Rachel Payne
West End,QLD
Summary
I am a passionate and experienced international development practitioner and manager, with experience leading cross sectoral teams at both the country and regional levels. I firmly believe that supporting children and their families to be healthy, safe, and resilient, and position them to best contribute to their communities, is key to achieving sustainable development outcomes. My career has allowed me to develop skills in a range of areas - program management, policy, planning, monitoring and evaluation, operations, organisational strengthening and capacity development - and equipped me well to oversee complex programs. I have a track record of effectively managing large program budgets, ensuring compliance, strong budget execution and efficient use of funds. Throughout my career in international development, and previously in allied health, I have leveraged skills in networking, collaboration and program design to support business development, raising funds for innovative programs and to sustain existing ones. I'm ready for a new opportunity to learn and grow, and apply my skills, experience leadership to support Save the Children Australia secure a brighter future for children everywhere.
Overview
24
24
years of professional experience
Work History
Deputy Team Lead and Head of Programs
Partnerships For Social Protection (P4SP)
09.2022 - Current
- Leading the P4SP programs team to implement programs in Timor Leste, Kiribati, Fiji and Tonga, as well as a range of regional and multi-country activities aimed at strengthening the regional dialogue and engagement in social protection
- Leading on strategic planning and reporting
- Overseeing all program activities, as well as GEDSI, Communications, and Monitoring, Evaluation and Learning functions
- Overseeing P4SP operations when a designated operations officer was engaged (until November 2022).
International Development Consultant
Self-employed
06.2020 - Current
- Providing strategic and programmatic advice and support to DFAT Water Section and country programs (through the Specialist Health Services program).
Team Leader - Asia Pacific
Social Protection Approaches to Covid-19: Expert Advice (SPACE)
12.2020 - 12.2021
- Managing the Asia Pacific arm of a multi-development partner funded (FCDO, GIZ, DFAT) facility, providing social protection technical advisory support and building evidence from the Asia-Pacific region.
Country Director
WaterAid Papua New Guinea
08.2018 - 05.2020
- Leading WaterAid's engagement in PNG
- Strengthening WaterAid PNG organisational performance and overseeing operations at national and regional office
- Ensuring quality design and implementation, donor compliance and reporting, budget oversight
- Leading business development
- Leading a consultative process to develop WaterAid PNG's Country Strategy 2020-2023
- Leading stakeholder engagement and advocacy and establishing and maintaining strong partnerships with donors, government and civil- society stakeholders
- Reporting to the WaterAid Australia board
- Contributing to WaterAid Australia's global leadership team.
Manager
Learning and Innovation Unit, Justice Services and Stability for Development, Cardno, Papua New Guinea
03.2018 - 07.2018
- Led a team to strengthen planning, monitoring, evaluation, learning, innovation and strategic communications
- Drafted annual plan and annual report
- Initiated a process to strengthen management information system aimed at linking budget and program management information
Manager (secondment)
Office for Women and Domestic Violence Reform, Department of Communities, Child Safety and Disability Services, Queensland
05.2017 - 11.2017
- Led a team responsible for the implementation and oversight of whole-of-government reforms to address domestic and family violence and violence against women in Queensland
- Supported the implementation of the Commonwealth Government's National Plan to address Violence Against Women and their Children 2010-2022
- Designed an innovative, child-centred, multi-agency pilot to strengthen the response to child and youth sexual abuse, increase rates of reporting and improve outcomes for children in the justice system.
Manager
Department of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Partnerships (DATSIP), Queensland
07.2016 - 05.2017
- Led a team reviewing Queensland's Alcohol Management Plans in 19 indigenous communities, providing technical and policy advice to the Senior Executive, DATSIP and the Minister, resulting in significant changes to the Government's approach to tackling this issue in Queensland Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities
- Managed the Secretariat to the Youth Sexual Violence and Abuse Steering Committee, supporting the Independent Chair of the Committee to negotiate, draft and finalize the Final Report on Youth Sexual Violence and Abuse in Queensland.
International Development Consultant
Self-employed
06.2015 - 06.2016
- Led the final evaluation of the Practical Action ‘Pathways from Poverty: Building Economic Empowerment and Resilience for Extreme Poor Households in Riverine Areas of Bangladesh' Program
- Advised and supported the WaterAid Australia Leadership Team to develop new ‘integrated (cross-sectoral) initiatives' related to water, sanitation and hygiene in health care facilities, including advising on business development opportunities.
Technical Director
KOMPAK – Governance for Growth, Abt Associates, Indonesia
12.2014 - 05.2015
- Supported the re-design of the Australian Government's decentralized governance program (Australia-Indonesia Partnership for Decentralisation) to improve basic service delivery through greater cross-sectoral coordination in planning, implementation, monitoring and evaluation
- This included undertaking research and analysis on best practice and providing advice to DFAT, particularly related to the design of the Indonesia program's overarching performance framework.
