Lead Systems Developer

The International Development Law Organization (IDLO) is the Technical Lead for the third iteration of the European Union’s Governance in Justice Programme (EU-GOJUST).

The EU-GOJUST programme is focused on improving access to justice for all Filipinos and contributing to Philippine socio-economic development through a more effective, inclusive, and accountable justice system. These efforts are pursued by supporting the priorities of Philippine justice institutions such as the Department of Local and Interior Governance (DILG), the Department of Justice (DOJ), the Supreme Court, and justice-sector civil society organizations and law schools. 

Programme Summary

EU-GOJUST seeks to (1) develop more coordinated, efficient, gender-sensitive, and people­centred justice services and (2) enhance access to justice for all, especially for women and people living in vulnerable situations. To achieve these objectives, the Programme will design and deliver activities to:

• Improve the capacity of Justice Zones and the Justice Sector Coordination Council as the main coordinating mechanism between justice institutions and stekeholders;
• Expand, standardize, and deepen the Justice Zone model to address substantive justice issues at the local level;
• Improve access to legal aid services, with a focus on overcoming cultural and social barriers that prevent women from seeking justice;
• Strengthen the capacities of Local Government Units as the first point of contact for justice seekers;
• Increase awareness of rights and available remedies among rights-holders, especially women and marginalized groups; and
• Build the capacities of justice system actors to better address the specific issues faced by women and vulnerable population.

Justice agencies are interdependent and require data-sharing systems that account for this interdependence. For example, courts send Hold Departure Orders (HDO) to the Bureau of Immigration who in turn uses the HDO to monitor departing passengers. If the HDO is not sent in real time, the time gap between the issuance of the HDO and the actual receipt of the immigration can take some time and a person subject of an HDO may be able to escape.

Another prime example of data sharing across Justice sector agencies is that of the Corrections Cluster agencies. The Single Carpeta System aims to capture individuals’ prison and corrections records across the Bureau of Jail Management and Penology, Bureau of Corrections, Board of Pardons and Parole, and the Pardon and Parole Administration.

Currently, data sharing across the justice sector agenies is done manually. Agencies send out and receive documents and records in hard-copy format. Agency staff need to then encode the data contained in the paper documents in the case management/information system. Requesting agencies have to follow up continually and even resort to physical visits to get the requested information. Ad-hoc data requests and manual transmission of data are common concerns.

The use of information and communications technology (ICT) in the digitalization of transactions and services is viewed as a key driver for the competitiveness of the government in providing better services. One of the main thrusts of the 2023 Philippine Development Plan (2023 PDP) is for the justice sector to “use digital technology and build a robust, efficient, and disaster-resilient ICT architecture for the justice sector.”

One of the priority ICT programmes identified by the sub-chapter on Administration of Justice of the 2023 PDP is the National Justice Information System (NJIS). The NJIS is an ICT-based tool envisioned to facilitate the management and exchange of vital information across law enforcement and justice sector agencies in the discharge of their statutorily mandated public functions. The NJIS has been included in the 2011-2016, 2017-2022, and the current 2023-2028 PDP. 

It is envisioned to be a seamless, knowledge-based and knowledge-driven interface and portal that will solve information gaps and address collaboration issues in the justice system. It is anchored on a secured platform that links justice sector agencies for a holistic approach to crime prevention and resolution. The implementing agencies of the NJIS include the following:

 1. The Law Enforcement Cluster

• National Prosecution Service (NPS)
• National Bureau of Investigation (NBI)
• Bureau of Immigration (BI)
• Philippine National Police (PNP)
• Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA)
• Dangerous Drugs Board (DDB)

2. The Corrections Cluster

• Bureau of Corrections (BuCor)
• Board of Pardons and Parole (BPP)
• Parole and Probation Administration (PPA)
• Bureau of Jail Management and Penology (BJMP)

3. The Supreme Court

EU-GOJUST has supported the NJIS Data Exchange Platform to develop an interoperability layer for the DOJ, BuCor, BJMP, and BI. A special consumer applicaton was also developed for the Board of Pardons and Parole and a generic consumer application was developed for all other agencies that are authorized and need to access the data already available from DOJ, BuCor, BJMP, and BI.

