TERMS OF REFERENCE
EXECUTIVE COORDINATOR – ACE-AJ SECRETARIAT
| Position | Executive Coordinator, ACE-AJ Secretariat |
| Host institution | Legal Aid Forum (LAF), Rwanda |
| Scope | Pan-African / multi-country |
| Reporting | ACE-AJ Founding Members, through the governance and hosting arrangements of ACE-AJ and LAF |
| Duty station | Kigali,Rwanda,withregularregionaland international engagement |
| Contract | Full-time; terms to be specified in the employment contract |
1. Institutional Background and Rationale
The African Centre of Excellence for Access to Justice (ACE-AJ) is a Pan-African platform established to strengthen access to justice, legal empowerment, human rights and people-centred justice across Africa. Its origins lie in a continentally grounded feasibility process undertaken in 2016 through consultations with access-to-justice organisations in Kenya, Sierra Leone, Rwanda, Malawi and South Africa. The feasibility work examined the relevance, scope, sustainability, institutional form and operational requirements of a continental centre and identified the need for a stronger African voice, systematic knowledge exchange, research, learning, capacity development and collaboration among organisations working closest to communities.
The feasibility process envisaged the Centre as more than a conventional project or secretariat. It was conceived as a galvanising space for access-to-justice and legal-empowerment actors; a repository of African practice and evidence; a platform for peer learning and exchange; a mechanism for strengthening community-based justice; and a vehicle through which African organisations could create collective positions and speak with greater coherence on continental and global justice questions.
ACE-AJ was officially launched in Kigali, Rwanda, in 2017. Since its establishment, it has evolved into a multi-country network bringing together civil society organisations and justice actors committed to expanding access to justice for poor, vulnerable and marginalised communities. The Legal Aid Forum (LAF), Rwanda, is a founding member and hosts the ACE-AJ Secretariat.
ACE-AJ’s Strategic Framework 2024–2030 provides the current institutional roadmap. It organises the Centre’s work around five mutually reinforcing priorities: promoting holistic justice delivery; strengthening capacity building; research and knowledge generation; advocacy and communication; and strengthening
the ACE-AJ Secretariat. The Strategy also places substantial emphasis on monitoring, learning, institutional visibility, membership growth, strategic partnerships and diversified resource mobilisation.
2. Purpose and Strategic Character of the Position
The Executive Coordinator is the principal executive and operational guide of the ACE-AJ Secretariat. The purpose of the position is to deliver disciplined continental coordination and executive leadership for the implementation of ACE-AJ’s Constitution, Strategic Framework 2024–2030, decisions of the General Assembly and Board, approved programmes and institutional commitments.
The Executive Coordinator will move ACE-AJ from strategy to implementation. The office holder will connect a geographically dispersed membership, translate strategic priorities into annual and multi-year plans, mobilise resources, organize multi-country programmes, strengthen governance and institutional systems, generate and communicate evidence, create strategic partnerships and position ACE-AJ as a credible African platform on access to justice, legal empowerment and people-centred justice.
The position therefore requires a network builder and institutional entrepreneur, not only a programme administrator. The Executive Coordinator must combine continental vision with implementation discipline; diplomacy with accountability; strong member relations with external representation; and programme leadership with fundraising, knowledge generation and organisational development.
3. Overall Accountability
- Serve as the principal executive focal point for implementation of ACE-AJ’s Strategic Framework 2024–2030 and approved annual priorities.
- make sure that decisions of the General Assembly and Board are translated into clear workstreams, responsibilities, timelines, budgets, deliverables and measurable results.
- guide the day-to-day work of the Secretariat and organize Secretariat personnel, consultants, technical advisers and designated assist from member organisations.
- keep effective operational coordination with LAF as host institution while safeguarding ACE-AJ’s distinct continental identity, governance and member ownership.
- deliver timely, evidence-based advice to the Board on institutional development, programme performance, partnerships, funding, risks and emerging access-to-justice trends.
