Outreach and Alumni Lead, New Colombo Plan (NCP)
Ready to lead the Communications and Alumni team for a high profile Australian overseas study program? As the Outreach and Alumni Lead, you will deliver strategic engagement with New Colombo Plan stakeholders and successfully communicate program outcomes of one of Australia's most prominent international education initiatives.
* Location – Australia (ideally, Adelaide based)
* Duration – 3 years
* Application deadline – Wednesday 17th June 2026 at 11:59pm AEST
* Applications will be assessed on a rolling basis.
About the New Colombo Plan (NCP) Program Support Unit (PSU)
The NCP PSU is administered by Palladium on behalf of DFAT and supports DFAT's New Colombo Plan Secretariat with high‐quality grant administration and management. It delivers end‐to‐end grants cycle and funds management, and provides technical support in Monitoring, Evaluation and Learning (MEL), alumni engagement, communications, events management, business sector engagement and risk management.
Primary Responsibilities
* Act as a member of the Senior Leadership Team and support the Team Leader in managing the NCP PSU in accordance with DFAT's policy settings.
* Lead a strategic communications function to support program objectives and oversee the delivery of targeted communications across social media, web and other channels, including content development, copywriting, video production and campaign execution.
* Operationalise the communications function through clear workflows, channel governance, performance metrics and platform analytics, using insights to drive continuous improvement and measurable results.
* Oversee the alumni team and contribute to the development and delivery of NCP Alumni strategies in collaboration with DFAT.
* Drive initiatives such as Alumni Representatives and Alumni Network Leads, and co‐design and deliver targeted events aligned with NCP priorities.
* Oversee planning and delivery of high‐quality events.
* Collaborate with the NCS Secretariat to lead continuous review of the Outreach and Alumni function, reflect on inputs and processes, and provide recommendations on service delivery improvements, innovation, operational efficiencies and reporting requirements.
About You
* Relevant tertiary qualifications in communications, public relations, or a related discipline, or equivalent professional experience.
* Substantial leadership experience in communications, public diplomacy and/or stakeholder engagement; experience in the university, education or sector is favourable.
* Demonstrated experience in developing and executing successful communication strategies and campaigns across social media, other channels and stakeholder communications.
* Experience working in alumni engagement is desirable.
* Excellent leadership capability, including managing teams, setting clear expectations, monitoring performance, supporting staff and working collaboratively under competing priorities.
* Proven ability to lead change and continuously improve service delivery, systems and processes.
* Strong analytical capability, including setting and reporting on meaningful KPIs and using insights to optimise performance.
* High level stakeholder engagement and communication skills, with the ability to work effectively with senior government clients.
* High level writing skills with the ability to adapt styles to different audiences and purposes.
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. All job applicants and employees receive equal and fair treatment regardless of background or personal characteristics.
Safeguarding
All successful candidates will be subject to an enhanced selection process including safeguarding‐focused interviews and a rigorous due diligence process.
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