relations, Anthropology, Sociology) or relevant experience.
A strong understanding of labour mobility, particularly worker reintegration issues (including skills training, social issues, business development) in the Pacific region and its associated challenges and complexities
Excellent team management skills, with the ability to motivate and manage staff working remotely and in various different work environments
Excellent stakeholder engagement and communication skills including the ability to develop trust and rapport with Pacific governments, NGOs, and employers
Highly developed analytical skills, well-honed judgement, political nous, and ability to negotiate
Strong ability to prepare accessible written reports and to present findings to a wide range of stakeholders
Excellent organisational and project management skills, including an ability to initiate and follow up tasks, work independently, and prioritise and monitor progress.

The position is classified at C3 under the DFAT Aid Adviser Remuneration Framework (ARF). The successful candidate will be offered an initial contract to 31 December 2023*

You must have valid Australian work rights to be considered for this position – visa sponsorship is not available.

Applications close on 25 June 2023 but candidates are encouraged to apply early as applications will be assessed on an ongoing basis.

* subject to finalisation of head contract