Access to Justice Program Assistant

The Asia Foundation’s Lao PDR Office in Vientiane is seeking a motivated and recently graduated Lao national to join our team as a Access to Justice Program Assistant.  

This individual will support the Foundation to implement an ongoing program supporting the Access to Justice Project. The position is full-time and will be based in Vientiane Capital with occasional travel to other provinces.  

The Asia Foundation is a nonprofit international development organization committed to improving lives and expanding opportunities across Asia and the Pacific. Informed by decades of experience and deep local expertise, our work across the region is focused on governance, women’s empowerment and gender equality, inclusive economic growth, environment and climate action, and regional and international relations. 

Program Background 

Since 2007, The Asia Foundation (TAF) has implemented the Access to Justice Project (Phases I–III) with support from The McConnell Foundation (TMF). In May 2019, TAF launched Phase IV (A2J4) in partnership with the Lao Ministry of Justice to build on earlier successes and support implementation of the 2018 Legal Aid Decree. The A2J4 project has made meaningful contributions to strengthening the legal aid system in Laos. As a result, vulnerable individuals and rural communities now have greater access to a wider range of legal aid providers. 

Duties and Responsibilities 

The Program Assistant will provide programmatic and administrative support to ensure effective implementation of the Access to Justice Project. Key responsibilities include: 

• Contribute to project implementation and support the achievement of project goals and objectives. 

• Prepare project documentation such as contracts, procurement requests, activity budgets, payment/advance requests, purchase requests, expense reports, and advance liquidations. 

• Support the management of contracts with pro bono and/or legal aid lawyers, including agreements for legal representation and other relevant contracts. 

• Organize project activities, including meetings, training sessions, and workshops, by coordinating logistics and preparing agendas and related materials. 

• Assist in the delivery of legal aid activities, including those supported through the competitive funding model, and contribute to village mediation activities. 

• Collect, organize, and maintain project data for monitoring and evaluation purposes, and support the preparation of communication products such as banners and social media posts. 

• Coordinate with government counterparts, civil society partners, and development partners to support effective collaboration and implementation. 

• Maintain accurate project records and filing systems, both electronic and hard copy. 

• Other tasks as assigned by Project Manager