4. Key Responsibilities
4.1 Continental Network Coordination, Membership and Movement Building
- deliver proactive day-to-day coordination of ACE-AJ as a Pan-African network and keep substantive engagement with members across countries, regions, legal traditions and languages.
- create an annual member-engagement architecture covering consultations, focal-person meetings, peer exchanges, communities of practice, thematic working groups, institutional visits and regional or continental convenings.
- keep structured two-way communication between the Secretariat, Board, General Assembly, founding members, and strategic partners.
- Map and continuously update member expertise, innovations, community-justice models, research, policy experience, institutional capacities and assist needs.
- Strengthen member ownership by creating practical opportunities for members to guide research, training, advocacy, convening and cross-country initiatives.
- guide strategic membership growth, with particular attention to geographic balance and stronger representation from underrepresented parts of the continent.
- organize membership admission, onboarding, orientation, retention and an accurate, functional membership database.
- detect common challenges across jurisdictions and convert them into collective learning, research, advocacy and programme initiatives.
4.2 Strategy Implementation and Institutional Performance
- Translate the 2024–2030 Strategic Framework into costed annual work plans, implementation matrices, institutional calendars and measurable performance commitments.
- organize implementation across all five strategic priorities and make sure that programme choices remain connected to ACE-AJ’s mission, comparative advantage and member experience.
- create a Secretariat performance dashboard showing progress against strategic outcomes, programme commitments, membership engagement, partnerships, fundraising, visibility and governance decisions.
- Institute quarterly implementation reviews and produce concise performance briefs for the Board.
- detect implementation bottlenecks, emerging risks and opportunities and recommend corrective measures.
- organize periodic strategy reviews and contribute evidence for the development of ACE-AJ’s post-2030 strategic direction.
4.3 Holistic and People-Centred Justice
- Advance ACE-AJ’s agenda on holistic justice delivery by connecting formal, informal and community-based justice actors and approaches.
- Promote recognition of community-based justice practitioners and strengthen their contribution to accessible, affordable and responsive justice systems.
- assist member initiatives that demonstrate how legal empowerment, mediation, community justice, legal aid and other people-centred approaches can complement formal justice institutions.
- Facilitate cross-country learning on enabling policy and regulatory environments for community-based justice and paralegal practice.
- make sure that the perspectives of poor, vulnerable and marginalised communities remain central to ACE-AJ’s programmes, research, advocacy and institutional narrative.
4.4 Capacity Building and Peer Learning
- create and organize a continental capacity-building programme informed by member needs and the Strategy.
- Organise practical peer-to-peer learning, mentorship, technical exchanges and cross-country exposure among members.
- create partnerships with universities, legal aid clinics, professional bodies, judiciaries and specialist institutions for training, research and professional development.
- Promote learning models that draw systematically on the experience of ACE-AJ members rather than relying exclusively on external expertise.
- assist development of scalable training resources and, where feasible, longer and more intensive learning programmes for community-based justice practitioners.
4.5 Research, Evidence and Knowledge Management
- guide implementation of ACE-AJ’s research and knowledge-generation agenda, including practitioner-driven and comparative research with continental policy relevance.
- organize documentation of best practices, innovations, impact case studies and lessons from member organisations.
- create and keep an accessible knowledge-sharing platform or e-repository for research, laws, policies, tools, case studies and member resources.
- Promote common or compatible data-collection approaches across members to strengthen the African evidence base on access to justice.
- organize research partnerships with universities, research institutions and practitioners and ensure appropriate ethical, data-protection and quality standards.
- Translate research into policy briefs, position papers, learning products, advocacy messages and practical tools for members and decision-makers.
4.6 Continental Advocacy, Policy Influence and Representation
- create and organize ACE-AJ’s continental advocacy agenda, drawing on member evidence and experience.
- assist development of coherent African positions on legal empowerment, community justice, legal aid, people-centred justice and related emerging issues.
- Build structured engagement with the African Union, African Commission on Human and Peoples’ Rights, regional economic communities, United Nations mechanisms and other relevant regional and global institutions.
