Senior Program Manager: Australia – Pacific Partnerships for Aviation (P4A)

Job Description

Position: Senior Program Manager
Program: Australia – Pacific Partnerships for Aviation (P4A)
Location: Nadi, Fiji
Duration: Est. 12 months (depending on commencement date) to 30 June 2027, with a possible extension to 30 June 2028
Remuneration: FJD 120-160,000 per year including benefits
Travel: Some travel within the Pacific region
Reports To: P4A Team Leader
Works with: Team Leader; Operations Lead; Communications, Performance and Inclusion Lead; Finance & Procurement Manager; Senior Specialists; Advisers

About the Program

The Australia-Pacific Partnerships for Aviation (P4A) program is a 5-year regional aviation program jointly delivered by Adam Smith International (ASI) and the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade, headquartered in Nadi, Fiji. P4A has three key outcomes:

1. A stronger enabling environment for aviation

2. Improved safety, quality and reliability

3. Greater coordination, cooperation, and connectivity

P4A will also mainstream cross-cutting sectors to ensure outcomes strengthen child protection and safeguarding, climate change resilience and adaptation, support locally led leadership and improve Gender Equality, Disability and Social Inclusion (GEDSI) outcomes.

Position Summary

The Senior Program Manager will work to the P4A Team Leader and support implementation of P4A program investments. This will include supporting effective program coordination across key program team members and stakeholders, including DFAT, Pacific Island governments, aviation sector partners and industry.

The Senior Program Manager will coordinate program delivery across the P4A program team, ensuring that program activities are appropriately supported by technical and procurement inputs, as well as programmatic inputs on MEL, GEDSI, communications, climate change and other programmatic requirements. The Senior Program Manager will be expected to act as a coordination point across program investments in support of Activity Leads, and at times, will take on the Activity Lead role for designated activities.

The Senior Program Manager will report to the P4A Team Leader, and will be required to work across the P4A team, DFAT-Nadi team, and other key program stakeholders. The Senior Program Manager will be required to undertake their role proactively and with minimal supervision or quality assurance on day-to-day operations, whilst also providing regular briefings to the P4A Team Leader across the program investments and proactively identifying issues and potential solutions to support efficient implementation of program activities.

Duties and Responsibilities

• Manage coordination of program activities across the P4A team, including coordination of key internal P4A stakeholders (P4A team, DFAT, program advisers) to ensure their feedback is provided as required and in a timely manner. This will also include support to designated Activity Leads to ensure that activities are progressing as planned, and identifying any bottlenecks.

• Where designated, undertake the role of Activity Lead for program activities. This is expected to involve leading an activity through:
(i) development and scoping,
(ii) procurement and contracting,
(iii) contract management, and
(iv) completion phases;

coordinating appropriately with internal P4A and external partner stakeholders throughout the process to ensure that appropriate technical, operational and cross-cutting inputs and quality assurance of process and deliverables is achieved.

• Support procurement of program activities, in coordination with the P4A team. This is expected to include development of procurement plans in conjunction with the P4A Operations team, participating in or supporting evaluations, and undertaking other procurement related tasks in support of the P4A Operations team.

• Contract management of activities, including coordination of stakeholder reviews of deliverables, ensuring contractors/consultants meet agreed deliverables and timelines.

• Engage with program activity partners as required to support activity implementation. This is expected to include various partners, including:
(i) partner government ministries,
(ii) aviation sector partners,
(iii) regional agencies, and
(iv) consultants/contractors.

• Manage the P4A Activity Tracker to ensure that it is current and reflective of activity status, and ensure relevant P4A team members are filing and sharing key documents related to program activities. This will require coordination with appropriate team members, as well as directly uploading relevant files/documents where accessible.

• Contribute to the development of the P4A knowledge hub by supporting improved internal systems and related documentation, in collaboration with the P4A team, in particular the Operations team.

• Work closely with the P4A Team Leader on all aspects of their work, including providing regular briefings and solution finding.

• Assist in the preparation of briefs, presentations and other materials as required to support program implementation and engagement with key stakeholders, including the P4A Team Leader, DFAT and Pacific Island government officials.

• Provide administrative support, including maintenance of the contacts database, and conduct research tasks as directed.

• Provide support to the P4A Team Leader and P4A Team.

In undertaking this role, the Senior Program Manager will be expected to bring a proactive and solution-oriented approach to their work. Whilst the role will be delivered under the guidance of the P4A Team Leader, the Senior Program Manager will be expected to be sufficiently experienced to undertake the role with minimal oversight and quality assurance of their work required, and to deliver their work with an understanding of the need to provide regular briefings and visibility to the P4A Team Leader.

Key Deliverables

The Senior Program Manager will be expected to contribute to key program documents, including the Annual Workplan, program reports (annual and activity-level), Activity Development Plans and related contract management documents, and to provide feedback and contribute to P4A process documentation (led by the P4A Operations team). The Senior Program Manager will also be expected to lead regular updating of the program online trackers and ensure that these are kept current.

Key Relationships

• P4A Team Leader and P4A team
• DFAT-Nadi and DFAT-VNS
• Program partners, industry (consultants/contractors)

Key Performance Indicators

• Effective coordination of internal P4A stakeholders supporting program activities
• Effective coordination with external P4A stakeholders and partners involved in activity delivery
• Updating of the P4A Activity Tracker
• Responsiveness to requests from P4A Team
• Exceptional relationships with stakeholders and other counterparts evidenced by positive feedback

Qualifications and Experience

• Demonstrated experience of either:
o at least 10 years in senior level project or program management, or
o at least 7 years project management experience combined with a relevant aviation background (for example, aviation management or an operational background)

• Relevant qualifications in a related field at a Bachelor’s degree level or higher, or demonstrated relevant operational plus on-the-job project management experience

• Experience working collaboratively in a similar role on development partner programs, preferably in the Pacific

• Understanding of, and an ability to integrate cross-cutting priorities including gender equality, disability inclusion, social inclusion and climate change into program activity scoping and delivery

• Good knowledge of the Pacific context and project implementation complexities

• Experience working within the Pacific aviation sector in project management, infrastructure, or operational roles is an advantage

• Proficiency in MS Office (Word, Excel and PowerPoint) and web applications (SharePoint)

• Excellent command of written and oral English

• Demonstrated experience developing reports and related program documents in a project management context, and for decision-makers

• Ability to work within a multi-cultural team environment

• Strong mentoring and capacity-building skills, interpersonal and organisational skills

How to Apply

Interested applicants should submit:

• A current CV
• A cover letter addressing the selection criteria and demonstrating their suitability for the role

Applications should be submitted via the application link by 14 June 2026.

Please note that applications will be reviewed on a rolling basis and only shortlisted candidates will be contacted.

Adam Smith International is an equal opportunity employer and encourages applications from people of all backgrounds, including women, people with disabilities and candidates from Pacific Island countries.