For this assignment, the consultant will support the further development of NJIS in relation to the following:

• Development of the interoperability layer for NBI
• Enhancement to the BJMP interoperability layer
• Enhancement to the generic consumer application

The scope of work of the consultant shall include the support for the following activities, among others:

1. Kick-off meeting with the technical team and with the Department of Justice
2. With supervision/instructions from the Department of Justice – Chief Information Technology Officer, the consultant shall develop the following:

• NJIS Data Exchange Platform - Security Improvements to enable the Production (Live) deployment.
• Interoperability layers of NBI
• Coordination regarding the Interoperability layers of the remaining NJIS implementing agencies from GOJUST II (PNP, SC, PDEA)
• Enhancements to the Interoperability Layer of BUCOR and BPP

     3. Presentation of the output and findings to the technical team, relevant officials of               the DOJ, and the NJIS implementing agencies. The presentation should include                   recommendations for further redevelopment of the different applications, including             entry points for data disaggregation that can support gender-responsive and                     inclusive analysis.

The output of this engagement is:

1. Inception Report
2. Working version of the applications
3. Monthly status report on the project's progress signed by the Department of Justice – Chief Information Technology Officer or their representative on the following:

• • percentage completion of the project
  • information on the compliance with the quality assurance process indicated in the workplan

        4. Mission Report upon completion of the engagement, structured as follows:

• • Executive summary
  • Introduction and Background
  • Main findings related to the overall and specific objectives of this assignment
  • Key Recommendations, including entry points for gender-related disaggregation of data
  • Conclusion
  • Relevant Annexes including the SRS, training modules, training materials, and training report
  • All software codes, documentations, training modules, and related project artifacts shall also be included in the submission of the final mission report

       5. All documentation and source code pertaining to this project shall be endorsed to               the Department of Justice – Chief Information Technology Officer after completion.

       6. All reports and correspondence must be in English.

      7. All reports must be submitted by the experts electronically in the format provided             at the start of the mission. Comments by the technical team and key stakeholders            on the various reports will be provided to the experts as soon as possible. Draft final          reports must be submitted before the debriefing by the experts to the technical team.

For guidance, the indicative activities for the assignment are the following:

Education and Work Experience

A college graduate with a degree in Computer Science, Computer Engineering, or any related course

General Professional Experience

• At least eight (8) years of relevant work experience as a Lead Systems Developer which includes experience in:
• Ensuring that codes meet the technical specifications and are delivered on time
• Directing other Systems developers in the design, development, testing, and debugging
• Designing, building, and configuring applications to meet business process and application requirements
• Writing testable, scalable, and efficient code and leading code reviews

Specific Professional Experience

• At least eight (8) years’ experience in web development preferably with experience in Python: Flask framework
• Knowledgeable with front-end Javascript libraries/frameworks such as ReactJS
• Familiarity with Linux operating systems and experience in developing on the Linux platform
• Strong knowledge in database technologies, SQL, ORM, and other relevant technologies
• Experience in Git workflow is an advantage.
• Experience working on ICT projects in the justice agencies, such as the NJIS

Languages

• Fluency in English is required
• Fluency in Tagalog is required

Skills & Abilities

• Excellent analytical competence and technical skills
• Excellent interpersonal skills
• Active listening skills and strong writing skills
• Ability to coordinate and communicate with key stakeholders
• Ability to prioritize critical tasks and work well in an output-driven environment
• Coaching and mentoring skills
• Organizational abilities
• Administrative skills
• Good communication skills, both written and verbal
• The ability to work independently and as part of the team
• Accuracy and good attention to detail
• The ability to work under pressure and tight deadlines
• A positive approach in a busy working environment
• A good understanding of data confidentiality

The engagement will be a deliverables-based contract. It is expected to be a part time engagement beginning in September 2025 and projected to end in February 2026.

IDLO is an Equal Opportunity Employer and values diversity in all areas of its operations. We welcome applications of qualified and diverse candidates. IDLO is committed to achieving a 50/50 gender balance at all levels within its workforce. Female candidates are strongly encouraged to apply for IDLO vacancies.

IDLO does not tolerate sexual exploitation or abuse, any kind of harassment, including harassment of a sexual nature; or discrimination. As such, IDLO will conduct careful reference and background checks of all selected candidates as part of its selection process.

In the interest of making most effective use of resources, only the short-listed candidates will be contacted during the selection process.

Application deadline: 17 September 2025