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Call for applications for new Secretary-General and General Counsel

The IAP’s Secretary General and General Counsel end their terms of service as of 1 January 2027, and the IAP is officially starting the recruitment process for both positions.


The IAP is the only worldwide organisation of prosecutors and a non-governmental, non-political association. The IAP provides networking opportunities, professional development resources, and inspiration to more than 250,000 prosecutors across all regions of the world. Working for the IAP means serving in an innovative organisation that sets ambitious targets for network growth, the expansion of specialist training for prosecutors worldwide, and the global implementation of digital platforms for international cooperation. The IAP work environment is flexible, cross-functional, and multicultural, and day-to-day work is always an exciting challenge, offering strong opportunities for personal and professional development. The IAP values team performance while recognising the importance of each staff member’s input and involvement.

The IAP’s objectives are delivered through three main strands of activity:

  • To safeguard the prosecutor’s role and the role of legal officers, the IAP actively advocates for prosecutors’ functional independence and legal accountability, and develops practical responses to challenges to that independence. Furthermore, the IAP monitors threats to the  safety and security of prosecutors and supports the development of practical strategies for relevant authorities to respond to those threats. The IAP also manages a worldwide program for prosecutors in difficulty, responding to their requests for assistance when they report facing challenges while carrying out their prosecutorial duties.
  • The IAP builds and maintains a worldwide community that enables prosecutors to share experiences and challenges in a trusting  professional environment. Through annual conferences and regional meetings, training sessions, workshops, and webinars, the IAP  routinely brings together frontline prosecutors, specialists, and heads of prosecution services to network, collaborate, cooperate, and share  best practices and knowledge. Through our rapidly growing online network, the IAP provides a digital database and platform of prosecution contact points and specialists to facilitate the exchange of information and the provision of casework assistance.
  • The IAP produces the world’s leading statements of professional standards, best practices, and guidelines for the prosecution of a wide range of crimes and offenses. The IAP also facilitates specialised learning programs in international criminal justice. Focus areas include mutual legal assistance, counterterrorism, cybercrime, financial crime, trafficking in persons, international crimes, and crimes of sexual violence.

The Secretary-General is the Chief Executive and Financial Officer of the International Association of Prosecutors (the Association) and directs the Association’s day-to-day administration while mobilising logistical and financial support to expand the Association’s impact and relevance. The Secretary-General is responsible for ensuring that the Association delivers its objectives, namely to promote the role of prosecutors, raise standards for prosecutors through the provision of professional programmes, and develop initiatives to improve international cooperation. To learn more about the expectations and requirements for this position, please click here to see the job description.

The General Counsel is the IAP’s leading legal adviser and is responsible for IAP’s professional programme. Together with the Executive Director, Janne Holst Hübner, the General Counsel reports to and supports the President and Secretary General. The General Counsel and Executive Director are part of the Bureau of the Secretary General, together with several other staff members. To learn more about the expectations and requirements for this position, please click here to see the job description.

The Bureau of the Secretary General is located in The Hague, the Netherlands. However, the Secretary-General and the General Counsel do not need to be based in The Hague and may work from another location, as long as they are available for regular stays in The Hague. There is also an expectation of regular travel to other locations worldwide.

Candidates are welcome to apply for both positions if they wish to do so, provided they meet all job requirements. If this is the case, they must express this intention in their application letter and submit all relevant information. Successful candidates are expected to start on 1 January 2027, but the IAP is open for the new General Counsel to start at an earlier date.

CLOSING DATE
Applications will close at 23:59 hours CET on Friday, 1 May 2026.

Please note that applications received after the deadline will not be considered. Following this deadline, the IAP Leadership Planning Sub-Committee will review the applications received and produce a shortlist of selected candidates for both positions. The shortlisted applicants will be invited to an interview either at the Secretariat in The Hague or via a virtual platform in May or June 2026.

If you need any further information regarding these positions, please contact us at: 
pcm@iap-association.org.