Monitoring, Evaluation and Learning (MEL) Manager- Katalis Phase 2

Monitoring, Evaluation and Learning (MEL) Manager- Katalis Phase 2

Program Overview

Palladium is in the business of making the
world a better place, and we believe that collaborative models and systemic
approaches are the way to achieve progress and success. We work with governments, businesses, and investors to solve the
world's most pressing challenges. With a team of more than 2,500 employees
operating in 90-plus countries, we help improve economies, societies, and, most
importantly, people's lives. Palladium is part of the GISI
Consulting Group, a company that unites some of the world's top project
management and engineering consulting firms to innovate and accelerate
solutions on a global scale.

Katalis Phase II (2026-2031) is a partnership between the governments of
Australia and Indonesia, funded by the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade
(DFAT), and implemented in collaboration with the Government of Indonesia. The
program strengthens bilateral economic engagement under the Indonesia-Australia
Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement (IACEPA) through two mutually reinforcing pillars:
Pillar 1: IACEPA institutional architecture & policy reform (secretariat and implementation support).
Pillar 2: Skills, Businesses & Inclusive Growth, including the Katalis Business Partnership Fund (KBPF) to test, scale, and commercialize inclusive, climatesmart business models with Indonesian SMEs and Australian partners.

Purpose of Position
The Monitoring, Evaluation, and Learning (MEL) Manager plays a crucial
role in leading the design, implementation, and ongoing refinement of the
Katalis MEL system in alignment with IA-CEPA objectives, Department of Foreign
Affairs and Trade (DFAT) requirements, and Palladium standards. This position
is responsible for ensuring the generation and utilization of high-quality and
inclusive evidence that supports adaptive management, accountability, and
learning across program investments.

The MEL Manager oversees monitoring and
evaluation at program, activity, and strategic levels, which includes
performance tracking, safeguarding, risk monitoring, and adherence to DFAT
reporting standards. By adhering to utilization-focused and Gender Equality,
Disability, and Social Inclusion (GEDSI) principles, this role integrates MEL
as an essential management function, thereby enhancing decision-making and
maximizing Katalis' impact on inclusive trade, investment, and skills
development outcomes.

Primary Responsibilities
The MEL Manager will be responsible for the following:

• Provide strategic leadership for the design, operationalization, and continuous improvement of the Katalis' MEL system, aligned with the Program Theory of Change, results framework, and DFAT standards.

• Ensure the MEL system effectively monitors and reports results across both pillars, including policy and institutional reform (Pillar 1) and private sector performance, investment mobilization, inclusion, and scalability (Pillar 2).
• Establish and maintain integrated MEL tools that clearly link outputs, intermediate outcomes, and end-of-program outcomes using proportionate qualitative and quantitative methods.
• Lead rigorous measurement of outcomes and systemic change, including policy influence, institutional performance, business investment, innovation, inclusion, and market-level outcomes.
• Develop, manage, and refine key performance indicators (KPIs), ensuring appropriate disaggregation by gender, disability, geography, and sector, supported by robust data quality assurance processes.
• Provide hands-on technical MEL leadership to program teams, supporting the development of results chains, indicators, monitoring plans, and the analysis and use of performance data for decision-making.
• Design and manage strategic evaluations and learning activities, including outcome harvesting, contribution analysis, thematic studies, and DFAT-mandated Mid-Term and End-of-Program Evaluations.
• Develop, manage and lead a functional MEL team and improve their capacities to deliver high-quality impact assessments, analysis and reporting.
• Embed structured learning and adaptive management processes, including regular performance reviews, reflection sessions, and learning loops across policy reform and business innovation activities.
• Translate MEL findings into clear, decision-relevant knowledge products and communicate insights effectively to DFAT, Government of Indonesia counterparts, and program partners.
• Integrate MEL with program risk management, safeguarding and GEDSI frameworks, promote ethical and inclusive measurement practice, and strengthen MEL capability across staff, partners, and counterparts.
• Ensure compliance with DFAT and Palladium policies and standards, including GEDSI, PSEAH, child protection, environmental and social safeguards, fraud and anticorruption measures, and ethical standards.
• Develop, maintain and annually update the MEL Framework, MEL Plan and MEL Manual to ensure ongoing relevance, comparability and DFAT compliance.
• Commission and manage an independent quality review of the MEL Framework and MEL Plan prior to DFAT approval and incorporate recommendations.
• Develop and maintain an annual MEL workplan/learning agenda (products, schedule, responsibilities) and an evidence utilization approach linked to governance and annual planning decisions.
• Lead periodic monitoring and synthesis of contextual changes (policy, market, political economy) and integrate implications into adaptive management and work planning.
• Establish verification protocols for partner and grantee-reported results (including KBPF), including spot checks and data validation to support credible reporting.
• Ensure MEL requirements are embedded in the Activity Planning Framework and activity governance (concept notes, activity proposals, partner agreements), including clear outcome measures, evaluability, and learning questions.
• Define MEL data governance requirements for the MIS (data standards, metadata, security/access, backup/recovery, breach response, and DFAT archival/transfer readiness) and oversee implementation with the MIS/IT function.
• Provide MEL evidence and data products to support DFAT's IMR, PERFORMS and Tier 2 reporting requirements, including validated datasets and narrative analysis.
• Ensure MEL products meet DFAT accessibility requirements and are suitable for external sharing where appropriate.
• Undertake other reasonable tasks as requested by the Development Effectiveness Lead, Katalis Program management, DFAT, and/or government counterparts.
  
