Senior Military Justice Advisor -Nigeria at Culmen International

The Senior Military Justice Advisor shall advise and support the Partner Nation’s Armed Forces efforts to design a roadmap with critical milestones required to develop a Command Legal Advisor (CLA) “Corps” within the Armed Forces of Nigeria (AFN) focusing on promoting military justice and the practical application of international and domestic law related to civilian harm mitigation (DHM) and protection of civilians (POC).

• Establish working relationships with main counterparts and other key stakeholders and act as a trusted advisor.
• In close cooperation with counterparts and key stakeholders, identify existing gaps in the administration of military justice and civilian harm mitigation, and the development of the CLA Corps including training, organizational/command structure, communication, and doctrine.
• Share expertise and recommendations with Nigeria’s defense sector as relevant on how to prepare for required reforms and to establish and manage integrating the CLAs within the military as well as developing standard operating procedures for integrating domestic and international legal considerations including promotion of CHM and POC into operational decision-making
• Support the AFN in establishing sustainable subject-matter expertise needed to promote responsible and accountable employment of force in coordination with international advisory efforts.
• Assist in improving accountability and operational effectiveness by enhancing knowledge and skills of CLA “Corps” and coordinating with relevant stakeholders/implementers on training and mentorship, as required.
• U.S. citizen
• Active Secret clearance
• Native English speaker
• Master’s degree in an area such as Law, International Relations, International Law, International Justice, Transitional Justice, Peacebuilding, Conflict Resolution, Human Security, Security Studies, Protection of Civilians, or a similar field.
• 6+ years of military and/or civilian professional experience with human rights and humanitarian law in the context of military security operations.
• 6+ years of military and/or civilian professional experience with formal accountability systems (such as judicial, administrative, or professional).
• Has reached, at a minimum, the rank of O-5 in the military or equivalent in a civilian capacity (i.e., FS-02/GS-14 or industry equivalent).
• 1+ years of experience advising senior foreign military or senior foreign government officials. Non-resident or intermittent advisory experience may count toward some or all the required two years of prior experience, if the advising took place in-person with the foreign government representative(s).
• 3+ years of experience working with a foreign government that operates on a common law legal system. Non-resident or intermittent travel experience may count toward some or all of the required years
• 6 months of experience promoting adherence/integration of protection of civilians in conflict with military policies/doctrine/operational guidance
• Juris Doctor (J.D.) degree
• Master of Laws (LLM) in Human Rights or a similar specialty.
• Experience as a U.S. Judge Advocate General (JAG) Corps officer.
• 2+ years of experience advising senior foreign military or foreign senior government officials in Sub-Saharan Africa at the strategic or operational levels. Non-resident or intermittent advisory experience may count toward some or all the preferred years of prior experience, if the advising took place in-person with the foreign government representative(s).
• 3+ years of experience contributing to capacity building activities such as the development and delivery of training and workshops for military, national security, or government audiences on international legal norms, including but not limited to topics on the law of armed conflict, international human right law, international customary law, and civilian harm mitigation. Non-resident, intermittent travel experience may count toward some or all of the preferred years
• 3+ years living and working in fragile, conflict-affected environments and demonstrated knowledge of the proper operation of judiciary and security sectors in these environments. Non-resident or intermittent advisory experience may count toward some or all the required two years of prior experience, if the advising took place in-person with the foreign government representative(s)
• 3+ years of experience supporting security sector reform or governance efforts in a developing country