Job opportunities at Ethiopian Lawyers with Disabilities Association (ELDA)

The Ethiopian Lawyers with Disabilities Association is the first-ever professional association of persons with disabilities bringing together lawyers engaged in policy review and analysis, attorneys, prosecutors, judges, legal advisors and students with disabilities studying law in different parts of the country. Currently, ELDA has more than 240 active and registered members with in the nation. The Ethiopian Lawyers with Disabilities Association (ELDA) was formed in November 2019 being the first-ever professional association of persons with disabilities. The association was initiated by eight like-minded lawyers with disabilities and registered by the Ethiopian CSO Agencies with the certificate no. 4620 on December 19, 2019.

ELDA works to ensure the full promotion, protection and respect of all rights for all persons with disabilities in Ethiopia. The UNCRPD is the basis of our work and we work to enhance the direct and indirect participation of persons with disabilities in the justice system including as witnesses, in all legal proceedings, at investigative and other preliminary stages.

Open Positions:

01. TERMS OF REFERENCE (TOR): CONSULTANCY FOR THE DESIGN, DEVELOPMENT, TESTING AND DEPLOYMENT OF AN ETHIOPIAN DISABILITY RIGHTS LEGAL INFORMATION AND JUSTICE-NAVIGATION CHATBOT ON TELEGRAM

Location: Addis Ababa, Ethiopia | Deadline: October 16, 2026

Job Description

CALL FOR CONSULTANCY PROPOSALS – OPEN COMPETITIVE BID

Assignment: Design, Development, Testing and Deployment of a Telegram-Based Disability Rights Legal Information and Justice-Navigation Chatbot
Type of Engagement: Short-Term Consultancy (90 Days)

Project: VOICE+: Inclusive Voices for Peace and Human Rights in Ethiopia

Background

The Ethiopian Lawyers with Disabilities Association (ELDA) is a professional association of lawyers with disabilities established in 2019 to promote, protect and advance the rights of persons with disabilities and strengthen inclusive access to justice in Ethiopia. ELDA works in legal aid, human-rights protection, disability-rights advocacy, legal and policy research, law and policy reform, and inclusive participation in civic and justice processes.

ELDA, in partnership with consortium organizations, Timran and AMPHO, is implementing VOICE+: Inclusive Voices for Peace and Human Rights in Ethiopia, supported under the Civil Society Innovation Fund (CSIF). The project seeks to strengthen social cohesion, human-rights protection, inclusive civic participation and access to justice, with particular attention to women, youth, persons with disabilities and other marginalized and vulnerable groups across six regions of Ethiopia.

Under the project’s gender-responsive and disability-inclusive access-to-justice component, ELDA is strengthening legal aid, human-rights awareness, psychosocial support and referral mechanisms. A key innovation is the development of an accessible Telegram-based legal aid chatbot to complement hotline, community-based and human legal services.

The chatbot is intended not merely as a technology platform, but as part of ELDA’s broader effort to reduce barriers to legal information and justice, amplify the voices of marginalized groups, strengthen rights awareness, and connect vulnerable persons with appropriate legal and protection services.

Purpose of the Consultancy

ELDA invites qualified individual consultants, multidisciplinary teams or firms to participate in this OPEN COMPETITIVE BID to design, develop, test and deploy a secure, accessible and user-friendly Telegram-based chatbot providing free, confidential and Ethiopia-specific legal information and justice-navigation support.

The chatbot will contain at least 2,000 legally reviewed and validated Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) and plain-language answers and will serve as:

a legal-rights awareness and information tool;
a basic justice-navigation and legal-options guide;
a referral mechanism linking users to ELDA, legal aid providers and relevant institutions; and
an early identification and escalation mechanism for urgent, sensitive or high-risk cases requiring human intervention.

The system should complement, rather than replace, professional legal advice and human legal-aid services.

