Head of the Access to Justice (A2J) Sector
Organization: Terre des hommes Foundation (Tdh)
Closing date: 20 Aug 2026
The Terre des hommes (Tdh) Foundation is the largest Swiss child aid organization. Since 1960, Tdh has been building a better future for vulnerable children and their communities through innovative approaches and practical, sustainable solutions.
We are looking for a Head of the Access to Justice (A2J) Sector capable of defining and leading Tdh's overall strategic vision in the area of access to justice for children and young people.
This function plays a key role in the development of programmatic orientations, quality assurance, innovation development, institutional advocacy, resource mobilization and the strengthening of strategic partnerships at the national, regional and international levels.
Main responsibilities:
We are looking for someone capable of:
• Define and manage the overall strategy of the Access to Justice Sector.
• To guarantee the technical and programmatic excellence of Tdh's interventions in this area.
• Develop and promote innovative approaches based on evidence and learning from programs.
• Develop strategic partnerships and represent Tdh to donors, institutions, public authorities and specialized networks.
• To actively contribute to resource mobilization and the development of funding opportunities.
• To lead influence and advocacy strategies in one's area of expertise.
• To supervise and support technical teams at global, regional and national levels.
The full job description will be provided to selected candidates to begin the recruitment process.
Desired profile
Formation:
• Master's degree or higher university degree in international law, human rights, children's rights, public law, political science, international relations, public policy or other relevant field.
• A specialization in children's rights, juvenile justice, child protection, or human rights is a major asset.
Experience:
• Minimum 15 years of progressive experience in the field of access to justice for children and young people.
• Minimum 10 years of experience in coordination or management roles for international programs.
• Significant experience in multicultural contexts with regional or global responsibilities.
• Proven experience in managing multi-country or global portfolios.
• Proven experience in resource mobilization, strategic partnership development and securing institutional funding.
• Field experience in the area of children's rights.
Technical skills:
• Recognized expertise in access to justice for children and young people, including child-friendly justice systems, restorative justice, alternatives to detention, legal aid and strengthening child protection systems.
• Solid mastery of international legal and normative frameworks relating to children's rights, human rights and the rule of law, including the Convention on the Rights of the Child, United Nations standards on juvenile justice and international and regional protection mechanisms.
• Solid experience in applying international legal and normative frameworks to public policies, programs, institutional reforms and advocacy actions.
• Proven experience in the design, development and management of high-impact programs in humanitarian, development and/or institutional fragility contexts.
• Demonstrated ability to analyze legislative, institutional and sectoral reforms and to support national actors in strengthening justice, child protection and governance systems.
• Proven experience in developing innovative, evidence-based programmatic approaches that integrate the dimensions of child and youth participation, gender, inclusion, localization, and systemic change.
• Ability to transform technical expertise into strategic, methodological and operational guidance for multicultural and decentralized teams.
• Significant experience in developing and implementing influence, advocacy and systemic change strategies with public authorities, United Nations agencies, donors, regional institutions and international networks.
• Proven experience in roles such as Senior Technical Advisor, Coordinator or Program Manager in their area of expertise, both at headquarters and in the field.
Cross-cutting skills:
• Demonstrated analytical, strategic thinking, foresight and synthesis skills, enabling the guidance of programmatic and institutional choices in the medium and long term;
• Ability to identify industry developments, emerging trends and innovation opportunities in order to contribute to the strategic positioning of Terre des hommes;
• Ethical and exemplary leadership, capable of inspiring, mobilizing and uniting multicultural and decentralized teams around a common vision;
• Excellent interpersonal, communication, collaboration and influencing skills, combined with high emotional intelligence, a sense of listening and diplomacy;
• Strong ability to create cohesion and mobilize teams, partners and stakeholders around collective objectives and common results;
• Proven experience in change management, supporting organizational transformations, facilitating communities of practice and developing the technical capabilities of teams;
• Strong ability to work in a cross-functional, interdisciplinary manner and in complex institutional environments;
• A spirit of innovation and an ability to promote creative approaches based on evidence, learning and good practices;
• Ability to develop, capitalize on, enhance and disseminate knowledge, technical expertise, methodologies and implementation tools in one's field of specialization;
• Ability to develop and implement sectoral strategies, conceptual frameworks, institutional orientations, policies and overall roadmaps;
• Ability to transform technical expertise into operational and strategic guidance to improve the quality, impact and sustainability of interventions;
• Ability to strengthen the capacities of internal and external actors, to support the skills development of teams and to promote the sharing of knowledge;
• Ability to represent the organization at a high level to public authorities, donors, United Nations agencies, international organizations, professional networks, academic institutions and civil society actors;
• Ability to position Terre des hommes as a leading and influential player in its field of expertise at the national, regional and international levels;
LANGUAGES:
• French and English: fluency required
• German: an asset
We offer:
• A key role in a leading humanitarian organization
• An international, dynamic and meaningful work environment
• Diverse projects with a direct impact on our humanitarian operations
• The opportunity to contribute concretely to improving the living conditions of vulnerable children
• Attractive working conditions and a good work-life balance
• A pleasant working environment in Lausanne
Effective date: 01.12.2026
Duration: Permanent contract
Activity rate: 100%
Work location: Lausanne, with the possibility of partial remote work
Salary: Between CHF 90,000 and 120,000 gross per year at 100%, depending on experience. For
the sake of fairness, the salary is not negotiable.
Application deadline: 23.08.2026
Tdh's Global Code of Conduct and Ethical Policies:
• Is committed to promoting and respecting the Global Code of Conduct, to systematically reporting any violations of the Code through Tdh's formal reporting mechanisms and to addressing any violations of procedures and processes appropriately.
• Raise awareness within the Foundation about the risks of policy non-compliance, violence and abuse, and the resulting rights, with regard to children, community members and our own employees.
• Is committed to complying with key ethical policies and guidelines, including the safeguarding policy, the anti-fraud and corruption policy, the conflict of interest policy and other policies related to the prevention of terrorist financing and criminal activities, as well as workplace conduct.
• Commits to putting values and principles into practice by adopting exemplary behavior, in perfect accordance with the code of conduct, and by always respecting established procedures and processes.
• We are committed to developing a compliant and enlightened management culture within the organization and in our work with children and the communities in which we operate.
References:
Please note that all job offers will be subject to satisfactory references and background checks (criminal record check and counter-terrorism financing verification). Terre des hommes will request references from the Human Resources departments of previous organizations regarding any discoveries of sexual exploitation, sexual abuse, and/or sexual harassment, as well as fraud and corruption, during employment, or regarding incidents under investigation at the time the candidate left their position.
How to apply:
Procedure:
Only complete applications (CV + cover letter) submitted through our official website https://jobs.tdh.org/jobs/8103705-chef-fe-du-secteur-acces-a-la-justice will be considered. Additional documents (diplomas, work certificates, etc.) will be requested later. We will only contact shortlisted candidates for the next stage of the recruitment process.