Senior Program Manager : Infrastructure Systems Strengthening Lead - Fiji Social Infrastructure Program

Fiji Program Support Platform (FPSP) 

• Long term position
• Long term personnel – commencing July 2026, contract to 30 June 27 (with the intention to extend to December 2028 with possible further extension) 
• Suva, Fiji with irregular travel to Districts 
• This position is open to both international and national applicants.

FPSP Overview: 

The Fiji Program Support Platform (FPSP, or the ‘Platform’) is a Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT) investment that will contribute to the delivery of Fiji’s national development priorities, in line with the Australia’s International Development Policy, the Fiji-Australia Vuvale Partnership and the Development Partnership Plan. 

The Platform will deliver key bilateral programs, such as health, education, scholarships, social infrastructure, governance, climate and emergency preparedness and response. Platform activities will identify and address climate risks, promote climate action, and gender equality, disability and social inclusion (GEDSI) across and beyond the sector programs. 

The Platform has three functional Outcomes: 

1. The Platform has delivered its sector program outcomes, including through supporting strategic coherence, planning, partnerships management, data and learning across the portfolio of investments. 
2. The Platform has prioritised gender equality and disability-inclusive development, and climate and disaster resilience, in its systems and practices. This includes in how it undertakes sector programming and its engagement with selected Government of Fiji agencies. 
3. The Platform administers timely and efficient programming that is: value for money; maximises use of local supply chains; and supports good governance and public diplomacy, effective decision making and risk management. 

The Platform implements over fifty percent of Australia’s bilateral development support to Fiji across a range of sector programs in education, health, Australia Awards, disaster response, cyclone recovery, social infrastructure and technical assistance to improve public sector governance in Fiji.   

The Platform integrates cross-cutting themes, including gender equality, disability and social inclusion (GEDSI), climate and disaster resilience, across sectoral programs. In particular, the Platform seeks to strengthen program outcomes by better addressing the needs of targeted beneficiaries including those who are often marginalised. 

Program Overview: 

The Vuvale Partnership between Australia and Fiji, along with the Australia-Fiji Development Partnership Plan 2024–2028, outlines priority outcomes across five (5) pillars of support. These include a stronger emphasis on sustainable human development and infrastructure development.

Aligned with these priorities, Australia supports targeted multi-year health and education sector programs focused on policy and systems strengthening. Complementing these efforts are two (2) major social infrastructure initiatives:

• The Fiji Social Infrastructure Program (FSIP)
• The Colonial War Memorial (CWM) Hospital Redevelopment Project

FSIP delivers infrastructure upgrades to schools and hospitals, through the FPSP, managed by Abt Associates. In recognition that infrastructure is being delivered outside of Government systems, FSIP also includes a capacity-building component for the Ministry of Health and Medical Services (MoHMS) and the Ministry of Education (MoE), aimed at strengthening the capacity of their asset management units to deliver maintenance and capital works. 

MoHMS – Asset Management Unit 

MHMS’s AMU manages regulatory approvals and coordination (fire, council, lands, environment), maintains the asset register, plans/monitors capital and maintenance projects, and oversees staff quarters/fleet and disposals. Technical design/supervision commonly involves Ministry of Public Works Meteorology Services and Transport (MoPWMST), with procurement pathways shaped by Fiji Procurement Office (FPO) thresholds. Close MoPWMST coordination is essential for maintenance handover and lifecycle continuity.

FSIP efforts will be coordinated with the Australia‑Fiji Health Program (AFHP), including an Australian funded‑funded Public Financial Management Advisor to strengthen MHMS financial planning, budget execution and expenditure control. The Health Infrastructure Adviser will also align with the Social Infrastructure Adviser placed within Ministry of Strategic Planning, National Development and Statistics (MoSPNDS) to ensure coherence across major capital planning (e.g., CWM priority infrastructure).

Given this context, MoHMS has requested an embedded Health Infrastructure Adviser to strengthen capital works planning, maintenance systems, asset management, and AMU’s organisational capability.

Position Summary: 

The Senior Program Manager - Systems Strengthening (SPM) will lead delivery of FSIP’s End of Program Outcome 2 (EOPO2): Education and Health Ministry Asset Management Units have improved systems and processes in place to maintain their facilities and to project manage new climate-resilient capital works.

The role is responsible for driving practical, operational systems change across government to ensure reforms are designed, resourced, implemented and embedded within business-as-usual ministry processes. This includes addressing structural bottlenecks in capital works execution, strengthening asset management and maintenance systems, and integrating lifecycle costing and medium‑term maintenance planning into government budgeting and financial management processes.