Key Scope of the Assignment

The selected consultant/team will be expected to:

Develop and legally validate a structured database of at least 2,000 Ethiopia-specific FAQs and answers, supported by appropriate legal sources and citations.
Design and develop a secure Telegram chatbot capable of understanding different ways users may phrase their questions.
Provide clear, accurate, plain-language and disability-sensitive responses appropriate for users with different levels of legal literacy.
Establish structured referral pathways connecting users with ELDA, legal-aid services and relevant government and justice institutions.
Develop a mechanism for identifying urgent or high-risk cases and escalating them to designated human staff.
Apply universal design and digital accessibility principles, including compatibility with screen readers and other assistive technologies.
Involve persons with disabilities and relevant rights-holders in user research, design, testing and validation.
Establish a practical content-management/update mechanism enabling authorized ELDA personnel to maintain the legal database.
Conduct comprehensive testing, user-acceptance testing, system refinement, documentation and final deployment.
Provide appropriate orientation, knowledge transfer and capacity building to designated ELDA personnel to enable effective use, administration and maintenance of the system.

Expected Deliverables

The consultancy is expected to produce, at minimum:

A fully functional and securely deployed Telegram chatbot;
A legally reviewed database containing at least 2,000 FAQs and answers;
Appropriate legal references and citations;
Accessible referral and human-escalation mechanisms;
Accessibility and usability testing involving persons with disabilities;
An ELDA-administered system for updating legal content;
Technical and user documentation;
Orientation/training for designated ELDA personnel;
Knowledge transfer to relevant ELDA staff for basic system/content management; and
A fully tested and operational system ready for institutional use.

Please refer to this link for detailed TOR: >>> https://docs.google.com/document/d/1SVgSZHblkw_1MBpB_8QdKRJ139kPS6Oi/edit?usp=sharing&ouid=109150537054750487272&rtpof=true&sd=true

Required Qualifications and Experience

ELDA seeks a consultant, multidisciplinary team or firm with demonstrated experience in Telegram chatbot and secure software development; backend systems, databases and system administration; AI-assisted or natural-language question-and-answer systems; digital accessibility and inclusive technology, including screen-reader and assistive-technology compatibility; legal information systems or comparable knowledge-management platforms; Ethiopian law, human rights and disability-rights frameworks; working with persons with disabilities and/or OPDs; and delivering secure, maintainable and scalable digital solutions within defined timelines.

Applicants should also demonstrate:

Advanced university qualifications and/or relevant professional qualifications in computer science, software engineering, IT, law, human rights, disability studies, gender, social sciences or other relevant fields, as applicable to proposed roles;
Substantial professional experience in comparable technology, chatbot, legal-information, accessibility or knowledge-management assignments;
Demonstrated experience in system development, institutional capacity building and knowledge transfer;
Excellent written and oral communication skills in English and/or Amharic;
Ability to work collaboratively with civil society organizations, government institutions, rights-holders and persons with disabilities; and
Legal registration and authorization to provide the proposed services in Ethiopia, in accordance with applicable laws and requirements.

For multidisciplinary teams/firms, applicants must clearly indicate the qualifications, roles and responsibilities of each key team member.

Required Skills

Communication

How to Apply

Application Requirements

Interested applicants shall submit:

Technical Proposal covering methodology, proposed technology and system architecture, legal-content development and validation, accessibility strategy, user testing, safeguarding/data protection, work plan and sustainability;
Financial Proposal with clear cost breakdown;
CVs/profiles of consultant(s) and key team members;
Evidence of relevant qualifications and experience;
Examples of comparable chatbot, software, accessibility or legal-information assignments;
At least two relevant professional references; and
Where applicable, evidence of legal registration and authorization to operate in Ethiopia.

OPEN COMPETITIVE BID – Submission and Deadline

THIS IS AN OPEN COMPETITIVE BID. ELDA INVITES QUALIFIED INDIVIDUAL CONSULTANTS, MULTIDISCIPLINARY TEAMS AND FIRMS TO COMPETE FOR THIS ASSIGNMENT.