  

Key
Deliverables
The MEL Manager is
accountable for the delivery of the following:

• A fully operational MEL Framework for Katalis Phase 2, including the Theory of Change, results framework, indicators, baselines, targets, and data sources, aligned with IACEPA objectives and DFAT requirements.

• Programwide MEL systems and tools established and maintained to support performance monitoring, learning, and reporting, including interventionlevel MEL plans, KPI tracking, dashboards, and partner reporting templates.
• Highquality, verified performance data and analysis, including appropriate disaggregation (gender, disability, geography, and other relevant variables), supported by robust data quality assurance processes consistent with DFAT and Palladium standards.
• Design and delivery of strategic evaluations and learning activities, including outcome harvesting, thematic studies, and DFATmandated MidTerm Review and EndofProgram Evaluation.
• Regular, decisionrelevant performance and learning insights provided to program leadership and DFAT, informing adaptive management, risk mitigation, and strategic decisionmaking.
• Integrated risk, safeguards, and GEDSI monitoring operational across all program pillars, with demonstrated MEL capacity strengthening among program staff, subcontractors, and delivery partners, and ongoing assurance of compliance with DFAT and Palladium policies and standards.
  

Reporting Requirements

The MEL Manager reports to the Development Effectiveness Lead. Reporting
requirements include, but are not limited to:

• Regular participation in program management meetings, technical discussions, learning forums and other meetings as required by program leadership and DFAT.
• Routine performance updates (weekly or as required) on MEL implementation, emerging findings, risks, and learning priorities.
• Monthly and quarterly inputs to program progress reports, workplans and internal management reporting, ensuring accuracy, clarity and timely submission.
• Contribution to DFAT reporting, including sixmonthly, annual, midterm and endofprogram reports, as well as ad hoc briefing materials as required.
• Timely documentation and reporting of evaluation findings, learning outcomes, and adaptive management actions.
• Clear and consistent reporting on GEDSI, safeguards, and risk management performance through MEL systems and formal reports.
• Palladium encourages flexible work practices to enhance wellbeing, productivity and team culture. For this role, we require that employees maintain an in-office presence for the majority of their working week. For example, if an employee works five days a week, they must spend at least three days physically in the office.

• Postgraduate qualification in Monitoring and Evaluation, Economics, Public Policy, Development Studies, or a related discipline.
• Minimum of 10 years progressively responsible experience in monitoring, evaluation and learning for large, complex donorfunded development programs, preferably DFATfunded or DFATaligned programs.
• Demonstrated experience leading the design and implementation of programwide MEL systems, including theories of change, results frameworks, indicators, baselines, targets, and data quality assurance processes.
• Proven expertise in utilizationfocused and adaptive MEL approaches, including outcome harvesting, contribution analysis, and learningdriven program adaptation.
• Substantial experience measuring policy reform, institutional performance, private sector engagement, and marketlevel or systemic change outcomes.
• Demonstrated experience leading or managing strategic evaluations, including MidTerm Reviews and EndofProgram Evaluations.
• Strong analytical skills, with demonstrated ability to generate and synthesize highquality quantitative and qualitative evidence and translate findings into clear, decisionrelevant insights for senior stakeholders.
• Proven experience integrating MEL with risk management, safeguarding (including PSEAH and child protection), and GEDSI frameworks, consistent with DFAT standards.
• Demonstrated capability to lead, mentor, and build MEL capacity among multidisciplinary teams, partners, and counterparts.
• Experience working with or within the Government of Indonesia institutions, or in Indonesiabased programs.
• Familiarity with DFAT performance and reporting requirements, including sixmonthly, annual, and evaluation reporting.
• Experience using digital MEL systems, dashboards, or data visualization tools to support adaptive management and reporting.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills in English and Bahasa Indonesia.