Overview of The Day After:
The Day After (TDA) is an independent, Syrian-led civil society organization working to support a
democratic transition in Syria. In August 2012, TDA completed work on a comprehensive approach to
managing the challenges of a post-Assad transition in Syria. TDA’s mission is to strengthen and enhance Syrian civil society, address the legacy of political and societal oppression, including the marginalization of certain groups, including women and youth, and work with decision-makers to serve the democratic transition and achieve justice in Syria.
Background**:**
The Day After aims to prepare a policy paper highlighting the structural and urgent challenges faced by
the justice sector in Syria, identifying the key issues that must be addressed at this stage as an essential
step toward building a fair and effective judicial system in the context of political transition.
This paper will be based on in-depth consultations with legal experts, judges, lawyers, civil society
representatives, and other stakeholders involved in the development of the sector. The goal is to
formulate practical and well-informed recommendations that respond to current priorities and present
them to actors and institutions concerned with reforming and developing Syria’s justice sector.
General Objective:
To prepare a policy paper analyzing the outcomes of dialogues with legal experts and relevant
stakeholders to produce a set of actionable recommendations and steps regarding the judicial reform
process and its priorities, responding to current needs. The primary audience for the policy paper will be
institutions and entities responsible for designing and implementing justice sector reforms in Syria.
Scope of Work and Responsibilities:
The Judicial Reform Expert will work directly with the Program Management team and will be
responsible for:
- Attending 1-2 dialogue sessions to benefit from discussions, review discussion topics, and
analyze their outputs. - Using insights from the dialogues to provide preliminary recommendations.
- Attending at least one consultative session with experts.
- Utilizing expert dialogues and any other relevant information from meetings with stakeholders
to develop the policy paper. - Preparing a policy paper that includes:
- Diagnosing recent transformations in judicial institutions and analyzing the impact of
political changes on the justice sector. - Analyzing the priorities and challenges of the justice sector in the current Syrian context.
- Assessing the judiciary’s response to both traditional and non-traditional roles amid
social and political changes. - Analyzing the relationship between society and the judiciary, monitoring community
accountability mechanisms, and the role of local actors in supporting judicial reform. - Studying disparities in the justice system across Syrian regions and analyzing their
effects on the rule of law, justice assurance, and social and political stability nationally. - Providing technical recommendations to achieve a unified justice system and enhance
public and national trust in the judiciary. - Offering an analytical vision on the linkages between judicial reform and intersecting
issues such as transitional justice, property protection, electoral reform, and economic
reform, emphasizing the importance of an integrated approach to policy design and
implementation.
- Diagnosing recent transformations in judicial institutions and analyzing the impact of
Expected Deliverables:
The Judicial Reform Expert is expected to deliver:
● A detailed work plan and timeline commensurate with the deadlines provided by the program
lead.
● Preliminary recommendations based on the local community dialogues, no more than one week
after the last local dialogue.
● A first draft of the policy paper, no more than two weeks after the last expert dialogue.
● A final draft of the policy paper, no more than one week after receiving all feedback.
Supervision and Quality Assurance:
During the contract period, the expert will work closely with the program coordinator on the outputs
and recommendations from the dialogue sessions and expert consultations. The expert will be under the direct supervision of the program management, responsible for overseeing task execution, reviewing
interim and final outputs, and providing feedback.
The expert commits to:
- Following a clear, documented research methodology based on qualitative research standards,
including source documentation, context analysis, and ensuring balance and neutrality in presentation. - Delivering all outputs in professionally written format, free of language errors, well-organized, and logically structured to align with project goals and other outputs.
- Consulting the project team at key stages, including reviewing the conceptual framework and initial outputs before submitting the final version.
- Adhering to deadlines outlined in the work plan and informing the team in advance of any delays or changes, including clear explanations.Required Qualifications:
- University degree in law, political science, international relations, or a relevant field.
- Has published research or policy papers on related topics.
- In-depth understanding of the Syrian context, dynamics of the conflict, and the role of civil society.
- Strong writing and analytical skills in Arabic, with proficient knowledge of English.
- Fluency in Arabic.
- Ability to travel to various parts of Syria.
- Ability to meet deadlines and work under pressure.
Application Process:
Applicants must submit the following:
- An updated curriculum vitae detailing academic qualifications and professional experience.
- Motivation letter that includes:
- Reasons for applying to the position.
- A general vision for the policy paper topic.
- A proposed methodology or policy paper structure
- Two samples of previous work on transitional justice or a related topic.
- A financial proposal (in EUR).
Note: Only short-listed applicants will be interviewed.
Contract Details
- Contract duration: Until end of October.
- Application deadline: August 20, 2025.
- Payment will be made in two installments: 35% upon submission of preliminary recommendations based on local dialogues, and 65% upon acceptance of the final draft of the policy paper.
Note: Cash payments are not allowed; all payments will be made exclusively via wire transfer
(requires providing bank account information under the name of the expert of that of a company
they own).
How to apply
All the candidate needs to send their offers to: recruitment@tda-sy.org