Public Finance Specialist

Position Title	Public Finance Specialist
Engagement Type	Short-Term Adviser (Local)
Work Unit	Budget and Debt Management
Grade / Level	STA-2.1
Reports To	Senior Economist (Acting Budget & Debt Management Lead)
Location	Remote (Indonesia), Jakarta — Prospera Office
Duration	12 months December 2026 - November 2027
Total Input Days	180
Input Schedule	Flexible

Program Background

Prospera Phase 2 is Australia’s flagship economic development partnership with Indonesia, supporting the Government of Indonesia (GoI) to advance sustainable, inclusive and climate-resilient economic growth. Building on nearly three decades of cooperation, the program delivers high-quality, demand-driven policy advice, institutional strengthening and Australian Public Service (APS) partnerships aligned with Indonesia’s national priorities and Australia’s economic diplomacy objectives.

The program is structured around two mutually reinforcing End-of-Program Outcomes:

• strengthened macroeconomic, financial and public financial management systems that support sustainable, climate-resilient and inclusive growth; and
• expanded markets, jobs, trade and investment through improved economic policy and reform implementation.

Across both outcomes, Prospera Phase 2 emphasises politically informed and evidence-based reform, sustained institutional capability, and locally led solutions rather than short-term technical fixes. Gender equality, disability and social inclusion (GEDSI), sustainability, climate and energy transition considerations, and localisation are embedded across all areas of engagement.

Purpose of the Role

The Public Finance Specialist supports Prospera to improve the quality, efficiency and effectiveness of public expenditure in Indonesia. The role provides technical expertise in public expenditure analysis, applied economic research and quantitative methods to generate evidence that informs fiscal policy and budget decisions.

Working closely with the Budget and Debt Management Team, other policy advisors and technical experts, the Public Finance Specialist will develop and apply to assess the relationship between public spending, service delivery and development outcomes. This will include integrating socioeconomic, spending data across central and subnational governments, and broader public sector where relevant. This also includes designing and overseeing primary data collection where existing information is insufficient.

The role will contribute to the development of spending review methodologies and analytical outputs, the design and execution of fiscal policy reviews that link public expenditure to sectoral outcome indicators in health, education, infrastructure and social protection. The Public Finance Specialist will contribute in translating empirical findings into practical recommendations for improving spending efficiency, effectiveness, equity and value for money. The Public Finance Specialist will also support communicating findings to government counterparts through presentations, workshops and policy briefs.

Key Responsibilities

The Public Finance Specialist will work closely with the Budget and Debt Management team to:

• Support policy development and dialogue by translating technical findings into clear, evidence-based policy messages for senior government counterparts and other relevant stakeholders
• Deliver timely, high-quality strategic advice on public finance to the Prospera team and government counterparts, drawing on analysis potential reform opportunities.
• Develop expenditure analysis and spending review framework, including its scope, objectives, key questions and criteria for assessing spending quality (efficiency, effectiveness and equity).
• Conduct quantitative and qualitative methodology for spending reviews, including data sources, analytical approaches and the use of qualitative evidence to validate quantitative findings.
• Design analytical approaches that link public expenditure to sectoral outcomes in health, education, infrastructure and social protection, integrating socioeconomic, central government expenditure and subnational budget data.
• Design and oversee primary data collection where needed. Identify information gaps, develop survey methodologies and sampling approaches, review survey instruments, and provide technical oversight of fieldwork and data quality.
• Provide technical guidance on the methodology and approach to enable a more collaborative work with other team members.
• Present findings and recommendations to government counterparts, including senior officials, through presentations, workshops and policy briefs, and produce technical notes and step-by-step explanations that enable knowledge transfer.
• Work closely with Government of Indonesia counterparts, the Prospera team and other relevant teams to obtain data, understand policy context and produce high-quality, timely outputs.
• Ensure activities are designed and outputs delivered in accordance with Prospera’s SOPs and standards, including technical quality standards and donor requirements.

Key Relationships — Internal

As a pivotal part of the Macro Fiscal Finance group (EOPO 1), the role works closely with:

• Budget and Debt Management Lead — reporting and supervision line; direction, support and professional development
• Other technical teams - collaboration on sectoral spending, public financial management and cross-cutting policy analysis
• Communications and MEL - support for presentation and program implementation and monitoring
• Operations and enabling services - people, finance, operations, systems, risk and compliance matters.

