Irish Rule of Law International Country Director, Malawi 3 views0 applications

Position: Country Director, Malawi

Location: Lilongwe, Malawi

Hours of work: Full time

Salary: €55,500 – €60,000, commensurate with experience, plus benefits, detailed below

Reports to: Executive Director

The successful candidate will also work closely with the Director of Programmes on the management, coordination, and delivery of IRLI’s Malawi programmes.

Organisation Overview

Irish Rule of Law International (IRLI) is a civil society organisation supported by both branches of the legal professions across the island of Ireland. We work to strengthen justice systems that uphold human rights across multiple jurisdictions. Our current programmes strengthen access to justice in Malawi, advance survivor-centred justice in Tanzania, and support anti-corruption and accountability in Zambia. We also deliver a small number of projects, both in our programme countries and elsewhere, in cooperation with pro bono, civil society, and human rights partners.

IRLI was established in 2007 by the Law Society of Ireland and the Bar Council of Ireland. The Law Society of Northern Ireland and the Bar of Northern Ireland joined as partners in 2015. We are further supported by the Department for Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT), Ireland, and the European Union.

We operate from offices in Dublin, Ireland, and Lilongwe, Malawi, with one staff member also currently based in Lusaka, Zambia. We adopt a multidisciplinary approach. Our work is locally driven, grounded in priorities identified by stakeholders, and delivered in partnership with communities through strong alliances with local organisations. Since our beginnings, we have collaborated with academics, judges, legal practitioners, policymakers, and civil society to deepen collective understanding of the relationship between the rule of law, democracy, sustainable development, and human rights.

Organisation Values

• Participation: We are rooted in partnership and collaboration, built on shared learning and mutual respect. We listen to and are guided by partner needs and priorities.
• Humility: We approach our work with openness and respect, aware that our role is to support, and learn from those closest to the issues.
• Compassion: We are committed to strengthening justice systems where all people are treated with dignity, where they can place their trust and feel protected.
• Integrity: We act with honesty, transparency and fairness, holding ourselves and our partners to the highest ethical standards.
• Justice: Justice and equality guide everything we do, ensuring fairness for people is not just an aim but a standard.

Position Summary

IRLI has progressively grown through the years, expanding on both its programme portfolio and working networks. The organisation is now at an exciting stage having recently completed its 2026 – 2030 strategic plan, secured multi-annual funding from the European Union, and is finalising a renewed five-year proposal to the Embassy of Ireland in Malawi. We have established a broad programme base, ranging from access to justice, institutional capacity strengthening, and legal education.

The Country Director will provide strategic, operational, financial, and people leadership to the Malawi programme, ensuring high-quality programme delivery, strong donor stewardship, sustainable growth, and effective representation of IRLI within the justice, governance, and human rights sectors.

The Country Director (CD) position will be primarily based in the IRLI office in Lilongwe. The CD will also undertake occasional travel in-country.

The CD will be responsible for overall management and oversight of the programme and IRLI Malawi team and reports to and is supported by IRLI’s Executive Director, Director of Programmes, and Director of Operations, all based in Dublin.

The Malawi team is comprised of four Programme Lawyers (PLs) who are strategically placed alongside key institutions in the Malawian criminal justice system: the Judiciary, the Legal Aid Bureau (LAB), and the Malawi Police Service (MPS). The team also comprises our Alternative Justice Programme Officer (AJPO) leads IRLI’s child diversion programme (Mwai Wosinthika) for children who come into conflict with the law, as well as our Finance Manager, our Monitoring Evaluation Accountability and Learning manager, and our Admin Officer. Finally, we are currently housing the Secretariat Coordinator of the Malawi Irish Consortium of Gender Based Violence, of which IRLI is currently Chair.

Online information session

Please note that an online information session will take place on Wednesday, 3rd June, from 5:30 to 6:30 pm (GMT). Members of the IRLI executive team will provide an overview of the organisation’s work, its value and impact, and the countries in which it operates. The session will be an opportunity to ask any questions you may have.

You can join the session via the following Teams link:

https://teams.microsoft.com/meet/351556833871959?p=m8AWVvEHLFKjMRLorC

Roles and Responsibilities

Leadership & Strategic Direction:

• Lead the Country Management Team and promote participative decision-making processes to ensure organisational objectives are achieved.
• Lead the country programme by promoting collaboration, providing guidance, and ensuring the team has the resources required to deliver effectively.
• Ensure staff capacity, organisational structures, and programme approaches are fit for purpose and aligned with IRLI strategic objectives.
• Sustain strong partnerships with local organisations, donors, government authorities, and other justice sector stakeholders.
• Support the development of the team and contribute to the evolution of programme operations and the exploration of new thematic areas.
• Ensure safeguarding and ethical partnership principles are embedded across all programme activities and operations.
• Lead strategic planning processes and support the sustainable growth and diversification of programming and funding opportunities.
• Lead donor engagement, partnership development, fundraising, and proposal development to support programme sustainability and organisational growth.

