Jobs and Careers

JOB DESCRIPTION: 

While legal education in Armenia continues to evolve, the basic lecture, memorization, and recitation model still prevails in most law school classes. The system has been criticized for its lack of attention given to critical thinking or practical skills courses and pedagogy. Under Objective 3, JSSP aims to advance academic and practical knowledge in specific areas of the law and bring those into line with the judicial reform agenda. Specifically, JSSP builds the capacity of university law schools to provide critical knowledge and improve practical skills of their students.

The Project has commenced work to enhance both the curriculum and the instructional approach taken by law schools, and to help schools develop recognized, uniform approaches to clinical education that appropriately balance the educational value that experiential learning opportunities provide to students. In December 2023, JSSP held a two-day workshop on interactive teaching pedagogy attended by 31 law professors. While the workshop introduced examples and exercises for some courses, none were specific to Armenian Constitutional law or European Law. In a follow-up survey, attendees indicated that it would be helpful to have specific exercises and more guidance on these particular topics.

As a follow up to training on interactive teaching pedagogy and in response to the trainees’ request, JSSP will develop teaching manuals on Armenian Constitutional Law and European Law for university professors. These manuals will include suggested curricula to modify existing courses to include interactive teaching methods, as well as specific exercises to undertake in the classroom. To ensure local ownership, the Project will convene two working groups of professors, representing a mix of public, private, and bilateral government law schools. These working groups will be tasked with developing the manuals. The purpose of the teaching manuals is to enhance teaching processes, enabling lecturers to utilize new teaching techniques and draw from international experiences. The teaching manuals will serve as supplements to existing learning materials.

Specific deliverables are outlined below. These are subjects to be amended by USAID and/or the JSSP team during the assignment.

Final versions of two teaching manuals in Armenian on Armenian Constitutional Law and European Law with suggested revisions to curricula reflecting interactive teaching pedagogy (as presented by the international expert in December 2023), inclusive of specific classroom activities to engage students.
Delivery of two workshops—one on each topic—to law professors who teach these subjects. This position reports to the Deputy Chief of Party. The designated Activity Lead will be the Consultant’s primary point of contact. The proposed level of effort for this assignment is up to 20 days. The authorized work week is five days per week and eight hours per day. The estimated period of assignment is from June 24 to September 12, 2024. The place of performance is Yerevan, Armenia. Working group meetings will be held at the JSSP Office and the remainder of the time will be spent remotely.

RESPONSIBILITIES: 

The Working Group Leader will lead both working groups and provide quality assurance for the final deliverables. They will organize working group meetings, keep communication with working group members, delegate tasks among working group members, ensure working group members are delivering on their assigned tasks, and directly participate in the drafting process of the manuals.

In furtherance of this assignment, the working group leader will:
- Organize a minimum of 3 working group meetings for each group;
- Assign tasks among working group members;
- Coordinate working group member activities and facilitate effective communication within the groups;
- Ensure the quality and timely delivery of the two manuals;
- Provide guidance and support to working group members to help them perform their tasks effectively;
- Address any conflicts or disagreements within the working group;
- Keep Activity Lead apprised of progress and challenges;
- Participate in teaching manual drafting process with all the rights and responsibilities of the working group member.

REQUIRED QUALIFICATIONS: 

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Language:
- Native fluency in Armenian (required); level 3 English (preferred)

Education:
- Master’s degree in law (required); Ph.D in relevant subject (preferred)
- Track record of academic publications, including teaching manuals and textbooks

Experience:
- Minimum 5 years of teaching experience in higher educational institution;
- Specialization in Armenian Constitutional Law or European Law;
- Experience with the legal research and drafting (required);
- Familiarity with the structure and functioning of the Armenian educational system;
- Ability to collaborate effectively with other working group members, diverse national stakeholders (such as Higher Educational Institutions, Academy of Justice of RA) and incorporate their input in the working plans and deliverables;
- Previous track of successful cooperation with international development agencies (USAID, Council of Europe, UNDP, European Union (preferred).

Other:
- Strong analytical and problem-solving skills;
- Collaborative and proactive approach to working with cross-functional team in combination with strong analytical and communication skills;
- Ability to work both collaboratively within a team and independently;
- Organizational and leadership skills;
- Strong writing and editing skills.

APPLICATION PROCEDURES: 

Prospective candidates who are interested in the position are encouraged to submit their applications by sending a detailed CV and a brief cover letter to: ***********@***********.***. The deadline for applications is 10 July 2024, or until the position is filled. Only pre-selected candidates will be contacted for an interview. Candidates will be selected on a rolling basis. To facilitate the process, the Organisation kindly requests applicants to refrain from making phone calls.

Please clearly mention in your application letter that you learned of this announcement through Career Center and mention the URL of its website - www.careercenter.am. Thanks.

OPEN TO/ ELIGIBILITY CRITERIA: 

Only Armenian citizens are eligible for this position.