Don’t come for an easy career. Stay for a rewarding one.
Santos is a global energy company committed to increasingly cleaner energy and fuels production, with operations across Australia, Papua New Guinea, Timor-Leste and North America.
We are currently PNG’s largest single investor and most active explorer, operating all the country’s producing oil fields and holding an extensive appraisal and exploration portfolio. Our aspirations and strategies reflect our genuine commitment to making a meaningful contribution to the lives of Papua New Guineans.
At Santos, our commitment is to be a global leader in the transition to cleaner energy and clean fuels, by helping the world decarbonise to reach net-zero emissions in an affordable and sustainable way.
Santos is one of Australia’s biggest domestic gas supplier, a leading Asia Pacific LNG supplier and is committed to supplying the critical fuels such as oil and gas in a more sustainable way through decarbonising projects such as the Moomba CCS project.
For more than 65 years, Santos has been working in partnership with local communities, providing local jobs and business opportunities, safely and sustainably developing its natural gas resources, and powering industries and households.
The Santos Foundation is seeking an experienced and passionate Principal Program Manager to support the delivery of impactful community development programs across Papua New Guinea. This is a senior leadership opportunity for a development professional who thrives on building partnerships, leading teams, and delivering sustainable outcomes aligned with PNG's development priorities.
What You'll Do
- Provide leadership and support to the Head of Programs & Partnerships PNG and contribute to the strategic direction of the Santos Foundation.
- Lead and oversee a portfolio of community development programs, ensuring effective, efficient and sustainable delivery.
- Manage and support Program Managers to achieve program objectives and outcomes.
- Build and maintain strong relationships with government, community, donor and implementing partners.
- Represent the Santos Foundation at key stakeholder forums, meetings and industry events.
- Contribute to program design, proposal development, grant management and strategic planning activities.
- Work closely with internal teams to ensure high-quality reporting, monitoring and compliance requirements are met.
- Provide strategic advice on development practice, program risks, stakeholder engagement and partnership opportunities.
- Ensure all programs operate in accordance with governance, safety, risk and compliance requirements.
- Champion a culture of collaboration, accountability, safety and continuous improvement across the Foundation.
What You'll Bring
- Significant experience leading international aid, development or community investment programs.
- Significant senior leadership experience within Papua New Guinea, including working in complex stakeholder environments.
- Proven ability to build trusted relationships with government agencies, communities, NGOs, development partners and private sector stakeholders.
- Strong understanding of development practice, program design, monitoring and evaluation principles.
- Demonstrated experience managing large-scale programs, budgets and multidisciplinary teams.
- Exceptional stakeholder engagement, communication and influencing skills, including public speaking.
- Strong analytical, problem-solving and strategic thinking capabilities.
- Experience developing funding proposals, grants and donor reports.
- Experience working with the Government of PNG, with DFAT and other donor organisations highly regarded.
- A degree in Development, Public Health, Business, Science or a related discipline. A postgraduate qualification in Development, Project Management or a related field will be highly regarded.
Why Join Us?
At Santos Foundation, you'll play a critical role in creating meaningful and sustainable community outcomes across PNG. Working alongside a dedicated team of development professionals, you'll help shape programs that deliver long-term social impact while contributing to the strategic priorities of both the Foundation and the communities we serve.
What you’ll get:
Here, you’ll be amongst high-calibre people and get to work on industry-leading projects. We don’t shy away from solving tough problems at pace. We like it that way. You can expect to be challenged and supported; to learn and grow.
At Santos, we’re committed to creating a workplace where everyone can thrive. This means a place that is safe; where you are valued and respected, and your contribution is recognised and appreciated. Join us, and you’ll play a role in this too.
Each of our sites offer access to specific amenities that aim to create the best possible benefits to your health, wellbeing and performance.
What you’re part of:
Everywhere you turn you will be a part of a team who are coming together to contribute to our single uniting purpose - to provide reliable and affordable energy to help create a better world for everyone And because it’s not only what you do, but how you do it, you will also contribute to improving the living standards of the communities where we operate, building enduring and respectful relationships that serve a generation. It’s about each of us, and all of us – together.
How to Apply
Applications must be submitted via the online recruitment system before COB 12 October 2026.
A requirement of this role is that you will need to have in place the legal work rights for PNG to apply.