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.

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.

Please submit:

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).

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.

Only applications received through email will be considered.
All applications must be submitted with the email subject line “Country Director, Malawi”