The posting
Job Description
Position: Health and Development Program Adviser - Cambodia
Location: Phnom Penh, Cambodia
Monthly Remuneration: AUD 13,387 gross salary per month (inclusive of superannuation) plus allowances
Duration: 1 January 2027 – 28 February 2029
The World at Abt
Solving the world’s most pressing issues and improving the quality of life for people worldwide is what we do every day at Abt Global. Creating a more equitable world is no small task, but we are driven by big challenges.
We are a team of 3,000+ people in over 50 countries working in unison and focused on the bigger picture. Only by sharing our commitment, energy, and innovation do we affect change and push the boundaries of what’s possible. We welcome diverse ideas, backgrounds, and viewpoints – joining Abt means access to exceptional thinkers at the top of their game.
To thrive at Abt is to embrace flexibility and collaboration. Our open culture allows you to balance your work and personal life as needed to optimize personal well-being. Creating a more equitable world starts from within – we look after people around the world, and we’ll do the same for you. Ready to embrace rewarding and meaningful work? Now’s your chance.
Specialist Health Service:
Managed by Abt Global, the Specialist Health Service (SHS) provides strategic input on health to the Australian Government’s Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT). SHS is the primary source from which DFAT accesses health and development expertise and advisory services to improve the quality of health programming across DFAT’s global and regional health portfolio, through enabling access to responsive technical advice and support.
The Opportunity
The Health and Development Program Adviser will provide strategic oversight, technical leadership and management of Australia’s health portfolio in Cambodia. They will also support the social protection portfolio, particularly ensuring the social protection and health portfolio are well aligned. The Adviser will leverage Australia’s support and ensure all current and future programs are strongly coordinated and delivering on the strategic interests of Cambodia and Australia.
The Adviser will maintain strategic oversight of the health and social protection portfolio. They will provide advice to senior management on policy, technical challenges and opportunities, political economy, design, planning, risk management, performance assessment and reporting. Where relevant, the Adviser will support sharing lessons learned from their work and experience with other development staff across the embassy to improve Post coordination and support capacity building of staff and ongoing learning.
The Adviser will be the focal point for Australia’s regional and global health work in Cambodia, leading engagement and coordination with teams in Canberra and across the Indo-Pacific. This will include coordinating briefings, public diplomacy and visits, and managing relationships with partners (including multilateral and civil society organisations).
Specific Duties:
Key roles and responsibilities will include:
Bilateral Health and Social Protection Programs
- Providing strategic oversight and technical leadership of the health and social protection portfolio at Post, including
- Working constructively with key development partners, and apply different approaches to engagement with each institution and/or program type (i.e. multi donor and multilateral), as required
- Leading engagement and coordination with health and social protection partners, including WB, GIZ, WHO, FAO and UNICEF.
- Driving coordination and engagement through donor coordination groups, including serving as a rotating co-chair of the health donor coordination group, engaging in the Health Partners Group (TWGH secretariat), social protection partners group, and the social protection financing group.
- Ensuring that the relevant programs at Post and DFAT Canberra geographic divisions (including Global Health Division (GHD), desk, and health and social protection areas) are aware of implementation progress, key developments and risks
- Driving coordination of DFAT official visits for the health and social protection sectors (e.g. preparing briefings and public diplomacy activities).
- Building and maintaining strong relationships with key government counterparts, including the Ministry of Health, National Payment Certification Agency, Ministry of Economy and Finance, General Secretariat for National Social Protection Council, and National Committees for Sub-national Democratic Development Secretariat (NCDDS).
- Supporting the design of new bilateral investments
Policy Engagement
- Providing strategic guidance and technical advice to Post on engagement with RGC’s health and social protection policies (e.g., Universal Health Coverage roadmap, digital transformation, 4th National Health Strategic Plan, Health Workforce Development Plan, and Primary Healthcare Booster Implementation Framework).
- Undertaking related policy and public diplomacy work for improved health service delivery in Cambodia, including working closely with colleagues engaging on social protection, disability, ending violence against women, and social accountability.
- Providing strategic advice to Post management on opportunities to drive the policy agenda in each sector, strengthen our engagement or relationships, leverage synergies across the portfolio and investments, and draw in senior engagement.
Partnerships for a Healthy Region (PHR) and Global Health Programs
- Coordinate, manage, monitor and report on PHR, regional and global programs work in Cambodia
- Acting as the Cambodia health focal point for regional and global programs, including working closely with GHD and Canberra- based Cambodia Country Focal Points for health and social protection (as required).
- In coordination with the managing area in DFAT Canberra, representing Australia as an Alternate Member of the Country Coordinating Mechanism (CCM) for the Global Fund to Fight AIDS Tuberculosis and Malaria
Post Portfolio Design, Performance and Quality
- Supporting the design process of the new bilateral investments, for new health and social protection programs. Supporting other design work, as required, by sharing cross cutting expertise in
- Working collaboratively with the Aid Effectiveness Adviser in the Embassy to oversee DFAT performance and quality processes across the health program
- Building the capacity of program management staff and provide cross-cutting program or policy advice, as required
Key Requirements:
Required experience
- At least 10 years of health, health systems strengthening, governance and/or social protection programming experience in an international development context.
- Familiarity with the principles, priorities and policies of the Australian Development program and previous experience working with DFAT or partner government in a similar capacity.
- Demonstrated ability to build and maintain relationships with external stakeholders to achieve outcomes and manage risk, including government, implementing partners and other development partners.
- Experience in a representative role in relevant networks such as an in-country donor coordination group.
- Demonstrated experience working constructively with local staff, including the ability to mentor.
- Experience in shaping strategic thinking and gaining consensus for the policy direction in a developing country context.
- Strong aid and program management skills, including overseeing program implementation, and undertaking monitoring and evaluation.
Required Qualifications and skills
- Postgraduate degree in public health, international development, or another related field.
- High-level report writing and written communication skills.
- Excellent representation skills and a demonstrated ability to liaise with multiple, diverse stakeholders, and build and maintain strong relationships with key stakeholders.
- Ability to exercise a significant degree of independence while collaborating with colleagues across the Health and Social Protection networks and within the Embassy.
- Strong understanding of gender equality and disability- inclusive development principles and practices.
- Understanding of climate change and health and locally led development
- Strong leadership capacity including mentoring and guiding staff.
- Ability to lead drafting of briefing, design and reporting materials, as well as program management and administrative tasks.
- Knowledge of key development challenges in Cambodia and/or Southeast Asia and strong understanding of how investment in the health and social protection sectors contributes to inclusive development outcomes.
Cultural and language requirements
- Fluency in English.
- Demonstrates cross-cultural competence, values diversity, and treats all people with dignity and respect.
Desirable experience
- Knowledge of the role and project implementation modalities of the multilateral institutions (particularly the World Bank but including UNICEF, WHO etc.) working in Cambodia’s health and social protection sector.
- Previous experience working with DFAT or an Australian government agency.
How to apply:
Please submit your application on the Abt Global website or following Health and Development Program Adviser - Cambodia - Abt Global, attaching your CV and a cover letter (as a single PDF document) addressing how you meet the key requirements of the role. Closing date is Sunday, 29 November 2026. For any enquiries, please email [email protected]
Abt is an Affirmative Action/Equal Opportunity employer committed to fostering a diverse workforce.
Disclaimer: Abt will never ask candidates for money in exchange for an offer of employment.
#LI-AUSBRIT
