Technical Advisor- Gender Justice At Terre des hommes IN BENUE
Organization: Terre des hommes – Nigeria
Position: Technical Advisor- Gender Justice
Location: Makurdi, Benue State, Nigeria (With visits to other field locations)
Advert Closing date: 4th November 2025.
About Terre des hommes Foundation (Tdh)
Terre des hommes (Tdh) is a Swiss-based humanitarian organization committed to improving the lives of children and youth. Operating in over 30 countries, Tdh focuses on child protection, access to justice, health, and humanitarian response, working closely with governments, communities, and local partners.
In Nigeria, Tdh works to strengthen systems in health, access to justice, and mobility through a systemic and community-centered approach. This includes strong engagement with cross-cutting themes such as gender, child protection, WASH, and digital innovation (ICT4D).
In 2025, Tdh will launch a new project in Benue State, focusing on improving access to justice and health services for women and girls who are survivors of gender-based violence (GBV). The project will be implemented in collaboration with local NGOs, community-based organizations, and government institutions such as the Ministry of Justice, Ministry of Women Affairs, and security and health authorities. The initial duration of the project is 18 months, with long-term engagement planned.
Overall Objective of the position:
Under the supervision of the A2J Project Manager, the Technical Advisor Gender Justice actively con-tributes to strengthening access to justice for survivors of gender-based violence (GBV). Their main role is to ensure gender-sensitive, survivor-centered legal and judicial support aligned with national, regional, and international standards.
In this capacity, they support the development and implementation of rights-based legal interventions by:
- Conducting participatory diagnostics to identify systemic, institutional, and sociocultural barriers to survivors’ access to legal and judicial services.
- Designing and disseminating protocols for legal and judicial care, referral pathways, training curricula, technical tools, and practical guides for quality legal assistance.
- Assessing capacity-building needs and providing initial and ongoing training for judicial actors and legal aid providers (trainings, mentoring, individualized support).
In close collaboration with justice professionals, judicial authorities, community structures, medico-legal providers, Justice Houses, Free Legal Consultation Offices, and technical partners, they support the establishment of formal referral systems and collaboration with pro bono lawyers and public legal aid services. The Technical Advisor also supervises field activities, supports teams and partners (especially para-legals and project lawyers), and provides necessary technical assistance to deliver accessible, gender-sensitive, survivor-centered legal services.
Finally, they support community activities such as legal education sessions, transformative gender dialogues, GBV case identification, and the production of adapted awareness tools, providing technical supervision to community teams. They also contribute to documenting, capitalizing on, and disseminating good practices in gender justice.
Tdh operates in regions with security concerns, taking necessary precautions to ensure team safety. The candidate must be willing and able to travel in these areas while respecting the organization’s safety protocols.
Specific Responsibilities / Context « tasks »
- Technical Support and System Strengthening
- Lead the development and contextualization of legal and judicial care protocols tailored to GBV survivors in Benue.
- Support the design and implementation of legal referral systems in partnership with local actors, the Ministry of Justice, and legal aid providers.
- Guide the creation and dissemination of survivor-centered, rights-based legal tools and training materials.
- Support the integration of legal services within community structures (e.g., Justice Houses, Women’s Centers, Safe Spaces).
- Facilitate the alignment of national procedures with international standards on GBV legal response and gender justice.
2. Capacity Building and Mentorship
- Conduct needs assessments of legal and justice actors (lawyers, paralegals, police, judiciary) to inform training and supervision plans.
- Design and deliver tailored capacity-building activities including workshops, mentorship sessions, and on-the-job coaching.
- Provide continuous technical support to local partner organizations implementing legal services.
- Strengthen the skills of community structures and legal personnel to improve the identification, documentation, and resolution of GBV cases.
3. Field Support and Supervision
- Monitor and support the day-to-day implementation of legal services across project sites, ensuring survivor safety, confidentiality, and quality.
- Work closely with field teams to ensure effective coordination between legal, psychosocial, health, and protection services.
- Supervise and advise paralegals, legal aid providers, and community volunteers.
- Organize inter-agency and inter-sectoral case conferences to address systemic access barriers and individual complex cases.
4. Advocacy and Coordination
- Strengthen partnerships with the Ministry of Justice and Legal Aid Council in Benue for coordinated GBV legal response.
- Support and participate in Legal Aid coordination platforms, GBV sub-sector meetings, and Access to Justice working groups at state level.
- Collaborate with traditional and community leaders to promote access to justice for vulnerable women and girls.
- Contribute to the development and dissemination of advocacy briefs, policy recommendations, and awareness-raising materials on gender justice.
5. Community Engagement and Awareness
- Provide technical guidance on the design and rollout of community legal education sessions, radio programs, and outreach campaigns.
