Country Director, Philippines (Staff)

ABA ROLI is a non-profit pro­gram that implements legal reform programs in roughly 60 countries around the world.  ABA ROLI has nearly 700 professional staff work­ing abroad and in its Washington, D.C. office. ABA ROLI’s host country partners include judges, lawyers, bar associations, law schools, court administrators, legislatures, ministries of justice and a wide array of civil society organi­zations, including human rights groups. 

Job Summary

The ABA Rule of Law Initiative is seeking a Country Director for a new judicial reform program in the Philippines, Judicial Strengthening to Improve Court Effectiveness (JUSTICE), which will be implemented in partnership with The Asia Foundation.  JUSTICE is a five-year project that aims to (a) ensure the timely and predictable resolution of court cases through judicial efficiency efforts, including the development and implementation of a national e-Court program in 12 major urban centers; (b) strengthen the enforceability of contracts by promoting alternative dispute mechanisms and building the courts’ capacity to handle contract cases; (c) strengthen intellectual property (IP) enforcement by ensuring judges and court personnel have adequate training and access to information on IP cases; and (d) enhance judicial integrity by increasing transparency and integrity in the judicial decision and appointment process.  The candidate should be a development professional with rule of law expertise, including but not limited to: building the capacity of institutions in the justice sector; experience with judicial reform development activities; court administration, governance; and intellectual property and contract law.  Candidates must possess substantial practical experience in managing and implementing rule of law programs.

Responsibilities

• Overall field responsibility for implementation, monitoring and evaluation of ABA ROLI JUSTICE program activities;
• Manages international and local staff;
• Manages a large subgrant and monitors partners’ program implementation progress;
• Implements, monitors and evaluates in-country programs and activities;
• Responsible for financial oversight of program and for donor relations in-country;

• Identifies program methodologies and develops long-term and short-term strategies and work plans to improve the rule of law;

• In cooperation with headquarters-based program staff, drafts grant proposals and undertakes fundraising in-country.

Applicants should have a minimum of 10 years of relevant experience managing multi-year, multi-million dollar USAID projects in fields required for the successful implementation of this program, such as rule of law, governance, public participation and capacity building, and institutional strengthening, as well as an understanding of policy and policy development in these sectors. A JD or equivalent is required. Experience or knowledge of legal reform issues in the Philippines preferred.

Essential skills include:

• Proven exceptional leadership in the design, management, implementation, monitoring, and evaluation of USG-funded programs of similar size and complexity with skills in strategic planning, management, supervision, budgeting;
• Experience with liaising and negotiating with host country governments, USG donors, and contractors as well as budget management, staff oversight, and the provision of legal services and technical advice;
• Strong communication skills, both interpersonal and written, to fulfill the diverse technical and managerial requirements of the Program and to effectively coordinate with a wide range of regional stakeholders; proven ability to develop and communicate a common vision among diverse public partners and the ability to lead multi-disciplinary teams;
• Fluency in written and spoken English is required. 

To apply, please visit: http://www.americanbar.org/utility/about_the_aba/employment_at_the_aba/aba_job_search.html.  Only short-listed candidates will be contacted.Due to the high volume of applicants, only candidates selected for interview will be contacted.