Program Quality Lead

There's something special about spending your days alongside like-minded people, just as committed to purposeful work as you. At Save the Children Australia, we attract bright and big-hearted people who are inspired to make a difference. Together, we are fearless in our pursuit of making lasting change for the children and communities who need it most.

A place to make a difference:

This isn't a conventional quality role. The Program Quality Lead exists to change how programs run. Not by reviewing from the sidelines, but by getting into the architecture of delivery and making it work better. If you're the kind of person who sees a broken logframe and fixes it rather than just flagging it, who challenges weak assumptions rather than letting them pass, and who thinks the INGO sector's quality systems need rethinking, read on.

This role is part of a new operating model that separates upstream design from downstream quality and delivery. You'll be one of two Program Quality Leads providing holistic technical support across a portfolio of donor-funded programs in the Asia-Pacific region. The model is built around clear ownership, coordinated quality, and genuine Country Office partnership. This role is central to making it work.

In this full-time, permanent role, you'll work as part of our International Programs team, contributing to our commitment to children. You'll be based ideally in Australia or Asia-Pacific time zones, though other locations will be considered. You will work predominantly from home.

You will make a difference by:

·       Providing early, consolidated quality assurance that prevents rework, not adding another review loop

·       Translating monitoring data into specific, implementable changes to programs, not writing reports about what the data shows

·       Challenging weak assumptions, default practices, and checkbox inclusion when they undermine delivery or credibility

·       Building results frameworks and indicators that are measurable, realistic, and defensible under donor scrutiny

·       Working as a high-trust critical friend to Country Office teams: bringing technical depth to the problems they bring you, practical in your advice, outcome-oriented in your approach, and willing to hold the line on standards while building CO capability over time

·       Using AI tools to increase speed and consistency in structured quality work, with strong human judgment and governance

A place to feel valued:

You take an entrepreneurial approach. You propose improvements, test them quickly, scale what works, and retire what doesn't. You understand the financial math of international development and you know that quality isn't just about standards. It's about making programs competitive, fundable, and deliverable.

This role requires:

·       Demonstrated technical depth in at least one thematic area relevant to SCA's portfolio (e.g. education, child protection, health, nutrition, WASH, livelihoods, climate adaptation), with the ability to apply that depth across a broader quality and monitoring remit

·       Demonstrated breadth across program quality, monitoring/results, and inclusion, with evidence of improving delivery in complex operating environments

·       Proven ability to translate evidence and performance signals into implementable changes to results frameworks/logframes, workplans/DIPs, reporting products, and budget sequencing

·       Strong analytical capability: structured data review, pattern recognition, and practical implications for delivery decisions

·       High-quality writing and synthesis for donor-facing outputs: clear, decisive, evidence-anchored

·       Strong influence skills: able to challenge constructively and drive uptake without formal authority

·       Track record of questioning orthodox practice and improving ways of working without increasing bureaucracy (desirable)

·       Demonstrated capability using AI-enabled tools responsibly in professional workflows (desirable)

·       Experience in federated or multi-office environments and partner-heavy delivery models (desirable)

A place to belong:

We are diverse personalities, backgrounds and talents, embracing our differences as one strong and united team. We see and celebrate the unique value you bring to our organisation, and offer a range of rewards for your effort, including:

·       Opportunity to work on stretch projects

·       Learning plans to help map and deliver on your career development

·       Internal employment and development opportunities

·       A modern working space, or the opportunity to work from home, or blended

·       Support for workplace wellness, including access to our free, confidential Employee Wellbeing Program

·       Extra leave to use in a range of ways to ensure you're able to perform at your optimum

Follow this link for the full list of our employee benefits.

Does this sound like the place for you?

We’d love to hear from you. Submit your cover letter and resume below.

We strongly encourage Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander candidates to apply.

Applications close COB, Friday 1^st May 2026.

Position Description – Program Quality Lead

For more information about this position, please contact Cory Steinhauer on cory.steinhauer@savethechildren.org.au  Or for more information about a career at Save, visit our Careers Page.

We have tested our application process with diverse groups in mind, with the intent to ensure it's straightforward and accessible for all to apply. Diversity and inclusion are fundamental to our culture and improve our ability to reach our most vulnerable client groups. But we also know there is no one-size fits-all when it comes to recruitment - so if we didn’t quite hit the mark for you, please let us know at people.culture@savethechildren.org.au. We’re dedicated to ensuring Save the Children Australia is a place where everyone can feel supported – no matter your race, ethnicity, gender, age, disability, sexuality, neurodiversity, culture and beliefs.

Save the Children Australia is a child-safe organisation. All employees are required to undergo a National Police Check, a Working with Children Check, and sign our Child Safeguarding Policy and Code of Conduct. We also support the Inter-Agency Misconduct Disclosure Scheme.

Save the Children is committed to providing and maintaining a safe working environment for its employees and client groups, consistent with our obligations under OH&S legislation.

If you are having any issues with uploading your application for this role, please contact people.culture@savethechildren.org.au for further support.