Short Term Adviser for GEDSI Strategy Development – Disability Equity | APSP
Commencement: Mid-May 2026
20 input days duration of short-term contract
Location: Remote working arrangements
Open to all applicants
About the Program
A stable, prosperous, peaceful and resilient PNG is critical to Australia's interests. Australia is PNG's largest development partner, its main partner on economic and security issues.
The Australia PNG Subnational Program (APSP) is an enabling mechanism comprised of three separately designed programs including Bougainville Partnership (BP), Kokoda Initiative Partnership (KIP) and the Western Province Partnership (WPP). Each program has its own outcomes, theory of change, operational approach and separate monitoring and evaluation systems.
There are five high level outcomes which span all programs:
Output One: Effective gender-centred programs delivered for Bougainville, Kokoda, and Western Province
Output Two: Support DFAT to coordinate Australian inputs in selected subnational contexts
Output Three: Technical assistance targeted at key institutions and policy reforms
Output Four: Rapid programming of resources in support of DFAT priorities
Output Five and six: Analysis, learning, and adaptation
Managed by Abt Global under a contract from 2022 to 2030, the centralised approach is aimed to ensure and drive value for money by realising back-office efficiencies, ensure gender is consistently at the forefront of each program and deliver opportunities for learning and adaptation between programs.
Background
The GEDSI Strategy Development Advisor (STA) will provide short‑term, specialist strategic support to the Australia–Papua New Guinea Subnational Partnerships (APSP) to strengthen the coherence, quality, and DFAT alignment of GEDSI strategy architecture across the Facility.
APSP currently implements place‑based subnational governance programming through four program components:
Kokoda Initiative Partnership (KIP)
Bougainville Partnership (BPP)
Western Province Partnership (WPP)
Subnational Governance Implementation Plan (SGIP)
Each partnership operates in distinct political, social, geographic, and cultural contexts and has developed its own GEDSI strategy to guide gender equality, disability, and social inclusion outcomes at the program level.
The KIP and BPP GEDSI strategies were developed earlier in the APSP lifecycle and provide an established framework for integrating gender equality and inclusion considerations within governance, service delivery, and community engagement activities. These strategies reflect the specific institutional arrangements, community dynamics, and development priorities within their respective contexts.
The WPP GEDSI strategy was developed more recently, informed by foundational GEDSI analysis and stock take work undertaken during the design of the Western Province Partnership. As a newer partnership, WPP continues to refine its GEDSI approach as relationships mature and opportunities for more targeted and principal gender equality investments are identified.
While these program‑level GEDSI strategies are aligned in intent, they differ in structure, depth, and emphasis, reflecting their respective stages of development and contextual needs. In addition, APSP has recently completed a facility‑wide GEDSI Stock take, providing an evidence base on how GEDSI commitments are currently articulated and implemented across programs.
In addition, in 2025 a formative assessment was conducted on the APSP Facility which acknowledged positive examples of GEDSI mainstreaming in APSP component programs and recommended development of an overarching APSP GEDSI strategy. It further recommended the APSP GEDSI strategy should be evidenced based, informed by what is working and why across existing partnerships, be contextually nuanced and should support local ownership and localisation.
The objectives of this assignment are to:
Consolidate and finalize the APSP GEDSI Stock take as a credible evidence base.
Strengthen and update the KIP, BPP, and WPP GEDSI strategies to ensure continued relevance, consistency, and alignment with DFAT gender equality priorities.
Develop a cohesive APSP‑wide GEDSI Strategy that provides a clear, facility‑level strategic framework, while allowing for contextualized APSP program‑level GEDSI action plans.
Strengthen the articulation of gender equality interventions, including pathways to principal and significant gender investments.
Equip the APSP GEDSI team with practical gender programming tools to support consistent, high‑quality application of GEDSI across partnerships.
The role is time‑bound and deliverable‑focused, supporting APSP to transition from analysis and stock take findings to a clear, coherent, and DFAT‑aligned GEDSI strategic framework that can guide future planning, investment, and reporting.
