Justice Systems Director

Position description

The role is best suited to a highly experienced, motivated and collaborative individual who is interested in a dynamic regional and multi-country program, with national projects geared towards strengthening justice systems

About the Role

The Justice Systems Director is a senior leadership role within the ASEAN–Australia Counter Trafficking program. The program is at a mature stage and entering its final two years of implementation. The position provides strategic leadership on justice system reform across the ASEAN region, supporting Member States to implement their obligations under the ASEAN Convention Against Trafficking in Persons, Especially Women and Children (ACTIP). This includes advancing the integration of gender equality, disability equity and social inclusion (GEDSI), and strengthening human rights-based and victim-centred approaches to ensure that justice responses are inclusive, accessible, and responsive to the diverse needs and rights of all victims of trafficking. The position works to promotes effective formal and informal cooperation in the handling of trafficking in persons cases through both formal and informal mechanism at regional and national levels, working closely with partners including the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC). The Justice Systems Director leads and supports the team to institutionalise knowledge and professional development and embed sustainable counter-trafficking policies and practices within partner law enforcement and judicial agencies.
The role is best suited to a highly experienced, motivated and collaborative individual who is interested in a dynamic regional and multi-country program, with national projects geared towards strengthening justice systems with a particular focus on access to justice for victims of trafficking in persons. We are looking for an individual with a strong understanding of law and justice sector reform within ASEAN and international contexts. The successful candidate will be motivated by delivering positive, rights-based change across ASEAN justice systems, and able to respond effectively to the priorities of the Australian Government and regional partner governments.

About the program

ASEAN–Australia Counter Trafficking (ASEAN-ACT) continues Australia’s long-running collaboration with ASEAN and its Member States to end human trafficking in the region. The program is a 10-year investment principally working to strengthen the justice sector response to trafficking in persons while advancing the rights of victims. The program has well established partnerships with allied government agencies, civil society, and businesses. We engage with all 11 ASEAN Member States in some capacity and have national-level programming in Cambodia, Lao PDR, the Philippines, Thailand, and Vietnam, with the possibility of programming in Indonesia.
ASEAN-ACT supports ASEAN and ASEAN Member States to integrate gender equality, disability equity and social inclusion (GEDSI) and protect the rights of victims of trafficking. The program is guided by its Equity and Rights Strategy, which provides both a conceptual framework and practical approaches to analyse and respond to intersectional vulnerabilities to trafficking in persons. The strategy further supports the delivery of victim-centred and gender-responsive and trauma-informed responses that are inclusive and responsive to the diverse needs and experiences of all victims of trafficking.

Specific Duties

The Justice Systems Director will be responsible for:
Project management:

• Overseeing planning and implementation of activities that support sustainable institutionalisation of counter trafficking in persons capacity across the ASEAN region and in the program’s target countries in line with ASEAN-ACT’s theory of change.
• Leading activities that support ASEAN member states to increase formal and informal cooperation through existing and emerging mechanisms.
• Providing technical input into activity designs and implementation across ASEAN-ACT’s five projects, with an emphasis on legal frameworks in ASEAN.
• Overseeing the monitoring and reporting of institutionalising knowledge and professional development project and project progress against relevant outputs and outcomes, in collaboration with the MEL team.
• Supporting the mainstreaming of gender equality, disability and social inclusion, and victim rights throughout all program activities.
• As a member of the Leadership Team, engage in continuous context monitoring to identify the potential risks to program implementation and effectiveness.

Policy engagement:

• Advising and supporting selected ASEAN member states to review and update their laws, policies, guidelines, practices, and training programs to ensure that they are aligned with the objectives and obligations of ACTIP.
• Assist national and ASEAN program counterparts with activities related to regional and national reform of justice and related agency policy and practices on TIP.
• Provide leadership and technical input on multi-sectoral collaborative operational and policy responses at the ASEAN and national level to address TIP challenges.

People and Culture

• Manage and support the Senior Justice Systems Coordinator, to contribute to delivering and providing technical input and manage coordination of activities.
• Champion victim rights and GEDSI across all project activities and promote culturally sensitive and respectful communications.
• Foster a culture that promotes learning, sharing of ideas, professional development and analytical thinking.
• Demonstrate and champion compliance with DT Global’s policies and procedures.

Qualifications

Qualifications

• Graduate qualification in law, justice or a similar area.

Required Experience, Knowledge and Skills

• At least 8 years of experience in the fields of counter trafficking in persons initiatives and/or transnational organised crimes, international law and/or human rights focused on supporting the justice sector.
• Demonstrated technical expertise in justice systems and reform, including a strong understanding of the legal, policy, and institutional frameworks of ASEAN and ASEAN Member States, and the ability to navigate both civil and common law systems and their application in practice.
• Deep expertise in in applying and institutionalising human rights-based, victim-centred, gender-responsive, trauma-informed, and child protection approaches at policy and systems levels, including within criminal justice processes
• Proven experience in developing and maintaining productive relationships with senior level counterparts, and leading or contributing to the delivery of complex, multi-stakeholders programs.
• Highly developed representation and influencing skills, with demonstrated experience engaging at senior levels with government, judiciary, development partners, and regional forums.
• Advanced analytical and strategic thinking capabilities, with experience synthesising diverse evidence and data to inform policy, program design, and decision-making.
• Strong stakeholder engagement and partnership-building skills, with a track record of fostering effective collaboration with justice sector actors and navigating complex political and cross-cultural environments.
• Demonstrated ability to lead knowledge generation and learning, including capturing insights from programs and translating them into policy recommendations, guidance, and advocacy outputs.
• A high-level of verbal and written English communication skills

Desirable

• Qualified to practice law, admission to the legal association (bar) in the candidates’ location.
• Knowledge and experience of donor-funded development programs and reporting requirements.

Application instructions

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