Pacific Quantitative Research Assistant

• Start date: March 2026
• Completion date: December 2026 (with an option to extend)
• 95 days (drawdown contract)
  • 5 days in March, 2026
  • 10 days monthly from April – December, 2026

The consultant will provide technical and analytical support to the P4SP quantitative research program under Phase II, with a primary focus on:

1. Secondary data analytics, including the analysis of existing Pacific household and population datasets to generate policy-relevant evidence on social protection.
2. Impact evaluation support, particularly in relation to data preparation, descriptive analysis, power calculations, and the use of HIES or MICS data as a baseline. The role will not involve leading the impact evaluation design, but will support the technical team, as needed.
3. Just-in-time quantitative analysis, responding to time-sensitive analytical requests from partner governments and DFAT to inform policy design, costing, and decision-making.

The assignment will require close collaboration with P4SP technical staff, engagement with Pacific government counterparts and national statistics offices where appropriate, and a strong emphasis on producing high-quality, reproducible, and policy-focused analytical outputs.

EOI: Short Term Technical Adviser pool 2026

Development Pathways provides technical assistance on social protection and other international development priorities to the Australian Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT) through its development assistance programs.

Currently, technical assistance is delivered through three multi-year programs – Partnerships for Social Protection (P4SP), Social Protection Advice, Research and Capability Building (SPARC), and Social Protection, Inclusion and Gender Equality (SPRING) - that routinely engage technical experts for short-term assignments/services.

To deliver services for these (and future) DFAT-funded programs managed by Development Pathways, Development Pathways maintains a Short-Term Technical Adviser (STTA) Pool of pre-vetted and qualified consultants.

Expressions of interest are invited from international development consultants with technical expertise in social protection and related sectors, such as cash and voucher assistance (CVA), poverty alleviation, and livelihoods, and cross-cutting issues prioritised by DFAT including Gender Equality, Disability, and Social Inclusion (GEDSI), localisation and climate change.

Experience from Asia and/or the Pacific is desirable and candidates from the Asia Pacific region are encouraged to apply.