Program Manager, Asia/Africa

Program Manager, Asia/Africa
Salary to be determined
Must be willing to relocate

Brief Description:
International Bridges to Justice (IBJ) is a non-governmental, apolitical, non-profit organization dedicated to protecting the basic legal rights of ordinary citizens in developing countries. Every day, millions of people around the world are arbitrarily detained, tortured, and denied access to counsel. IBJ seeks to solve this problem within our lifetimes through the systemic provision of early access to competent legal representation for those arrested and accused of a crime. Early engagement with competent counsel ensures that individuals will be protected against investigative torture, prolonged detention, and other due process violations. In recognition of the UN SDG 16, IBJ champions access to justice as the ultimate means to stable and fair judicial processes, healthier economies, and more secure societies. To this end, IBJ seeks professionals with significant experience successfully managing, monitoring, and evaluating Rule of Law programs in countries with developing sociocultural and economic systems, as well as substantial experience practicing criminal defense law.

The Program Manager will be responsible for assisting the Program Director in the program design, implementation and management of the Defender Resource Centers in Asia/Africa and creating reports and analyses of the efficiency of IBJ’s in-country programs, with the end goal of providing access to justice for everyone—equally and without discrimination.

About IBJ:
International Bridges to Justice (IBJ) is a non-governmental, apolitical and independent non-profit organization based in Geneva, Switzerland. Every day, millions of people around the world are arbitrarily detained, tortured, and denied access to counsel. IBJ seeks to solve this problem within our lifetimes through the systemic provision of early access to competent legal representation for those arrested and accused of a crime. IBJ works bottom-up to support defenders and improve standards, and top-down to shift mind-sets of legal stakeholders and produce lasting policy change. Early engagement with competent counsel ensures that individuals will be protected against investigative torture, prolonged detention, and other due process violations. In recognition of the UN SDG 16, IBJ champions access to justice as the ultimate means to stable and fair judicial processes, healthier economies, and more secure societies.
We operate 8 country programs in Burundi, Cambodia, China, D.R.C., India, Myanmar, Rwanda and Zimbabwe and have 69 JusticeMakers fellows in 42 countries, spread across six continents.

IBJ Asia/Africa Program Manager Job Description:
IBJ has a longstanding commitment to fostering sustainable change in the legal systems of Asia/Africa. However, the need for qualified defense attorneys remains, as the poor and indigent in the region continue to suffer systematic human rights and due process abuses.
IBJ operates Defender Resource Centers in Asia/Africa and needs a Program Manager to play an integral role in designing and implementing programs designed to prevent human rights abuses and advocate for the protection of due process rights for the criminally accused. Applicants should be fierce advocates with demonstrated commitment to protecting basic legal rights for the poor and indigent. IBJ seeks professionals with substantial experience successfully managing, monitoring, and evaluating Rule of Law programs in countries with developing sociocultural and economic systems, as well as experience practicing criminal defense law. The Program Manager will be responsible for assisting the Program Director in implementing and managing Defender Resource Centers in Asia/Africa and creating reports and analyses of the efficacy of IBJ’s in-country programs, with the end goal of providing access to justice for everyone—equally and without discrimination.

Program activities will seek to:
1. Improve access to justice and legal aid for the poor and vulnerable; and
2. Develop legal capacity of justice sector professionals in Asia/Africa.
The focus of this position is on Asia and Africa and will require frequent travel throughout the region.

Responsibilities:
〈 Provide ongoing coordination and management support to ensure smooth and effective implementation of all project activities.
〈 Draft and evaluate capacity-building materials.
〈 Develop monitoring and evaluation tools to track the progress of project implementation, assess needs, and design programs for improvement.
〈 Assist in enhancing standards, principles, forms, and internal procedures common to criminal defense clinics, as well as effective data collection and analysis.
〈 Develop financial management and administrative procedures and report to Program Director recommendations for implementation of changes/improvements in procedures;
〈 Identify issues and risks related to program implementation in a timely manner and suggest appropriate program adjustments.
〈 Manage Defender Resource Centre and Satellite Office staff to ensure consistent project implementation and provide additional staff training/guidance where necessary.
〈 Assist in the development of, and ongoing support to, Defender Resource Centers providing legal aid and ensure compliance with IBJ program standards for criminal defense attorneys.
〈 Assist the Program Director in developing and reviewing legal aid training modules for justice sector actors, including criminal defense attorneys, judges, police officers, etc.
〈 Assist in training and building the capacity of criminal defense lawyers to deliver more effective legal aid and access to justice services to the poor.
〈 Act as liaison between Program Director and Defender Resource Centers/Satellite Offices to facilitate training of criminal defense lawyers and justice sector actors.
〈 Facilitate program activities among justice sector actors, including government representatives, judges, prison officials, police officers, prosecutors, public defenders, and civil society organization members.
〈 Create reports on fundraising opportunities in the Rule of Law sector of Asia/Africa for the Program Director to review and implement as applicable.