BACKGROUND OF THE POSITION
LAW is currently looking for a passionate, committed, human-rights oriented lawyer for the role of Legal Advisor, who will be based in Nairobi with frequent travel and will work on projects Somalia and South Sudan. The person in this role will be work closely with the Head of Africa Programmes, administrative and financial staff in Nairobi and legal and programmatic staff in the field. They will take the lead on specific programmes and be given a large degree of autonomy, room for creativity and space to develop the projects they work on.
The role will combine a technical legal focus with programme management and fundraising. We are therefore looking for an international human rights lawyer with legal, programme management and fundraising experience. Women and candidates from or based in the Horn of Africa region are particularly encouraged to apply.
POSITION DESCRIPTION
Reports to
Head of Africa Programme
Functions/Key Results Expected
Programmatic:
Leading LAW legal projects in Somalia and South Sudan including projects related to:
Police oversight in Somalia and the establishment of the first independent complaints mechanism for security forces in the country;
Capacity building and trainings of Somali and South Sudanese civil society and legal aid providers;
Collection and documentation of evidence of war crimes and crimes against humanity in South Sudan for the purposes of taking strategic, groundbreaking international cases;
Research projects on human rights violations, due process and other issues relating to law and justice;
Coordination of the Somali Legal Aid Network;
Close coordination with LAW’s offices in London, Geneva, Colombo and Beirut to coordinate research, legal advocacy efforts and identify strategic cases and other creative legal interventions;
Working with international lawyers to identify potential for strategic transnational or international casework and working with them to draft legal arguments for such cases;
Coordinating with other NGOs on joint projects and programmes;
Serving as the first point of contact for intake of cases and managing the referral of cases;
Any other programmatic duties as specified by the Head of Africa Programme or Executive Director of the organisation.
Fundraising:
Identifying potential donors;
Writing concept notes, proposals and applications for potential donors;
Drafting donor reports and maintaining records to enable accurate and timely reporting;
Attending meetings with donors.
Advocacy
Representing LAW at events and conferences as needed, with a view to raising the profile of the organisation;
Working closely with LAW’s Advocacy Team in order to identify relevant advocacy strategies for projects led by the Legal Advisor
Administrative:
Managing organisation website and keeping it up to date insofar as it relates to activities carried out in Kenya and throughout the East and Horn of Africa;
· Assisting with the overall operation of LAW in Nairobi including carrying out general administrative tasks;
· Participating and taking minutes in meetings via Skype with colleagues around the world.
Skills and Qualifications Required:
Masters degree in law or human rights;
Qualified lawyer with minimum of 2 years practice experience in human rights, criminal, family or refugee law. Experience working with cases of sexual and gender based violence preferred;
Demonstrated experience in programme management;
Demonstrated experience in fundraising and liaising with donors;
Excellent written and oral English, research and drafting skills;
Experience advising government or judicial institutions preferred;
Experience working in the East and/ or Horn of Africa preferred;
Experience in overseeing the growth or expansion of an organization preferred;
Proficiency in Microsoft Office Suite and strong technical literacy;
Strong communication and interpersonal skills and ability to work on own and take initiative;
Ability to meet deadlines;
Flexibility; someone who is familiar with the volatile and unpredictable nature of working in post conflict environments;
Ability to manage relationships at all levels, possess excellent negotiation skills and will demonstrate excellent communication skills.
DEADLINES
Commencement of position: February 2018