The SPM acts as the integrator for EOPO2, bringing together policy intent, systems reform and implementation across ministries. The role provides strategic oversight of embedded infrastructure advisers, identifies and addresses gaps in support, and leads the delivery of additional systems investments where required.  

Positioned within the Platform Infrastructure Team, the SPM ensures systems strengthening efforts are coordinated, aligned with GoF priorities and Australian Government objectives, and integrated with FSIP delivery and other development partner support. Reporting to the Team Leader - Infrastructure, the role serves as a key interface between the Platform, government counterparts and development partners, focused on long-term sustainability and improved execution of social infrastructure. 

Key Responsibilities:

EOPO2 Leadership and Coordination

• Lead delivery of EOPO2 across participating ministries, with clear accountability for systems strengthening outcomes.
• Act as the central coordinator for EOPO2, ensuring policy objectives, systems reforms and implementation activities across ministries are aligned, properly sequenced and translated into practical, operational improvements.
• Act as the primary point of accountability within FPSP for EOPO2 delivery, escalating strategic risks and issues to the Team Leader - Infrastructure.
• Ensure EOPO2 activities are aligned with DFAT objectives and Fiji Government systems and reform agendas.
• Identify, prioritise and address systemic bottlenecks affecting capital works execution, procurement, contract management and maintenance delivery, with a focus on improving budget execution and delivery timelines.

Advisory Oversight, Technical Input and Quality Assurance

• Provide strategic direction, technical input and quality assurance across embedded infrastructure advisers, including hands-on review, co-development and refinement of key systems, tools and processes.
• Oversee and endorse embedded adviser workplans in collaboration with ministry stakeholders, ensuring consistency in approach across capital planning, asset management, procurement, contract management and maintenance systems.
• Advise, input, review and quality assure key outputs (e.g., functional reviews/rapid assessments, capital works pipelines, asset registers, maintenance frameworks, procurement processes (incl., delivery models), contract management processes, standard operating procedures [SOPs] and tools).
• Identify gaps in existing support and lead the design and implementation of additional interventions required to achieve EOPO2.  
• Ensure advisory recommendations are translated into operational systems, tools and practices that are formally adopted and actively used by ministries.
• Ensure cross-cutting priorities (GEDSI, climate resilience, localisation and safeguarding) are embedded pragmatically across systems strengthening work.

Systems Implementation and Resourcing  

• Lead the design, procurement and implementation of priority systems strengthening investments required to achieve EOPO2, including asset management systems, maintenance planning tools and supporting digital or organisational systems.  
• Manage EOPO2 budgets associated with systems investments, including procurement planning, tender processes, contract management and performance oversight, in coordination with FPSP finance and procurement teams.  
• Ensure implemented systems are scalable, aligned with government capacity and embedded within ministry business‑as‑usual processes.

Whole-of-Government Coordination

• Strengthen coordination across MoSPNDS, MoHMS, MoE, Ministry of Finance (MoF), Ministry of Public Works, Meteorological Services and Transport (MoPWMST) and other stakeholders to support a coherent, system-wide approach to social infrastructure planning and delivery.
• Facilitate collaboration between ministries to align capital investment planning, maintenance approaches and delivery systems.
• Ensure systems strengthening activities are aligned with major investments, including the New National Hospital Master Plan and FSIP capital works delivery to improve long-term sustainability and ownership.

Capacity Building and Institutional Strengthening

• Lead a coordinated capacity-building approach across ministries, including mentoring, coaching and structured capability development. 
• Support Asset Management Units to effectively use the Financial Management Information System (FMIS) and related tools for capital and maintenance budgeting, procurement planning, cashflow forecasting and financial reporting.
• Lead integration of lifecycle costing and medium‑term maintenance requirements into ministry capital planning, budget submissions and forward estimates.
• Strengthen ministries’ ability to plan, cost and execute maintenance programs using consistent data, prioritisation frameworks and realistic funding projections.
• Work closely with the MoF and DFAT‑funded Public Financial Management (PFM) advisers to align EOPO2 with broader PFM reforms. 

Stakeholder Engagement and Reporting

• Maintain strong relationships with GoF stakeholders, DFAT and development partners to support alignment and effective delivery.
• Act as the central coordination point across FSIP and DFAT‑funded advisers supporting social infrastructure and PFM, ensuring clear role delineation and avoidance of duplication.
• Support governance processes and provide clear, consolidated reporting on EOPO2 progress, risks and outcomes.
• Collaborate with FPSP Communications team to support strategic communications and public diplomacy aligned with DFAT priorities. 