Key Relationships — External

The Public Finance Specialist engages with:

• Indonesian Government counterparts — collaboration on fiscal data exchange and policy insights.

Qualifications & Experience

The successful candidate will have:

Essential

• Postgraduate degree (S2) in Economics, Public Policy, Public Finance, Finance, Statistics, Mathematics or a related field, with relevant training or coursework in fiscal analysis or public finance.
• At least eight years of relevant professional experience in economics, fiscal policy, public financial management, public expenditure analysis, public policy or a closely related field, including experience designing or leading analytical work such as spending reviews, public expenditure reviews or similar assessments.
• Strong knowledge of Indonesia’s fiscal and budget policy, PFM institutions, and planning and budgeting processes at both central and subnational levels.
• Advanced quantitative skills, including proficiency in statistical software such as STATA or equivalent, and demonstrated ability to specify, apply and quality-assure quantitative methods for linking public expenditure to sectoral and socioeconomic outcomes.
• Demonstrated ability to integrate and analyse data from multiple sources, including household survey data, BPS publications, and central and subnational government budget data.
• Proven ability to communicate complex technical findings clearly, in writing and orally, to senior government officials and other policy audiences through presentations, workshops and policy briefs.
• Proven ability to work independently, coordinate across teams and deliver high-quality analysis under short timelines.

Desirable

• Doctoral degree (S3/PhD) in Economics, Public Policy, Public Finance, Finance, Statistics, Mathematics or a related field.
• Experience combining quantitative and qualitative methods in policy or program evaluation, or in expenditure analysis.
• Familiarity with sectoral expenditure and performance in health, education, infrastructure or social protection.
• Experience in leading the team to conduct a fiscal policy analysis.
• Previous experience engaging with Indonesian government agencies, or working in a development partner, international organisation, research institution or policy advisory environment.
• Familiarity with CEIC and Indonesian fiscal data sources.

Skills & Competencies

The role requires the following skills and competencies:

• Agility with fiscal and government spending data, including the ability to quickly understand unfamiliar datasets and identify material trends or anomalies.
• Analytical judgement and problem-solving skills, with the ability to move from data to policy insight.
• Proficiency in data processing, visualisation and statistical analysis using STATA, Excel and related tools; familiarity with CEIC and other economic databases.
• Ability to communicate complex quantitative findings clearly through charts, presentations, briefs and concise written analysis.
• Strong interpersonal skills and ability to work in collaboration with government counterparts and multidisciplinary teams.

Language Proficiency

Excellent written and oral communication skills in Bahasa Indonesia and English, with the ability to prepare concise analytical products and presentations.

Working Conditions

The Public Finance Specialist is a short-term adviser (STA) position with a remote working arrangement that might require to work from Prospera Office in Jakarta, Indonesia when needed. This role involves regular collaboration with government counterparts. Occasional travel may be required for key meetings, data collection and other related activities. The engagement will be based on an agreed number of input days, with flexibility in scheduling to accommodate the demands of the assignment.

Performance & Accountability

Performance will be assessed against:

• Quality of Analysis: The accuracy, depth, and relevance of analysis and insights provided.
• Timeliness of Deliverables: The ability to meet deadlines for reports, presentations, and policy briefs, ensuring timely support.
• Clarity of Communication: The clarity, conciseness, and effectiveness of written and verbal communications, including policy briefs, reports, and presentations.
• Adherence to Frameworks and Procedures: Compliance with established Prospera operational rules.

Core Competencies

This position is expected to demonstrate the following core competencies:

• Communicates clearly and effectively
• Works collaboratively with others
• Plans and organises work effectively
• Identifies and solves problems
• Demonstrates adaptability and flexibility

Ways of Working

Prospera Phase 2 operates in a transparent, accountable, and collaborative manner. All team members are expected to share information early, manage risk proactively, and maintain clarity about decisions, roles and responsibilities. The program values respect, professionalism, integrity, and a shared commitment to high-quality, timely delivery.

Ethics and Compliance

The postholder must uphold the highest standards of ethical conduct and comply with all DFAT policies, contractual obligations and Prospera operational requirements, including:

• DFAT Child Protection and Preventing Sexual Exploitation, Abuse and Harassment
  (PSEAH) policies;
• Fraud, bribery and anti-corruption prevention requirements;
• The Program Code of Conduct;
• Conflict-of-interest obligations; and
• Privacy, data-protection and confidentiality requirements.

Intellectual Property

All materials produced under this assignment will be the property of Prospera/DFAT.