Terms of Reference: Specialist in Transitional Justice

The Institute for Security Studies (ISS) is seeking a transitional justice specialist to develop a legislative drafting reference guide for integrating traditional justice mechanisms into Ethiopia’s transitional justice process and frameworks.

Ethiopia’s 2024 Transitional Justice Policy recognises the integration of traditional justice mechanisms as a core component of its architecture. However, neither the policy nor the existing draft legislation provides practical or operational guidance on how such integration should occur across accountability, truth-seeking, reparations, institutional reform or mental health and psychosocial support.

To address this gap, ISS is collaborating with Ethiopia’s Ministry of Justice to develop a Legislative Drafting Reference Guide that offers policymakers and lawmakers a rights-based, coherent and implementable framework for incorporating traditional justice mechanisms into Ethiopia’s transitional justice system.

ISS seeks a transitional justice specialist to provide substantive analysis and comparative research, and to co-draft legislative models for integration.

The consultant will:

• Provide technical leadership on transitional justice theory, policy and international/continental norms
• Analyse how traditional justice mechanisms can be integrated across all transitional justice pillars in rights-compliant ways
• Co-draft the Legislative Drafting Reference Guide together with the ISS Lead Researcher and the traditional justice expert
• Ensure alignment with Ethiopia’s 2024 Transitional Justice Policy, AU Transitional Justice Policy, the African Charter on Human and Peoples’ Rights, and relevant international standards

Scope of work

Analytical research

• Conduct a detailed review of Ethiopia’s 2024 Transitional Justice Policy, draft transitional justice laws, and relevant national legal frameworks
• Analyse existing Ethiopian customary and community-based mechanisms from a transitional justice standpoint
• Conduct a comparative analysis on the integration of traditional and transitional justice in African and global contexts
• Map integration opportunities across the following transitional pillars: accountability, truth-seeking, reparations, institutional reform and mental health and psychosocial support

Drafting and technical support

Co-draft sections of the Legislative Drafting Reference Guide related to:

• ​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​Legal and policy foundations for integration
• Models for complementarity between customary and formal transitional justice institutions
• Procedural safeguards, rights benchmarks, gender and child protection measures
• Institutional coordination between traditional justice mechanisms, truth commissions, special benches, reparations bodies, etc.

Develop model legislative clauses, drafting options and normative guidance.

Prepare annexes, comparative tables and compliance checklists.

Consultations and validation

• Participate in interviews, fieldwork and engagement with stakeholders (Ministry of Justice, Ethiopian Human Rights Commission, civil society organisations, regional justice bureaus, customary leaders)
• Co-present findings in drafting and validation workshops
• Incorporate feedback into the final guide

Drafting process

The drafting process will consist of five stages:

Prerequisite research phase:

The consultant will undertake a comprehensive mapping of traditional justice systems, identify regional variations, and analyse normative compatibility with transitional justice.

Drafting the legislative guide:

The transitional justice specialist will, in collaboration with the traditional justice expert and the ISS lead researcher, produce a comprehensive first draft of the legislative guide.

Internal drafting retreat (two days):

The transitional justice specialist will participate in a two-day drafting meeting with the ISS lead researcher and the traditional justice expert to jointly review and refine the first draft. This collaborative session will ensure that customary perspectives are fully integrated across all legislative drafting components.

External validation workshop:

The jointly drafted guide will be presented at a validation workshop convened by ISS and the Ministry of Justice. The consultant will engage with stakeholders, present technical findings, and incorporate reviewer feedback.

Finalisation and submission:

The consultant will support the integration of validation inputs and contribute to the final revised version for submission to ISS.

Deliverables

• Inception memo summarising methodology and workplan
• Analytical report on how traditional justice mechanisms can be integrated across all transitional justice pillars in rights-compliant ways
• Draft sections of the Legislative Drafting Reference Guide
• Model legislative provisions for integrating traditional justice mechanisms into transitional justice
• Contributions to annexes and technical tools
• Validation workshop report
• Final consolidated input into the completed guide

​Required qualifications

• Master’s degree or PhD in Law, transitional justice, human rights, peace and conflict studies, or related fields
• Minimum 10 years’ professional experience in transitional justice or accountability mechanisms
• Demonstrated experience with legislative drafting or transitional justice policy development
• Strong knowledge of AU and international transitional justice frameworks
• Experience working in Ethiopia or the Horn of Africa will be an asset
• Excellent analytical, writing and communication skills

Reporting and coordination

The consultant will report to the ISS lead researcher and collaborate closely with the traditional justice expert. Regular coordination meetings are required.

 

How to Apply

Submission of application

The applicant(s) is/are requested to submit a technical and financial offer. The technical proposal should not exceed five pages, and must include:

• A cover letter with an expression of interest and a brief description of relevant experience in conducting similar assignments
• A proposal outlining the approach, including the proposed methodology, the overall approach, and methods suggested
• A work plan with estimated working days
• A financial offer indicating the daily rate
• A brief Curriculum Vitae (CV) of the applicant(s), including three references

Submission deadline

The ISS invites qualified experts to submit their proposal in English no later than 22 March 2026 to the email: addisjobs@issafrica.org, indicating ‘Transitional Justice Specialist’ in the subject line. Complete proposals will be assessed based on the qualifications and experience of the consultant(s), quality of the methodology proposed and cost-effectiveness.

Due to the volume of submissions, only shortlisted applicants will be contacted.

Closing date: 22 March 2026