Position Overview:
We are therefore seeking a qualified and experienced Disability Equity Short Term Adviser to work alongside a Gender Equity Short Term Adviser to deliver on the objectives of this assignment.
The Adviser will work closely with the GEDSI Lead and the GEDSI teams for each program component. The primary responsibility will be to develop a cohesive APSP‑wide GEDSI Strategy that will inform stakeholders, guide program decisions, and contribute to strategic planning for gender and disability initiatives in APSP.
Under the direction of the APSP Executive Leadership Team and in collaboration with the GEDSI and Safeguarding Team, the GEDSI Strategy Development Advisor (STA) will provide short‑term strategic support to strengthen APSP’s GEDSI framework. This will include:
Finalising APSP GEDSI stocktake outputs and supporting engagement with DFAT
Reviewing and strengthening program‑level GEDSI strategies to improve coherence, quality, and alignment with APSP and DFAT priorities.
Developing a cohesive APSP‑wide GEDSI Strategy to guide facility‑level planning, investment, and reporting.
Supporting the development of practical tools to assist program teams to operationalize GEDSI commitments.
Working closely with APSP GEDSI and program teams to support collaboration, knowledge transfer, and handover.
Specific Responsibilities
Reporting to the APSP GEDSI Lead, the GEDSI Strategy Development Advisor (STA) will be responsible for the following:
Strategic Evidence Consolidation and Quality Assurance
Lead the review and quality assurance of the APSP GEDSI Stocktake to ensure accuracy, coherence, and consistency across APSP program components.
Ensure GEDSI Stocktake findings are analytically sound and clearly articulate strengths, gaps, and strategic opportunities related to gender equality, disability, and social inclusion.
Translate stocktake findings into a concise, DFAT‑appropriate summary report and presentation that supports informed dialogue and decision‑making.
DFAT Engagement and Strategic Communication
Prepare and deliver a clear, structured presentation of APSP GEDSI Stocktake findings to DFAT, tailored to DFAT’s policy, reporting, and accountability interests.
Respond to DFAT feedback on the GEDSI Stocktake and support refinement of outputs, as required, within the agreed scope of the assignment.
Program‑Level GEDSI Strategy Review and Refinement
Review existing GEDSI strategies for the Kokoda Initiative Partnership (KIP), Bougainville Partnership (BPP), and Western Province Partnership (WPP), recognising differing stages of maturity and contextual requirements.
Assess program‑level GEDSI strategies against APSP GEDSI Stocktake findings and DFAT disability equity and GEDSI priorities.
Revise and update GEDSI strategies to strengthen clarity of strategic intent, alignment with APSP and DFAT frameworks, and articulation of gender equality, disability, and social inclusion outcomes.
Ensure consistency in quality and structure across revised strategies while retaining necessary contextual differentiation.
Development of an APSP‑Wide GEDSI Strategy
Design and develop a cohesive APSP‑wide GEDSI Strategy that consolidates program‑level insights and provides a clear facility‑level strategic framework.
Strengthen the articulation of APSP’s disability equity ambitions, including explicit guidance on disability equitable intervention pathways and progression toward principal and significant disability programming investments.
Clarify linkages between the APSP‑wide GEDSI Strategy and program‑level GEDSI strategies to support coherent implementation and reporting.
Disability Programming Tools Development
Develop practical, fit‑for‑purpose disability programming tools to support APSP GEDSI and program teams to operationalise GEDSI strategies.
Ensure tools support consistent application of disability analysis, quality design of disability equity interventions, and alignment with DFAT disability marker, if any, and reporting requirements.
Design tools that are adaptable to diverse APSP contexts and varying levels of program maturity.
Collaboration, Coordination, and Handover
Work closely with the APSP GEDSI Team to ensure shared understanding of strategic decisions, assumptions, and recommendations.
Coordinate input with relevant APSP program teams as required to inform strategy review and development.
Provide a structured handover of revised strategies and tools to enable continuity following completion of the STA assignment.
Professional Standards and Scope Management
Deliver all outputs in accordance with APSP quality standards, timelines, and DFAT expectations.