Advocacy, Stakeholder engagement, and External Relations:

• Lead IRLI’s engagement with key institutional donors, particularly the Embassy of Ireland and the European Union in Malawi, and maintain strong strategic relationships to support programme delivery, accountability, and future development opportunities.
• Sustain strategic relationships with key institutional partners such as: the Judiciary, Legal Aid Bureau, Ministry of Justice, Malawi Police Service, Malawi Prison Service, Office of the DPP, development partners, and civil society organisations, and other justice sector stakeholders.
• Represent IRLI within relevant national, regional, and international coordination forums, networks, and partnerships relevant to governance, rule of law, human rights, and access to justice and promote effective collaboration and coordination across the justice and rule of law sector.
• Support and contribute to collaborative advocacy initiatives relating to access to justice, prisoners’ rights, torture prevention, gender-based violence, and broader rule of law issues.

Grant Administration, Reporting, and Compliance:

• Provide strategic oversight of grant administration and donor compliance across all programme activities.
• Oversee the preparation and final review of high-quality donor narrative and financial reports.
• Work closely with relevant staff to ensure accurate, timely, and compliant donor financial reports.
• Ensure effective grant management systems and reporting processes are maintained across the Malawi programme.
• Prepare and finalise reports and updates for IRLI senior management and the IRLI Board.

People Management and Staff Wellbeing:

• Foster a positive, inclusive, and collaborative working environment across the Malawi programme team.
• Provide leadership, supervision, mentoring, and performance management support to staff, including through regular appraisal and professional development processes.
• Support the implementation and consistent application of IRLI’s organisational policies and procedures.
• Promote staff well-being, safeguarding, ethical practice, and a healthy work-life balance across the Malawi programme team.

Budget and Financial Management:

• Ensure strong financial oversight, internal controls, donor compliance, and value-for-money principles across all programme activities.
• Work closely with the Finance Manager and Malawi programme team to support effective financial planning, budget management, and resource allocation.
• Monitor programme expenditure and funding levels, and identify potential sources of match funding and support for funding gaps where required.
• Support the strengthening and coordination of organisational budget monitoring processes across restricted and unrestricted funding streams.

These responsibilities are intended to provide a broad framework for the role and should not be regarded as a definitive list. Other reasonable duties may be required commensurate with the grade and responsibilities of the post.

Qualifications

Essential

• A degree in law or human rights.
• Minimum 5 years’ experience working on legal, rule of law, human rights, governance, and/or justice reform and development related issues, of which at least 2 years should be in a leadership role.

Desirable

• Qualification to practice law.

Person Specification

Essential Requirements

• Strong co-ordination and proactive leadership skills, and the ability to mentor, motivate, and support staff.
• Extensive experience working in project/programme management.
• Excellent interpersonal and relationship management, and the ability to collaborate and build effective partnerships with internal and external stakeholders.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills in English, including strong drafting, reporting, and presentation skills, and the ability to clearly articulate ideas, concepts, and programme priorities to a range of stakeholders.
• Experience working with and preparing budgets and overseeing financial management processes.
• Experience in funding proposal development and donor reporting.
• Extensive experience working with Monitoring and Evaluation within a development context, including results-based management and reporting against log frames.

Exceptional organisational, time-management, and problem-solving skills.

• Team spirit, flexibility, commitment, initiative and creativity to further develop existing activities and explore new possibilities for programming.
• Strong computer skills including Microsoft Word, Excel, PowerPoint.
• Full Driving Licence.
• Commitment to the programme for a minimum of one year [subject to the probationary period].

Desirable Requirements

• Experience working in the Global South.
• Fluency in Chichewa.

Terms and conditions

• Full time work hours 9am to 5pm, Monday to Friday with 30 minutes for lunch per day.
• Annual leave is 25 days per year. Staff may be entitled to 2 Mental Health days per year, upon written request to the Country Director. In addition, the Malawi office closes one half day per month.
• In addition to the statutory public holidays in Malawi, IRLI gives 3 company days per year, during the Christmas and New Year period.
• In addition to annual leave, up to 4 travel days per year are provided to non-Malawi national staff for travel to their home country.
• One return flight is provided per year for non-Malawi national staff for travel to their home country.
• Medical Insurance is provided.
• Professional development opportunities, with up to 5 days study leave per annum and up to €1,700 per annum contribution towards work related professional development fees, agreed with the Executive Director.
• If international travel to Malawi to take up the post is required, a contribution will be made to reasonable pre-departure costs, as well as payment of a flight to Malawi to begin work and payment of a flight home when the role concludes.
• Payment of all visas required to work in Malawi.
• The salary figure above reflects inclusion of the mandatory pension payment for Malawian national staff.

How to apply

The deadline for submission of applications is Friday 12th June 2026 at 17:00 GMT.

Candidates will be contacted, if they are shortlisted for interview and to arrange a time, no later than 17:00 GMT on Friday 19th June 2026

First interviews will take place on Thursday 25th June 2026 and second interviews on Thursday 9th July 2026between 09:00 and 17:00 GMT (either in person or online, depending on the candidate’s location. There is a preference for any candidate living in Ireland to attend an interview in person).

Please submit:

1. A curriculum vitae.

The CV must be no more than three pages in length and use font size no smaller than 11.

It should include the names and contact details of two referees (who will not be contacted without seeking permission).

1. A cover letter.

The letter must be no more than two pages in length and use font size no smaller than 11.

Please describe why you are interested in the position and summarise your relevant experience and suitability for the post.

Failure to adhere to the length and font size requirements listed above risks automatic disqualification of applications.

• Only applications received through [email protected] will be considered.
• All applications must be submitted with the email subject line “Country Director, Malawi”
• Any applications which do not meet the stipulated requirements risk being rejected.

Any queries should be directed to IRLI at [email protected]