INOVASI 3 - Educational Policy and Regulatory Researcher

Background Of The Project
Indonesia’s Vision 2045 sets the goal for Indonesia to transition from a resource-based economy towards an advanced service, technology, and knowledge-based economy by the centenary of its independence (2045). The 2025-2045 National Long Term Development Plan emphasises the urgency of Indonesia’s human resource development to fully realise 2045 goals.


Faced however with persistent low student performance that is emblematic of a learning crisis, significant improvement in student learning will be required to reach Indonesia’s 2045 goals. Government of Indonesia (GoI) has started an ambitious program of education reforms. Successive education ministers have set out to modernise the education system through reforming the national curriculum and teaching and assessment approaches, to produce citizens with strong foundational skills, open minds, and inclusive values.


Australia is a long-term supporter of the Indonesian basic education sector, with continuous investments supporting education quality improvements for the past two decades, including through the INOVASI program (Phase 1 2016-2020; Phase 2 2020-2023) that focused on supporting acquisition of literacy and numeracy foundational skills in early grades classrooms; exploring local problems and solutions; and generating evidence to inform government policy development and practices. This third phase of INOVASI (2024-2027) builds upon the existing program’s approach and lessons learned and takes the focus on the development of foundational skills through to the end of the primary grades. Phase 3 will engage with priority issues of Australia’s development policy: gender equality, effective inclusion of children with a disability, responses to the climate change challenge in education. It will focus on the challenge of policy implementation and the gaps that exist between national policies and practices at district and school levels and use the well attested-success of INOVASI’s local problem-based approach to continuously support policy development for effective fit between policy and implementation context. INOVASI Phase 3 is implemented in 25 districts and cities across Indonesia, in the provinces of West Nusa Tenggara, East Nusa Tenggara, North Kalimantan, East Java, West Java, and Maluku. The program also works in Ibu Kota Nusantara (IKN). The Program is managed by Palladium on behalf of the Government of Australia through the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT).


INOVASI Phase 3 accelerates systemic education reform by supporting across policy cycle—co-designing with government partners, piloting contextual interventions, and conducting rigorous mixed-methods evaluations. This approach targets key priorities of the Government of Indonesia’s reform agenda: adaptive implementation of curriculum; student assessment, strengthening teacher and education personnel (GTK) competencies through practice-based professional development; advancing Deep Learning pedagogies that cultivate critical thinking, creativity, and real-world problem solving; strengthening Kurikulum Berbasis Cinta (KBC) of MoRA, mainstreaming Gender Equality, Disability, and Social Inclusion (GEDSI) across all education sectors; and strengthening prevention and response mechanisms for school-related gender-based violence and other forms of school violence, etc. These innovations are tested through collaborative pilots with local governments, schools, and communities. Evidence generated is systematically analyzed and channeled into national and subnational policy dialogues to guide scaling, regulatory refinement, and effective implementation—ensuring reforms are grounded in local realities and deliver measurable improvements in learning and inclusion.


Therefore, an education policy and regulation researcher is needed to analyze implementation challenges, develop evidence-based recommendations, and provide technical assistance to relevant ministries. This role is critical to ensure that inclusive education policies are not merely theoretical but are effectively implemented on the ground, leading to a fair and inclusive education system for all.


Purpose Of The Position
Under the direction of the Policy Advisers, the Educational Policy and Regulatory Researchers will play a critical role in providing technical assistance to the Bappenas, MoPSE, and MoRA in developing on education policies. The consultant will support the Bappenas, MoPSE and MoRA team by conducting desk reviews, performing data analysis, and drafting policy brief documents. Additionally, he/she will assist in formulating recommendations, collating feedback, and addressing counterparts' input during the policy development. He/she will also evaluate existing policies, identify gaps, and propose evidence-based solutions to strengthen the overall framework of education systems.


List of Key Topics to be Supported by the Education Policy and Regulation Researchers:

- Deep Learning Pedagogies to foster critical thinking, creativity, and real-world problem-solving skills.
- Implementation of the Kurikulum Berbasis Cinta, particularly within the Ministry of Religious Affairs.
- Implementation of Coding and Artificial Intelligence Learning, with focus on strengthening pilot in unplugged area
- Inclusive Education, with a focus on strengthening policies and practices for the inclusion of children with disabilities.
- Gender Equality and Prevention of School-Related Gender-Based Violence (SRGBV), including strengthening prevention and response mechanisms in schools.
- Mainstreaming Gender Equality, Disability, and Social Inclusion (GEDSI) across all education subsectors, including madrasahs.
- Teacher and Education Personnel (GTK) Competency Development through practice-based professional learning approaches.
- Student Assessment Reform, aligned with curriculum objectives and learning outcomes.
- Integration of Climate Change Education.
- Bridging the Policy–Implementation Gap, analyzing challenges in translating national policies into effective district- and school-level practices.
- Improving quality and develop a validation framework to verify education data (DAPODIK)
- Support the drafting of regulations related to education policy and government priorities, including reviewing existing regulations and incorporating evidence-based recommendations from policy research, and pilot programs

Duties:
Under the direction of Policy Advisor, the consultant will:

- Conduct in-depth analysis of existing education policies and regulations related to inclusive education, both domestically and internationally, to identify best practices and innovative approaches.
- Identify issues and challenges in the current inclusive education system to pinpoint key challenges and gaps that need to be addressed in the development of new policies and regulations.
- Drafting policy briefs documents on lesson learnd from pilot inclusive education implemented in schools and madrasah, including formulation of specific policy and program recommendation.
- Collaborate with experts, practitioners, researchers, and other relevant stakeholders to review draft implementation guidelines to ensure clarity, appropriateness, and readiness for field application.
- Analyze evaluation data on the implementation of government priorities program, specifically for MoRA and MoECRT, to assess effectiveness and inform improvements.
- Provide technical assistance and help refine INOVASI’s strategy on disability inclusion issues for effective advocacy and collaboration with relevant ministries and agencies.

Duration Of The Contract/Timeline
The duration of the contract is 6 months with maximum 60 of billable workdays, with a possible of extension subject to satisfactory performance assessment.


Qualifications And Experience
The Education Policy and Regulatory Researcher will possess the following qualifications and experience:

- Possess a degree in a relevant field, complemented by relevant experience in supporting education policy research and analysis.
- A minimum of 5 years of recent and applicable experience working within Indonesia’s Education sector.
- Demonstrate a robust understanding of the current inclusive education policy and systems environment in Indonesia, and established networks and relationships within the government of Indonesia.
- Demonstrate an ability to be flexible, think clearly and logically, and work independently in a multitasking environment.
- Exhibit a high level of professionalism and sensitivity to confidential matters.
- Preferably, have experience in a donor environment, with familiarity with the Australian Government’s aid program in Indonesia being advantageous.

Application closes on 5 January 2026 at 23:59 Jakarta Time.
Equity, Diversity & Inclusion
- Palladium is committed to embedding equity, diversity, and inclusion into everything we do. We welcome applications from all sections of society and actively encourage diversity to drive innovation, creativity, success and good practice. We positively welcome and seek to ensure we achieve diversity in our workforce; and that all job applicants and employees receive equal and fair treatment regardless of their background or personal characteristics. These include: (but are not limited to) socio-economic background, age, race, gender identity and expression, religion, ethnicity, sexual orientation, disability, nationality, veteran, marital or Indigenous status.


Women are encouraged to apply.


INOVASI has zero tolerance for child abuse and exploitation. All successful candidates will be required to adhere to our Child Protection Policy and will be subject to background checks as a condition of employment.