Maintain a clear focus on agreed deliverables and proactively manage scope boundaries to avoid unintended expansion of responsibilities.
An indicative activity schedule for undertaking the assignment, with the following schedule of activities earmarked for implementation, is provided below.
Key working relationships
The adviser reports to the APSP GEDSI Lead and Program Team Leads and collaborates with the Program Component GEDSI Teams.
Deliverables
Deliverable and indicative number of days are outlined below:
Develop workplan detailing timeline and methodology for completing tasks
Finalize GEDSI stock take in partnership with Gender Equity STA
Create summary report and presentation for GEDSI Stock take findings in partnership with Gender Equity STA
Revise program-level GEDSI strategies (KIP, WPP, BP) in partnership with Gender Equity STA
Develop Facility-level GEDSI strategy in partnership with Gender Equity STA
Develop tools to operationalise Disability Equity strategies
Create handover note for handover of tools and strategies to the GEDSI team in partnership with Gender Equity STA
About You
For your application to be considered, interested applicants must submit a response to each of the following Key Selection Criteria:
Demonstrated academic expertise and experience in GEDSI and disability equity strategy development, including experience designing, reviewing, and strengthening GEDSI frameworks for complex development programs and articulating disability‑principal and disability‑significant intervention pathways.
Proven experience conducting GEDSI stocktakes, assessments, or strategic reviews, with strong analytical skills to synthesise complex information into clear findings, concise summary reports, and strategic recommendations.
Strong understanding of DFAT disability equity and GEDSI policy frameworks, including experience preparing DFAT‑ready documentation and presentations and engaging with DFAT or similar donors.
Practical experience developing disability programming tools (e.g. guidance notes, templates, analytical frameworks) that support consistent application of disability analysis and high‑quality disability equity programming.
Excellent written and verbal communication skills, with the ability to produce clear, structured strategic documents and present complex concepts effectively to senior stakeholders.
Experience working in Papua New Guinea, the Pacific, or comparable contexts, and familiarity with place‑based or subnational governance programs (desirable).
How to Apply
Please ensure to address the Key Selection Criteria (About You) in your cover letter, and submit your application online, along with your CV as a single document.
Applications must be submitted personally by individuals only. Applications submitted by a company or organisation will not be accepted.
The successful applicant will be engaged through an employment agreement determined by Abt.
Abt Associates is an Equal Opportunity Employer, committed to upholding high standards of Child Protection, Anti-bribery, and Fraud Protection.
We encourage applications from experienced and capable women, and people with disabilities.
Closing Date: Thursday 7 May 2026, 12 PM (Midday, local time)
#LI-AUSBRIT
Abt Associates is an Equal Opportunity Employer, committed to upholding high standards of Child Protection, Anti-bribery, and Fraud Protection.
We encourage applications from experienced and capable women, and people with disabilities
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About Us
Abt Global is a mission-driven, global leader with a proven track record in complex program implementation in the international development sector. We offer bold solutions and technical excellence in Health, Economic Growth, Governance, Research & Evaluation, Environment & Energy, Gender Equality & Social Inclusion. Working with our many partners, we have driven measurable social impact for more than 55 years, to achieve our mission of improving the quality of life and economic well-being of people worldwide. We operate in remote and challenging environments and employ more than 3,700 staff in over 50 countries. For more information about us and what we do, visit our website at www.abtglobal.com
Equity
Abt Global values individuality and celebrates difference with a strong commitment to diversity, equality, racial equity, gender, and disability inclusion. We strongly encourage people from culturally and linguistically diverse communities and Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people to apply for this position. We offer flexible work arrangements and a culturally safe environment for staff members from diverse racial and ethnic backgrounds.
Safeguarding
We are deeply committed to safeguarding, to protect and prevent harm and abuse to individuals we work for and who work for us. Our recruitment and selection procedures reflect our commitment to protecting children and vulnerable adults from abuse and exploitation. We will not tolerate discrimination, harassment, child abuse, sexual abuse or exploitation in any form, and expect everyone to be treated with respect and dignity.
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