Civil Society Engagement Manager

We are searching for an experienced Civil Society Engagement Manager at our Apia facility. 

Primary Duties and Responsibilities: 

Duration: Full Time FXTE until 15 November 2025 (with possibility of a 2-year extension to November 2027)
Location: Apia, Samoa
Application deadline: 31 August 2025

About Palladium
Palladium is a global leader in the design, development, and delivery of Positive Impact – the intentional creation of enduring social, climate and economic value.  We work with governments, businesses, and investors to help solve the world's most pressing challenges. With a team of more than 4,000 employees operating in 90-plus countries and a global network of over 35,000 experts, we help improve economies, societies, the environment, and, most importantly, people's lives.

The Program
The Samoa Tautua – Human Development for All Program assists in the delivery of Australia’s human development commitments in support of Samoa’s development priorities. The program is supporting the human development foundations required for Samoa’s health security, economic recovery, and continued stability thereafter. Tautua prioritises five interconnected pillars of human development: Education, Health, Gender Equality, Disability and Social Protection. The Tautua Program has partnered with eight CSOs through direct funding and partnership agreements, using a ‘grants plus’ model that combines financial support with institutional strengthening. This includes funding for operations, training, mentoring, and shared learning. All CSOs undergo due diligence aligned with DFAT’s framework, with ongoing support to ensure compliance. The Civil Society Engagement Manager oversees grant assessments, agreement drafting, and implementation.

The Role
The Civil Society Engagement Manager will work closely with Tautua program technical leads to ensure a coordinated approach to sector programming, while also fostering cross-sector collaboration. Importantly, it includes a strong inward-facing component, balancing the predominantly external and CSO-focused nature of their roles.

Key responsibilities include:

Assess and review grant applications, manage evaluation committees, and identify and mitigate risks while ensuring value for money.Draft, negotiate, and finalise grant agreements, ensuring legal compliance and alignment with DFAT and Palladium standards.Conduct due diligence reviews of the CSO partners, provide tailored training, tools, and support to strengthen financial and compliance capabilities.Coordinate the disbursement of funds, monitor financial performance, review reports, and ensure compliance through regular reviews and field visits.
Act as the main contact for grant matters, coordinate with internal teams and partners, and facilitate effective communication with stakeholders.

*For full Terms of Reference visit: https://www.tautuapartnership.ws/vacancies

About you
We are seeking an individual with a strong understanding of program implementation across all stages of the project life cycle—from design and delivery to monitoring and evaluation. You will bring proven experience in managing complex grant programs, driving reform initiatives, and fostering collaboration among diverse stakeholders to achieve sustainable, community-led outcomes. Experience working in the Pacific Islands region is highly desirable, along with a demonstrated commitment to culturally responsive and locally grounded development approaches.

Additional key requirements include:

Exceptional organisational and planning skills, with the ability to manage multiple priorities under pressure while maintaining attention to detail.
Strategic and critical thinking capabilities, supported by a history of analytical work in program or project management environments.
Proven experience leading diverse teams, with a focus on fostering positive team culture and delivering results through collaboration and trust.
Strong skills in project planning, reporting and monitoring and evaluation, with a clear understanding of the project management lifecycle in donor-funded programs.
In-depth knowledge of Samoa’s government systems, civil societies, sectoral landscape and human development policy environment, with the cultural competence to navigate formal and informal protocols respectfully.
Experience working with DFAT or other major development partners in Samoa and/or the Pacific is highly desirable.

How to Apply
We welcome your interest in leading development for Civil Society Organisations for Tautua in this key role. Please apply via the online job advertisement by clicking on the “apply” button. Your application must include:

A written response addressing the selection criteria outlined in the TOR; andAn updated CV.

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 or accommodations 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.