Legal Expert and Strategic Reporting Lead

1. Background

The judicial reform projects implemented by the Office of the Commissioner for Federal Judicial Affairs Canada (FJA), including the Technical Assistance Partnership project, provide technical support to national governments in eligible partner countries. The primary objective of these projects is to assist partner countries in establishing robust justice administration systems that uphold judicial independence, foster accountability, and instill public trust in the administration of justice. By leveraging the expertise of Canadian judicial system experts, the projects aim to enhance the judicial capacity of partner countries and their judicial governance institutions while introducing strong accountability mechanisms within the judicial sector.

The activities of these projects involve a combination of virtual interactions, such as webinars, workshops, and consultations, as well as the deployment of experts to provide in-country assistance. The projects closely align with Canada's Foreign International Assistance Policy (FIAP) and contribute to the areas of Inclusive Governance, Peace and Security, and Gender Equality and Empowerment of women and girls.

2. Requirement

FJA International Programs Division requires a Legal Expert and Strategic Reporting Lead (Expert) who has a profound understanding of the legal-judicial sector, and has significant experience in legal advisory roles, results-based management practices, and gender-based analysis. The expert is expected to assist with planning, drafting relevant project documentation and reporting under the FJA’s international judicial reform initiatives, ensuring gender is mainstreamed throughout all activities and outputs.

The Expert will be a cornerstone in designing and maintaining the reporting framework for FJA’s various judicial reform projects. This Expert will act as a source of legal expertise, with a particular focus on gender, contributing to the capacity building efforts across project countries. The role will prioritize enhancing access to justice, conflict mitigation, community empowerment, law reform, and public interest litigation, ultimately promoting justice for women, children, minorities, and other disadvantaged groups.

3. Scope of Work

Equipped with extensive legal expertise, understanding of international justice systems and their familiarity with the Canadian justice system and judiciary, the Expert will:

• Design and implement comprehensive project reporting frameworks, incorporating results-based management (RBM) strategies and gender analysis and considerations.
• Provide insight and comparative analysis on the judicial systems, legal procedures, and relevant laws that impact the project’s activities; Provide guidance on various areas of the law and its application, including on issues related to administrative law and procedures, social welfare legislation, legal aid practices, international conventions and treaties addressing discrimination against women and gender-based violence, and other.
• Deliver high-quality project reports, proposals, and other written materials in compliance with Global Affairs Canada’s contractual requirements.