Frontline Service Delivery and Organisational Management Adviser
PNPM Support Facility (PSF), World Bank, Indonesia
08.2014 - 12.2014
- Advised and assisted senior management to restructure the facility for improved cross-sectoral and service delivery outcomes
- Worked with teams to build an understanding of and implement a new programming approach based on local problem analyses, cross-sectoral innovation and real-time, ‘fit-for-purpose' monitoring and evaluation
- Provided change management and organizational reform advice to the Director.
AusAID – DFAT Transition Plan Coordinator
Department Of Foreign Affairs And Trade
03.2014 - 12.2014
- Supported senior management to effectively integrate the Australian aid program into the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade
- Coordinated a range of cross-sectoral, multi-team activities to ensure the ongoing effectiveness of Australia's development assistance in Indonesia
- Providing strategic analysis and advice to senior management on key issues impacting organizational effectiveness including change management processes
- Developing guidelines and contract templates for partnerships with implementers and stakeholders, designing relationship management tools for use with multilateral agencies, and putting in place mechanisms for effective results-focused, cross-sectoral reporting.
Head of Australian Aid Program (Acting Counsellor)
Australian High Commission (AusAID)
09.2009 - 12.2011
- Led the Australian Government's development assistance engagement in Bangladesh during a period of significant growth and strategic realignment
- Supported a cross-cultural team to effectively implement the Australian aid program - a large multi-sectoral program with major engagements in social protection and extreme poverty reduction, health, education, WaSH, and smaller investments targeting violence against women, climate change, scholarships and volunteers
- Led development of Australia's first country strategy for Bangladesh and the Australian Government's Strategic Partnership with BRAC and DFID
- Represented Australia at the Bangladesh Development Forum, and in fora including the Local Consultative Group and the SHIREE (Stimulating Household Improvement Resulting in Economic Empowerment) Steering Committee.
Various Positions
AusAID, Canberra
02.2005 - 08.2009
- Held a variety of roles including Manager of AusAID's global Health Resource Facility, Policy and Research Manager overseeing health and HIV programs in Cambodia, Vietnam and the Philippines, and Policy Officer for Pacific Regional Governance.
Speech Pathologist and Rehabilitation Consultation
Various
01.2000 - 01.2004
Education
Master of Public Health -
University of New South Wales
01.2004
Bachelor of Speech Pathology -
University of Queensland
01.1999
Skills
- Strategic and human-centred leader with experience in cross-cultural settings and a focus on nurturing local leadership
- Excellent networker, highly developed communication and negotiation skills, and a track record in business development
- Strong background in policy/strategy development and implementation
- Highly developed program management skills and experience building program management capacity
- Commitment to development effectiveness, sustainability, innovation and fiscally responsible development
- Proven ability to oversee large and complex programs and budgets and ensure compliance with policies, procedures and donor requirements
- Experience leading and supporting teams through significant change and uncertainty, and strengthening organisational performance
- A passion for ensuring program design is grounded in local and operational realities, and support effective implementation and achievement of objectives
- Deep sectoral knowledge in public health; water, sanitation and hygiene (WaSH); social protection; and experience overseeing programs in a range of other sectors, including education and land
- Expertise in monitoring and evaluation; institutional and systems strengthening
Referees
Available on Request
Timeline
Deputy Team Lead and Head of Programs
Partnerships For Social Protection (P4SP)
09.2022 - Current
Team Leader - Asia Pacific
Social Protection Approaches to Covid-19: Expert Advice (SPACE)
12.2020 - 12.2021
International Development Consultant
Self-employed
06.2020 - Current
Country Director
WaterAid Papua New Guinea
08.2018 - 05.2020
Manager
Learning and Innovation Unit, Justice Services and Stability for Development, Cardno, Papua New Guinea
03.2018 - 07.2018
Manager (secondment)
Office for Women and Domestic Violence Reform, Department of Communities, Child Safety and Disability Services, Queensland
05.2017 - 11.2017
Manager
Department of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Partnerships (DATSIP), Queensland
07.2016 - 05.2017
International Development Consultant
Self-employed
06.2015 - 06.2016
Technical Director
KOMPAK – Governance for Growth, Abt Associates, Indonesia
12.2014 - 05.2015
Frontline Service Delivery and Organisational Management Adviser
PNPM Support Facility (PSF), World Bank, Indonesia
08.2014 - 12.2014
AusAID – DFAT Transition Plan Coordinator
Department Of Foreign Affairs And Trade
03.2014 - 12.2014
Head of Australian Aid Program (Acting Counsellor)
Australian High Commission (AusAID)
09.2009 - 12.2011
Various Positions
AusAID, Canberra
02.2005 - 08.2009
Speech Pathologist and Rehabilitation Consultation
Various
01.2000 - 01.2004
Master of Public Health -
University of New South Wales
Bachelor of Speech Pathology -
University of Queensland
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