Terms of Reference – State Coordinator

  • Job Title: State Coordinator

  • Department: Gender Equality and Empowerment

  • Number of Positions: 2 ( 1 in each state)

  • Compensation: ₹8 - ₹9 Lakhs Per Annum + benefits

  • Location: Nainital (Uttarakhand) and Shimla (Himachal Pradesh)

  • Reporting to: Project Coordinator

  • Start Date: February 1, 2026

The Organisation

Migration and Asylum Project (MAP), founded in 2013 works to democratise access to justice for migrants and forcibly displaced persons in India who face critical legal protection gaps. MAP builds community awareness, provides legal first response, and strengthens institutional accountability to address the impacts of migration, displacement, and gender-based violence (GBV).

Since its inception, MAP has assisted more than 25,000 marginalised individuals, including survivors of GBV, torture, and labour exploitation. MAP is a women-led organisation, and over 75% of its clients are women.

MAP is a growing organisation of 35+ staff, dedicated to inclusivity, accountability, mutual respect, and professional growth. For more information, visit: https://www.migrationandasylumproject.org/ 

The Position

At MAP, we strongly believe that an organisation is made by its people. As a young and growing organisation of 30+ staff, MAP is dedicated to building a team based on the ideals of inclusivity, accountability, and mutual respect, one that is committed to the organisational ethos but with a strong focus on personal development and work satisfaction. This makes the position of the State Coordinator a critical one.

MAP seeks a committed and motivated State Coordinator to lead institutional engagement, capacity building, and programme implementation. The ideal candidate will be a dynamic legal professional familiar with litigation processes, passionate about gender justice, and eager to contribute to MAP’s mission of making justice accessible for marginalised communities.

This is a full-time, on-site position with extensive in-state travel and periodic travel to Delhi. Preference will be given to candidates who have a background or connection to the State, including prior practice experience, bar certification, or relevant professional engagement within the State.

Key Roles and Responsibilities

Institutional coordination and capacity building

  • Work closely with LSIs, judiciary, bar, law universities, and state institutions to strengthen access to justice for marginalised groups through effective implementation of existing policies, addressing systemic gaps, and advocating for policy reforms. 

  • Lead capacity building for institutional actors and legal aid providers, including training, mentorship, and support systems.

  • Map and assess legal aid structures, with emphasis on gender inclusion and responsive, survivor-centred mechanisms, to inform the project implementation strategy.

Partnerships, coalitions, and advocacy

  • Create and manage a coalition of partners including, law schools, bar associations, Civil Society Organisations (CSOs) and other justice ecosystem actors, who can influence, support, and strengthen access to justice on the ground.

  • Develop MOUs and partnership frameworks and document advocacy and partnership outcomes for learning and donor reporting.

  • Facilitate the coordination of efforts by different stakeholders within the coalition and create platforms for constructive engagement and collaboration.

Monitoring, evaluation, and learning

  • Design and contribute to state- and district-level monitoring, evaluation, and learning frameworks.

  • Lead and support baseline, midline, and end line studies, as well as routine data collection, analysis, and reflection sessions.

  • Document best practices, learning, and evidence to inform programme adaptation and policy engagement.

  • Supervise the maintenance of the CMS system for recording/filing all the programmatic monitoring and evaluation tools.  

Communications, outreach, and events

  • Develop communication materials, success stories, case studies, and field learnings for state and national communication strategies.

  • Organise regional events, conferences, roundtables, consultations, and cross-learning exchanges to build visibility and consensus.

  • Strengthen outreach to stakeholders and communities to promote legal awareness and use of legal aid services.

Programme operations and administration

  • Support the Programme Coordinator in project management, donor reporting, budget utilisation, and strategic planning.

  • Participate in regular update meetings with the Project Coordinator.

  • Attend quarterly in-person review meetings with the central Project team.

  • Support financial management, budgeting, and grant compliance for programme activities.

  • Lead or support recruitment, contracting, training and HR-related processes for project staff and consultants.

  • Oversee administrative systems, documentation, and coordination with the central team, including planning and review meetings.

Team Structure

The State Coordinator will lead the State team and will be reporting to the Project Coordinator. They will also be working closely with the senior leadership team at MAP, including the Executive Director and the Chief Operating Officer.

Qualification & Experience

  • Graduate/Postgraduate degree in Law

  • Minimum 4 years of experience in access to justice, institutional strengthening, or legal aid reform

  • Experience engaging with government systems, legal services authorities, bar councils, or law universities (preferred).

  • Experience engaging with marginalised communities and working with grassroots support structures.

  • Excellent research, coordination, and documentation skills.

  • Supervisory experience with PLVs, field teams, or community workers.

  • Understanding of gender-based violence responses and community justice mechanisms.

  • High-quality written and verbal communication skills (Hindi and English);

  • Ability to develop strong interpersonal skills, and engage with all levels in the organisation;

  • Strong work ethic and attention to detail in all aspects of work;

  • Creative thinker and problem solver;

  • Consummate professional in discretion, discernment, and confidentiality

Why MAP?

Joining MAP offers an unparalleled opportunity to work at the forefront of systems change within India’s justice ecosystem. MAP is re-imagining how legal service institutions (LSIs) can function to build inclusive, accountable, and community-rooted systems that enable women justice actors to thrive. Our work bridges deep community engagement with institutional reform: strengthening legal aid pipelines, redesigning recruitment and training frameworks, building mentorship and recognition systems, creating technology platforms, and embedding gender-responsive practices across LSIs. For someone passionate about gender justice, institutional design, and impact at scale, MAP offers a rare and ambitious platform to shape a new era of legal aid- one where community wisdom, survivor-centric values, and structural transformation converge to shift how justice is delivered for millions.

Application Process:

Interested candidates are requested to complete the Application Form in the given link:

https://forms.gle/DjPpMu2HmjVUNQDw7

The deadline for receiving applications is 5:00 pm (IST) on 19th December  2025. If you have any queries, please write to recruitments@aratrust.in with the subject line “Application for the post of State Coordinator

MAP is an equal opportunity employer. Women across marginalized sections and gender minorities are encouraged to apply 

Recruitment Stages

MAP’s Recruitment process, typically takes 6 to 8  weeks to complete the process .

* Due to limited capacity, only shortlisted candidates will be contacted, and we are unable to provide individual feedback to candidates. Any change in the timelines will be communicated to the shortlisted candidates.