Consultant: Expert Trainer Lawyer

● Position: EXPERT TRAINER LAWYER

● Reports To: Resident Fellow and Programme Manager

● Location: Malta

● Employment Type: Consultant

About the IIJ: The International Institute for Justice and the Rule of Law (IIJ) is an organisation located in Malta with a mission to deliver innovative and sustainable capacity-building through the implementation of counter-terrorism-related, rule of law-based good practices developed by the Global Counterterrorism Forum (GCTF) and other international and regional fora.

Since its inauguration in 2014, the IIJ has trained more than 10000 criminal justice practitioners through its interactive capacity-building workshops – in Malta and abroad – that enhance the competencies of judges, prosecutors, police, prison, and other criminal justice practitioners to address terrorism and related transnational criminal activities within a rule of law framework. The IIJ delivers capacity-building training tailored to the needs of the regions it serves, including East and West Africa; North Africa and the Middle East; Central and Southeast Asia. For more information on the IIJ, please visit the IIJ’s website: www.theiij.org

In 2020, the IIJ launched an Academic Unit to provide in-depth courses to criminal justice practitioners aimed at filling critical knowledge gaps necessary for successfully countering terrorism and transnational crime.

Job Overview: 

The IIJ is seeking applications from a qualified French-speaking lawyer to support the delivery of its Academic Unit’s innovative Counter-Terrorism Academic Curriculum for trial judges from West and Central Africa. 

The CTAC course will be offered to Trial Judges from Benin, Cameroon, Chad, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Mauritania, Republic of Ivory Coast, Centrafrican Republic, Senegal and Togo. The course consists of two components:

1. An online component, consisting of self-study modules and tutorials held over a period of five weeks from 17 August – 18 September 2026.
2. An in-person component consisting of five days intensive face-to face training to be delivered from 2 – 6 November 2026 in Malta. 

The in-person, one-week CTAC course focuses on skills-based learning which directly involves the participant in the learning process and includes hands-on practice, feedback on the various exercises and discussions to build the following core skills: 

• Ensure the organisation and proper conduct of a fair trial within a reasonable time, safeguarding the protection of all participants and parties, respect for the rights of the defence, the dignity of victims and the public’s right to information;
• Master the identification of the constituent elements of terrorism offences;
• Strengthen the ability to analyse and synthesise all information and evidence submitted for judicial assessment in terrorism cases;
• Strengthen judges’ ability to assess the procedural validity of acts and to annul non-compliant or irregular proceedings in terrorism cases;
• Conduct hearings ethically and responsibly, with full impartiality and independence, respecting the rights of everyone involved in terrorism cases;
• Deliberate on guilt and, where appropriate, determine the most suitable sentence for terrorism suspects and justify it in light of the factual and legal circumstances, including in cases involving offenders who have renounced terrorism and cooperated with the authorities;
• Explain, provide reasons for and draft decisions on guilt, as well as on principal and additional penalties, and ensure the effective exercise of rights of appeal in terrorism trials.

The Consultant will be expected to facilitate and adapt exercises and deliver modules/sessions for selected trial judges based on the course curriculum developed by the Academic Unit in French. Delivery is expected to be in-person in Malta throughout the course from 2 – 6 November 2026. 

The Consultant, together with experts, IIJ’s Resident Fellow and Director of the Academic Unit will use case studies for the exercises that require participants to respond to challenges that often arise in terrorist and other complex criminal cases. 

The Consultant will adapt, moderate, and evaluate these exercises in consultation with the IIJ team and external experts.

Key Responsibilities:

The Consultants will be expected to complete the following tasks:

Preparation, Delivery and Reporting (Maximum 6 days)

• The Consultant are required to read and, if relevant, revise the agreed modules, to review and revise exercises already prepared from the CTAC course and prepare for their delivery. 
• The Consultant will deliver agreed sessions/parts of the course and may be required to prepare presentations based on the CTAC modules and their practical experience as a criminal justice lawyer. 
• The Consultant will facilitate exchanges and discussions with participants and provide feedback on the exercises completed.

Following the delivery of the course, the Consultants must submit a post-training report, using the IIJ’s template. The reports must be submitted in English or French.

Timeframe for product delivery

• The delivery of the course will be from 2 – 6 November 2026 in Malta, with in-person preparations and coordination expected in advance.
• The post-training reports must be submitted in their final versions by 27 November 2026 (online).

Requirements:

The consultant will have the following qualifications: 

• At least 15 years’ experience in criminal justice including experience as a lawyer and relevant experience in terrorism cases.
• Experience in the delivery of courses on criminal justice, whether that be developing a whole programme of work or shaping existing programmes – preferably terrorism-related but may include other complex, transnational crimes.
• Experience of working internationally with other judicial/security organisations. Experience in Africa is an advantage.
• Experience of delivering capacity building projects overseas.
• Advanced degree in International/European Law, Law, Political Sciences, International Relations, Public Affairs/Public Administration, Development Studies or any related field.
• Professional fluency in French is required.  
• Excellent drafting skills
• Strong communication skills
• Strong conceptual thinking and analytical skills
• Successful proven organisational and prioritisation skills 
• Energetic and adaptable in her/his approach with the ability to work individually and/or as part of a team 
• The ability to exercise good judgement and discretion at all times; and 
• Efficient in observing deadlines and achieving results in accordance with qualitative and quantitative parameters.

How to Apply:

All interested applicants meeting the qualifications below are invited to submit a cover letter and CV to the IIJ Academic unit program manager lotyj@theiij.org and Officer in charge of the Academic Unit, samnac@theiij.org  no later than 22 October 2026 with “AU_ Expert Trainer Lawyer 2026” in the subject line.

Deadline: 20 October 2026

The IIJ is an equal-opportunity employer and welcomes applicants of all backgrounds, regardless of race, origin, disability, gender, or any other protected status.