- detect opportunities for ACE-AJ and its members to contribute to justice-sector reform, policy processes, legislative discussions and international forums.
- Represent ACE-AJ at authorised regional, continental and international engagements and produce high-quality briefs, statements and speaking points.
- make sure that ACE-AJ’s advocacy elevates member expertise and community experience rather than substituting for them.
4.7 Strategic Communication, Visibility and African Narrative
- guide implementation of an institutional communication and visibility plan that establishes ACE-AJ as a recognised source of African expertise on access to justice and legal empowerment.
- Oversee regular member updates, newsletters, website content, social media, publications and other institutional communication.
- create a compelling evidence-based continental narrative demonstrating ACE-AJ’s added value and the contribution of its members.
- Increase dissemination and citation of ACE-AJ research, policy products and member-generated knowledge.
- organize media engagement and ensure consistent branding, messaging and recognition of member organisations.
4.8 Resource Mobilisation and Financial Sustainability
- create, keep and drive a diversified resource-mobilisation strategy and funding pipeline aligned with ACE-AJ’s strategic priorities.
- Map foundations, bilateral and multilateral partners, international organisations, corporate and philanthropic actors and other potential supporters.
- guide or organize high-quality concept notes, proposals, budgets, partnership submissions and donor presentations.
- Build and keep long-term donor and strategic-partner relationships and organize due diligence, negotiations, stewardship and reporting.
- Explore sustainable non-grant income approaches consistent with ACE-AJ’s mandate, governance and applicable legal requirements.
- collaborate with the host institution and relevant governance structures to ensure sound grant management, financial controls, compliance and transparent reporting.
- Strengthen ACE-AJ’s ability to demonstrate impact as a central element of fundraising and partnership development.
4.9 Programme Development, Multi-country Implementation and Accountability
- Design and organize multi-country and network-wide initiatives from concept development through implementation, monitoring, learning and reporting.
- create clear implementation arrangements with participating members, including roles, deliverables, budgets, timelines, reporting requirements and decision-making arrangements.
- Track delivery across countries and intervene early where implementation is delayed or quality is at risk.
- organize narrative and management reporting to the Board, members, partners and donors.
- Ensure programmes demonstrate clear value to participating members and contribute to ACE-AJ’s strategic outcomes rather than operating as isolated projects.
4.10 Governance and Institutional Development
- deliver high-quality technical and administrative assist to the Board and General Assembly.
- organize AGMs, Board meetings and other governance processes, including agendas, briefing papers, minutes, decision registers and systematic follow-up.
- keep constitutional, governance, membership, programme and institutional records.
- assist development, evaluate and implementation of policies, manuals, procedures and internal systems required for a credible continental institution.
- Ensure Secretariat operations comply with the ACE-AJ Constitution, approved policies, governance decisions and relevant legal and contractual obligations.
- assist the establishment and effective operation of thematic working groups, committees, patrons or other mechanisms provided for in ACE-AJ’s strategic and governance framework.
5. Expected Results and Performance Indicators
- ACE-AJ functions as an active, connected and member-owned continental network with demonstrably regular and substantive member participation.
- Annual strategic priorities and governance decisions are implemented, tracked and reported systematically.
- Membership expands strategically and becomes more geographically and linguistically representative.
- Regional and continental exchanges, working groups and joint initiatives produce documented learning and collaborative action.
- ACE-AJ generates and disseminates credible African evidence, research, best practices and policy products.
- ACE-AJ’s visibility and participation in relevant African and international justice platforms increases.
- A credible and diversified funding pipeline is maintained, with stronger donor stewardship and institutional sustainability.
- Multi-country programmes demonstrate timely delivery, accountability, learning and clear value to participating members.
- Governance, programme, financial, membership, partnership and communication records are accurate, current and accessible.
- ACE-AJ increasingly contributes an identifiable African voice to debates and policy processes on access to justice, legal empowerment and people-centred justice.