- Oversee the production and dissemination of culturally appropriate legal awareness materials.
- Strengthen linkages between formal justice systems and community-based dispute resolution structures, ensuring they are aligned with global human rights and gender standards.
6. Documentation and Learning
- Document lessons learned, case studies, and promising practices in gender justice.
- Contribute to project reports, learning products, and donor communications.
- Support knowledge exchange with other Tdh country programs and the regional technical team.
Skills
This function requires possession of fundamental personal, social and leadership skills (CPSLs), technical and methodological skills (CTMs) and Managerial and strategic skills (CMSs)
Particularly including the following:
- Welcomes and produces creative thinking and innovative initiatives
- Ensures the production of knowledge, technical expertise and implementational tools
- Proven ability to reflect, strategically analyze and summarize
- Remains attentive to the best practices and develops professional practices within his/her sector or his/her field of responsibility
- Shares his/her knowledge
- Contributes to the development of his/her colleagues
- Contributes to the development of tools and methods useful to his/her sector’s activities
- Develops implementation strategies and policies
- Values and strengthens the capacities of targeted players (internal and external)
- Exercises the role of counsel in his/her specialty field with a spirit of partnership
As well as the following specific “trade” skills
- Confirmed experience in technical-adviser or coordinator positions in his/her field of expertise
- Excellent interpersonal communication skills and a lot of emotional intelligence (a sense of active listening and diplomacy)
- Flexibility, reactiveness, adaptability and pragmatism
- Rigor, organization and trainer qualities
- Excellent drafting capacities and representation in French and English
- Command of the usual office tools
Job Requirements/Required Conditions
Training /Qualifications
- Master’s degree in law, Human Rights, Gender Studies, or related field.
- Certification in GBV, legal aid, or women’s rights is an asset.
Professional Experience
- At least 3 years relevant experience as a legal assistant within organizations promoting and protecting children’s rights, women’s and girls’ rights, and protection against violence.
- At least 3 years in a similar role as a technical advisor or thematic focal point for an NGO or a civil society organization.
- Good knowledge and mastery of the justice sector in Nigeria (Proven experience working with national or state-level justice actors, including the Ministry of Justice, legal aid schemes, and courts).
- Proven knowledge of GBV intervention strategies, especially protocols and integrated survivor care systems in Nigeria.
- Mastery of gender integration standards and rights-based approaches.
- Experience with adult capacity-building techniques (andragogy)
Professional Competencies
- Excellent interpersonal communication and high emotional intelligence (active listening and diplomacy).
- Excellent facilitation, training, and mentoring skills.
- Ability to operate in complex, politically sensitive, and insecure environments.
- Proven ability to work collaboratively with government partners and CSOs.
- Excellent organizational and problem-solving skills.
Languages
- Fluency in English (written and spoken) is mandatory.
- Knowledge of local languages in Benue (e.g., Tiv, Idoma, Igede, Hausa) is a strong asset.
IT know-how
- Proficiency in Microsoft Office Suite (Word, Excel, PowerPoint)
Others
- Fully comply with Tdh Code of Conduct and ensure Child Safeguarding Policy, PSEA are always upheld.
- Ensure adherence to Tdh standards and quality requirements in all the project activities.
- Adhere to and ensure the team under her/his responsibility follows Tdh administrative and logistical regulations and procedures.
Security
• Comply with Tdh Security Regulations
General Code of of Conduct and Tdh’s Risk Management Policies
- Commits to complying with the General Code of Conduct and systematically reports any breach of the Code through the Tdh warning procedure raises the awareness within the Foundation on violence and abuse and the rights that derive from them regarding children, community members and our own employees.
- Commits to complying with the Risk Management Policies, including Safeguard policies (the policy of Safeguarding Children, the Policy of Protecting against Exploitation and Sexual Abuse, the Guideline on Abusive Behavior at Work), the Safety/Security Policy and Anti-Fraud/Corruption Policies and the Prevention of Funding Criminal Activities.
- Commits to reducing the risk of abuse by developing an open and informed culture of management within the organization and in our work with children and the communities where we work.
The tasks and responsibilities defined in this job description are not exhaustive and can evolve depending on the project’s needs.
Equal Opportunity Clause:
Terre Des Hommes- Nigeria is committed to fostering a diverse, inclusive, and equitable workplace where all individuals are valued and respected. We are proud to be an equal opportunity employer and celebrate the differences that make us unique. We encourage applications from individuals of all backgrounds, including but not limited to race, color, religion, gender, gender identity or expression, sexual orientation, national origin, genetics, disability, age, or veteran status.
Hiring Conditions
- Applications will be processed on a rolling basis.
Method of Application:
Interested and qualified candidates should go to: https://forms.gle/AwBvRUwQK9wDPa7k9 to apply.