Other Responsibilities

• Support the Team Leader - Infrastructure in EOPO2-related budgeting, forecasting and financial oversight, including monitoring expenditure against approved budgets in coordination with the Platform Finance team.
• Support EOPO2 risk management, including identifying, managing and escalating risks that may affect systems strengthening outcomes.
• Ensure cross-cutting priorities (including safeguarding, GEDSI, climate resilience and locally led development) are effectively and pragmatically integrated into systems strengthening activities.
• Collaborate with FPSP Communications to support public diplomacy, including identification of opportunities and development of high-quality communications content for DFAT.
• Provide support to FSIP and CWM Master Plan core delivery projects where required, as directed by the Team Leader - Infrastructure.
• Undertake other Platform Infrastructure-related activities as directed by the Team Leader – Infrastructure. 

Key Deliverables: 

• EOPO2 Program Workplan implemented, aligning advisory support, systems investments and capacity development with GoF and DFAT priorities.
• Provide strategic oversight and quality assurance of functional reviews conducted by embedded advisers, ensuring consistent methodology, robust and practical recommendations, and translation of findings into prioritised, sequenced systems strengthening roadmaps across ministries.
• Priority systems strengthening initiatives implemented (including asset management and maintenance systems), with evidence of operational use by ministries.  
• Lifecycle costing and medium‑term maintenance planning approaches embedded within ministry planning and budgeting processes.
• Documented improvements in capital works execution, procurement timelines or maintenance delivery attributable to EOPO2 interventions.
• Oversee and quality-assure the development of ministry outputs, including:
• Medium-term capital works plans and pipelines
• Asset registers and asset management systems
• Maintenance planning frameworks and delivery models
• Procurement, contract management and delivery SOPs
• Demonstrated improvements in ministry capability across infrastructure planning, procurement, contract management and asset management.
• Evidence of strengthened whole-of-government coordination across social infrastructure planning and delivery.
• Regular EOPO2 reporting contributions to monthly, six-monthly and annual Platform progress reports, including MEL-informed performance, risks and recommendations.
• Support to DFAT briefings, reporting and strategic updates as required.
• EOPO2-related inputs into final FSIP completion report outlining outcomes, lessons learned and recommendations for sustainability and scale. 

Key Working Relationships:

Reporting to  

• Team Leader, Infrastructure  

Liaison and coordination with:  

• Ministry stakeholders (multiple)
• DFAT  
• FPSP Infrastructure, Health and Education teams
• Public Financial Management Adviser

Supervision and indirect management of:

• Embedded infrastructure advisers 

Selection Criteria:

Qualifications

• Postgraduate qualification in development studies, public policy, project management, infrastructure management, public financial management, or a related field, or equivalent senior professional experience in public sector systems reform.

Knowledge, experience and skills

• Demonstrated senior-level experience leading systems strengthening and implementation of institutional reforms within government or public sector environments, preferably in infrastructure or asset-intensive sectors.
• Strong practical experience designing and implementing asset management, maintenance planning and/or capital works planning systems within public institutions.
• Proven ability to translate policy and strategic objectives into operational systems, tools and processes that are adopted, used and sustained by ministries.
• Experience supporting ministries to plan, prioritise and sequence reforms in line with institutional capacity, fiscal constraints and operating context.
• Experience integrating infrastructure systems strengthening within budgeting, financial management and PFM reforms, including use of FMIS or equivalent government financial systems.  
• Experience working in donor-funded or government-partnered programs, with a strong understanding of governance, accountability, risk and reform environments.
• Strong coordination skills, with the ability to align multiple advisers, ministries, reforms and investments into a single, coherent delivery agenda.
• Demonstrated experience managing or overseeing embedded infrastructure advisers or advisory teams, including setting direction, coordinating inputs, ensuring quality outputs, and avoiding duplication.
• Sound understanding of donor compliance and cross-cutting priorities (e.g. safeguarding, GEDSI, climate resilience, locally led development), with demonstrated ability to integrate these pragmatically into systems strengthening work. 

Personal Attributes

• Strong reform-oriented leadership skills, with the ability to manage, guide and motivate teams and embedded advisers.
• Strong technical, analytical and problem-solving skills, with a practical systems-thinking approach.
• Ability to operate effectively in complex, multi-stakeholder environments with competing priorities, ambiguity and political sensitivity.
• Clear, confident and persuasive communicator, able to effectively advise and engage with officials at all levels, development partners and technical teams.  
• Results-focused, with persistence to drive difficult system changes through to implementation.

How to apply:

Abt Associates is an Affirmative Action/Equal Opportunity employer committed to fostering a diverse workforce. Abt Associates provides market-competitive salaries and comprehensive employee benefits. Local candidates strongly encouraged to apply.

Disclaimer: Abt Associates will never ask candidates for money in exchange for an offer of employment.