About the Short-Term Adviser Register
Why join, who we are looking for, who can apply, how to apply, and how the Register works.
Why join the Short-Term Adviser Register?
Bring your expertise to work that matters, on assignments matched to your skills and availability.
Make a focused contribution
Take on defined technical assignments with clear deliverables that help improve health, education and disability rights outcomes in Timor-Leste.
Be considered first
Once you are on the Register, you can be approached directly for suitable assignments without applying for each one through an open tender.
Build local expertise
We prefer national advisers wherever they offer comparable capability and value. International assignments include working alongside Timorese counterparts and sharing skills where practical.
Work flexibly
Assignments are delivered under a service contract. You agree the outputs and timeframe, and decide how the work is done within agreed milestones.
Who we are looking for
Program quality
Who can apply?
The Register is for individual advisers who personally deliver the work.
National advisers
Advisers sourced from the Timor-Leste market and based in Timor-Leste. Timorese advisers are strongly encouraged to apply.
International advisers
Advisers sourced from the international market who would mobilise from outside Timor-Leste, with work undertaken either in country or remotely.
Individuals and sole traders
You can contract in your own name, or through your own company or business name, as long as you personally deliver all the services. Substituting another person is not permitted.
Not covered by the Register
Firms supplying teams or interchangeable personnel are engaged through our standard procurement process.
Staff positions are filled through our separate staff Expression of Interest or by separate advertisement. See staff opportunities →
How to apply
You apply once, through a single online form in three steps. It helps to have the following ready before you start.
THE THREE STEPS
- Step 1: your contact details, where you are based and how you would contract.
- Step 2: your work history, industry experience, disciplines, adviser level and years of experience.
- Step 3: your availability, your responses to the selection criteria, your maximum daily fee, referees and CV, then the declarations and consent.
An optional section lets you tell us about any adjustments you need. If you can’t apply online, contact us to arrange a paper application.
What you will need
- An up-to-date CV (PDF, maximum 5MB).
- Names and contact details for at least two referees, including a recent client or supervisor. We contact referees only if you are selected for an assignment.
- The disciplines you want to be considered for, and the adviser level that best matches the work you usually deliver.
- Your likely availability over the next 12 months, and the maximum daily fee you would charge.
- If you contract through your own company or business name: the business name, country of registration and registration number.
- Written responses to the six selection criteria below, of up to 200 words each.
The selection criteria
- Professional experience: your background, the organisations you have worked with, your seniority and the short-term and advisory assignments you have delivered.
- Technical expertise: your skills, knowledge and qualifications in the disciplines you select, with examples of technical work you have led or contributed to.
- Local knowledge and context: your knowledge of and experience working in Timor-Leste or comparable contexts, such as government systems, local languages and community dynamics.
- Stakeholder engagement and communication: how you work with government counterparts, communities, partner organisations and donors, often within a short assignment.
- Delivery and results: how you deliver quality outputs to agreed deliverables, timeframes and budgets.
- Safeguarding, GEDSI and ethical conduct: your understanding of and commitment to safeguarding, child protection, PSEAH, gender equality, disability inclusion and ethical conduct.
How your application is assessed
Your application is assessed once, against each discipline you select. To join the Register for a discipline, you need an overall score of at least 70%, and at least 50% on each of the six criteria.
You may be included for some disciplines and not others. We will tell you the outcome for each discipline you selected in writing.
You will also be asked to confirm a set of declarations covering safeguarding, conduct, sanctions, fraud and conflicts of interest. An application cannot proceed unless every declaration is confirmed.
How does the Register work?
Understanding the process and what to expect as a member of the Register.
Assessed once, against a published standard
Your application is assessed once, against each discipline you select, using six selection criteria. To join the Register for a discipline, you need an overall score of at least 70%, and at least 50% on each criterion, including Safeguarding, GEDSI and Ethical Conduct. You may be included for some disciplines and not others. Applicants are assessed against this standard, not ranked against each other: everyone who meets it is included. AI-assisted tools support the initial screening, but every decision on inclusion is made by Cowater personnel.
Not a contract or a guarantee of work
Being on the Register is not a contract, panel appointment or job offer, and does not guarantee that you will be offered work. It means you can be approached when a suitable assignment arises.
How assignments are awarded
When an assignment arises, we prepare Terms of Reference and review the Register for advisers in the relevant discipline and level. Selection is based on value for money: capability against the Terms of Reference, availability and fee. For some assignments we may ask for a short proposal and/or interview. Being on the Register does not guarantee that you will be approached, asked for a proposal or interviewed.
Service contracts of up to 180 days
Selected advisers are engaged under a short-term consultancy services agreement with defined deliverables, input days and fees. An adviser cannot be engaged for more than 180 input days in any 12-month period across all program contracts.
Your fee
You propose a maximum daily fee in AUD or USD in confidence when you apply. If you join the Register, that fee is your ceiling for the life of the round: it cannot be increased at selection, although a lower fee may be agreed. Fees are assessed under the program’s STA Remuneration Framework, which classifies each assignment by its complexity, expertise required, outputs and level of influence.
Checks before any contract
Two referee checks, safeguarding screening (including a police check where required), sanctions and debarment checks, verification of essential qualifications, a conflict of interest declaration and other checks are completed only when you are selected for an assignment. Depending on the assignment and your circumstances, you may also need professional indemnity and public liability insurance.
Inclusive and accessible
No applicant is favoured or disadvantaged on the basis of gender, disability, ethnicity, religion, age or other protected characteristics. We particularly encourage women, people with disability and Timorese advisers to apply. You can apply online or on paper. If you need adjustments to take part, tell us at any stage. Information about gender, disability, lived experience and adjustments is optional, collected separately with your consent, and is not seen by the AI screening tool or assessors.
18-month rounds
Each EOI round is open for 18 months. Your Register membership lapses when the round closes, and you can reapply to the next round.
Outcomes, feedback and complaints
Every applicant is told the outcome for each discipline they selected, in writing, and may ask for feedback. If you have a concern about the process, you can make a complaint to Cowater’s regional or head-office team, which is independent of the Shared Services Platform. Complaints are acknowledged within 5 working days, with an outcome within 30 days.
Ready to share your expertise?
We are accepting Expressions of Interest for the Short-Term Adviser Register. Register today to support Timor-Leste and Australia’s next step in human development.