All applicants are required to submit BOTH their Technical Proposal and Financial Proposal IN PERSON, in sealed/appropriate submission packages, at the ELDA Office. Electronic submissions will not be accepted unless otherwise stated in the detailed TOR.

Submission must be made within TEN (10) CALENDAR DAYS from the date this advertisement.

The detailed Terms of Reference (TOR), including the full scope of work, deliverables, technical requirements, evaluation criteria, timeline and submission instructions, may be requested electronically from ELDA through the contact details below or collected from the ELDA Office during working hours.

Submission/Information Contact

Ethiopian Lawyers with Disabilities Association (ELDA)
ELDA Office: 4 Kilo Dink Sira Complex, 4th Floor, Office Nos. D070–D071, Arada Sub-City, Woreda 09, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.

Email: toelda2020@gmail.com
Telephone: 0115581164/0914733280

For further information and clarification, applicants are advised to refer to the detailed TOR and contact ELDA during working days and office hours.

Applications/proposals submitted after the stated deadline will not be considered.

ETHIOPIAN LAWYERS WITH DISABILITIES ASSOCIATION (ELDA)
Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.

02. Project Accountant

Location: Addis Ababa with field travel to project sites, Ethiopia | Deadline: October 14, 2026

Duration: 1 year – renewable contract
Salary Range: Basic Salary: ETB 25,000 – 30,000 and other benefits

Job Description

Project Background

ELDA, in consortium with Timran and Action for Peace and Humanity Organization (APHO), and with the financial support of Civil Society Innovation Fund (CSIF), is in preparation of commencing a project entitled “VOICE+: Inclusive Voices for Peace and Human Rights in Ethiopia”. The project focuses on strengthening social cohesion, inclusive participation, and trust between citizens and institutions through community-led interventions that promote accountability and protect human rights. Its added value lies in linking peace building and human rights efforts while amplifying marginalized voices, contributing to more inclusive and resilient societies across six regions of Ethiopia.

We are seeking to hire a dedicated Project Accountant to take charge in this project.

Key Responsibilities

Ensure disbursements are made according to the rules and regulations specified in the ELDA Finance Manual.
Ensure payment vouchers are correct and authentic.
Check that collections are made on time and are deposited at the bank.
Check that disbursements are not beyond the project funds available and authority of ELDA.
Assist in the development of working procedures, schedules, formats, etc. for efficient project financial operations.
See project financial reports are prepared on time.
Supervise and check closing of accounts.
Report periodically on the position of the project budget.
Assist in the planning of the expenditures of project budget.
Control expenditures/disbursements based on analysis of accounting reports and financial position of ELDA.
Supervise the work of subordinates.
Conduct physical cash count and reconcile with book records regularly.
Ensure that taxes and other government obligations are met on time.
Appraise the performance of subordinates who are under his/her direct supervision as required.
Perform other related duties as may be assigned by the Admin/Finance Manager.

Minimum Requirements

Education:

Degree in accounting, Finance, Business Administration, or a related field

Experience:

At least 2 years of proven experience in managing donor-funded projects.
Proven ability to manage financial records, process payments, and maintain accurate documentation.
Good understanding of donor compliance requirements, procurement procedures, and Ethiopian financial regulations.
Proficiency in Peachtree, Excel, and accounting systems, with strong attention to detail and organizational skills

Skills:

Strong interpersonal skills, teamwork, and communication abilities.
Competence in computer applications.
Fluency in English and Amharic (knowledge of other Ethiopian languages is an asset).
Preference will be given to qualified candidates with disabilities and women.

Required Skills

Communication

How to Apply

Qualified applicants should send:

An application letter (indicating one’s disability, if applicable, and motivation for applying), Professional CV, and Supporting documents via e-mail to: info@eldaethiopia.org Or toelda2020@gmail.com (with the subject line: (Applicant – Project Accountant)

Deadline: 5 (five) days from the date of this announcement. (October 8, 2026 – October 14, 2026)