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Senior Prosecution Advisor

Updated 2/1/2019

 

Tetra Tech International Development Services, headquartered in Arlington, VA is seeking an experienced Senior Prosecution Advisor for a government client.  The position will be based in Liberia.

The Senior Prosecution Advisor will be embedded within the Department of Prosecution, specifically the Felonious Crimes Division of the Ministry of Justice (MOJ), to advise and mentor prosecutors in trial skills and case processing, with a particular focus on armed robbery, homicide and narcotics offenses.  However, the Senior Prosecution Advisors may be assigned to any of the criminal courts  or divisions within MOJ.

She/he will work toward improving the quality of prosecution, investigation and ancillary tasks within the Felonious Crime Division of the Department of Prosecution (or other assigned divisions), and his/her work may extend to counties outside of Montserrado as may be requested by the Solicitor General and INL.

 

The Senior Prosecution Advisor will assist MOJ Prosecutors and County Attorneys in improving internal policies and procedures, and contribute generally to the improvement of the administration of the rule of law within the Liberian Justice Sector, with a goal of improving prosecutorial performance at all levels.  The  Senior Prosecution Advisor will primarily work at the offices of the Director for Felonious Crimes & the County Attorney for Montserrado County, as co located advisor, but will be responsible for advising all 15 of Liberia’s County Attorneys; this includes travel to these counties. 

The Prosecution Advisor responsibilities include, but are not limited to the following:

  • Be co located within the Department of Prosecution of the Ministry of Justice focused on felonious crimes except (*Sexual and Gender Based Violence related crimes) or other division. Mentor and provide technical assistance to MOJ prosecutors and county attorneys to develop and implement standard operating procedures (SOPs) on a range of ancillary administrative matters, including case intake, assignment, management and processing.
  • Advise and mentor prosecutors in trial advocacy, procedural and prosecution strategies, and plea bargaining.  Mentoring advice will be drawn from such activities as observing courtroom and office practices.   
  • Advise and mentor prosecutors in legal writing and research.
  • Work with GOL to refine guidelines and SOPs on plea bargaining, specifically on which cases to plea bargain and victim/witness outreach and engagement.
  • Establish and maintain effective and respectful professional relationships with GOL officials at the functional level, including:  the MOJ and each of its independent agencies; the Judiciary and its James A.A. Pierre Judicial Institute; others deemed suitable as directed by INL/Liberia.  INL/Liberia must grant prior authority for liaising with GOL officials at the policymaking level, or at the level of the Solicitor General and above.
  • Advise INL/Liberia in areas of expertise and collaborate with advisors on existing INL criminal justice programs. 
  • Serve as a subject matter expert for INL/Liberia on the Liberian criminal justice system, with particular focus on prosecuting armed robbery, homicide and narcotics cases. 
  • Review Liberian prosecutorial needs on a regular basis and provide subject matter expertise to the relevant GOL officials. 
  • Facilitate close cooperation between the prosecutors and the Liberia National Police (LNP) and the Liberia Drug Enforcement Agency (LDEA), and other GoL agencies as assigned, with a goal of developing cases based on sufficient evidence to prosecute.
  • Design and collaborate with the GOL to provide individual training modules on issues identified through mentoring and advising activities.  This includes organizing logistics and selecting Liberian or external experts with the Solicitor General’s staff and PAE. 
  • Train GOL trainers in areas of particular focus, as determined with INL/Liberia. 
  • Regularly gather data on criminal justice sector performance metrics and report to INL in the manner requested, upon request.  These include data on the number of cases processed and true bills resulting from prosecutorial work in Monrovia and in the 15 counties.  It will also include the total number of cases law enforcement presents to prosecutors and the number and types of cases that prosecutors must return for additional investigation.
  • Collect data on the total number of cases that law enforcement presents to the SG’s office and the number of these cases that prosecutors return to law enforcement for additional investigation.
  • Coordinate to ensure that project activities are complementary and not duplicative through maintaining a close working relationship with:  the UN Country Team organizations; NGOs, other INL/USAID/DOS and USG advisors and other donors.  Combining resources and activities among USG programs shall be a priority when INL deems efficient and in the best interest of programming.   
  • Upon request, prepare background materials, talking points, updates, and reports for INL regarding the Liberian Criminal Justice Sector.
  • Upon request, participate in official visits and arrange itineraries and logistical support for official visitors.
  • In response to INL inquiries, provide interpretation of GOL law, regulations policies, procedures and directives.

Required Qualifications:

The Prosecution Advisor must meet the following requirements:

  • Have completed an advanced law degree from an U.S. accredited law school or the equivalent, and been admitted to practice in a U.S. state or the equivalent.  Proof of good standing as a member of a bar association from a U.S. state Supreme Court or the equivalent is required.
  • Demonstrated minimum of ten (10) years of professional legal experience as an U.S. prosecutor or the equivalent, or have substantial trial experience that includes armed robbery, narcotics and homicide cases. 
  • Demonstrated two (2) years of experience working on rule of law reform programs in a developing, conflict or post-conflict environment.  This experience must include working on policy initiatives and designing and using metrics to gauge performance.
  • Must have worked in the legal profession or on international rule of law reform within the past five years.
  • Ability to build and maintain key relationships in a different cultural environment, and respectfully negotiate the resolution of conflicting views to facilitate project implementation.
  • Ability to communicate in English with sufficient accuracy and fluency to converse effectively on a variety of topics in appropriate professional vocabulary.  If INL requests verification of English competency, a superior level rating from the American Council on the Teaching of Foreign Languages (ACTFL) is required.
  • Ability to write about general and legal issues clearly and concisely in English, to express complex ideas in a clear and logical way and without grammatical errors.
  • A working knowledge and demonstrated proficiency in Microsoft Office products, including Word, Excel, and PowerPoint.
  • Must satisfy the requirements for Justice Advisor outlined in the base contract IV.

Desired Qualifications:

  • Experience living in developing, conflict or post-conflict countries in Africa.
  • Experience serving as a trainer and/or program manager in an international context.
  • Ability to integrate and relate program activities into the broader goals of INL.
  • Supervisory experience in the trial law practice environment or trial advocacy/law clinic teaching experience.

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