6. Qualifications and Experience
- Master’s degree in law, Human Rights, Development Studies, Public Policy, International Relations, Governance, Programme Management or a closely related field. A strong bachelor’s degree combined with substantial relevant senior experience may be considered.
- At least 5 years of progressively responsible professional experience in access to justice, legal empowerment, human rights, governance, civil society strengthening, international development, network leadership or a closely related field.
- Demonstrated experience coordinating a network, coalition, secretariat, regional platform or multi-country partnership. Substantial experience working across several African countries is strongly preferred.
- Demonstrated ability to translate strategy into implementation plans, budgets, partnerships, programmes and measurable results.
- Strong experience in programme design and management, monitoring and learning, budgeting, reporting and institutional planning.
- Proven experience in resource mobilisation, proposal development and donor or strategic-partner relationship management.
- Experience supporting governance bodies and organisational/institutional development.
- Experience in research, policy engagement, advocacy, knowledge management or capacity development relevant to access to justice is highly desirable.
- Excellent written and spoken English. Working knowledge of French is a strong advantage; knowledge of other widely used African languages is an asset.
7. Core Competencies and Leadership Profile
- Continental network leadership and movement building.
- Strategic execution and disciplined follow-through.
- Member engagement, coalition management and cross-cultural diplomacy.
- Resource mobilisation, partnership development and donor stewardship.
- Programme leadership and multi-country coordination.
- Governance, institutional development and accountability.
- Research literacy, evidence use and knowledge translation.
- High-level writing, communication, advocacy and representation.
- Sound judgement, political and institutional sensitivity, integrity and independence.
- Ability to work effectively across borders, time zones, institutions and professional cultures with limited supervision.
8. Particular Profile Sought
ACE-AJ is seeking an Executive Coordinator who can build an institution and a continental network at the same time. The successful candidate will be comfortable engaging organisational leaders, practitioners,
community-justice actors, academics, donors, governments, regional institutions and international partners. The person must be able to create trust among members while maintaining delivery discipline and accountability.
Candidates should demonstrate through concrete examples how they have coordinated networks or multi-country partnerships; converted strategy into implementation; maintained active member participation; handled competing institutional interests; mobilised resources; built strategic partnerships; convened diverse actors; generated or used evidence for policy influence; and contributed to institutional growth, visibility and sustainability.
9. Reporting, Supervision and Working Relationships
The Executive Coordinator shall report to the ACE-AJ Founding Members in accordance with the Constitution and shall operate within the agreed hosting arrangements with LAF. The Executive Coordinator will work closely with the Chairperson and other Board members, the General Assembly, member organisations and designated focal persons. For hosted administrative functions, the Executive Coordinator will keep close operational coordination with the Executive Director and relevant departments of LAF.
The Executive Coordinator will supervise ACE-AJ Secretariat personnel and organize consultants, technical advisers, interns, service providers and staff designated by member organisations to assist ACE-AJ activities, subject to approved structures and budgets.
10. Eligibility and Right to Work in Rwanda
This recruitment is primarily intended for Rwandan nationals and non-Rwandan nationals who are already legally resident in Rwanda and authorised to work in Rwanda. Due to the resources available for this position, ACE-AJ/LAF will not deliver international relocation, expatriate benefits, or sponsorship for relocation to Rwanda. Candidates should therefore be able to take up the position in Kigali under an existing lawful right to reside and work in Rwanda.
11. Application Requirements
Applicants should submit a curriculum vitae, a letter of motivation, copies of relevant degree(s) and certificate(s), and two professional references. The motivation letter should specifically demonstrate experience in coordinating networks, coalitions or multi-country partnerships and deliver concrete examples of continental or cross-country coordination, strategy implementation, convening, membership engagement, partnership development and resource mobilisation.
Applications should be addressed to the Executive Director of LAF, as host of the ACE-AJ Secretariat, and submitted by email to legalaidrwanda@gmail.com with a copy (cc) to ace.a2j@gmail.com The deadline for submission of applications is 30 October 2026 . Only shortlisted candidates will be contacted.