IPHR is looking for a new colleague for its legal team to work as a Junior Legal Officer responsible for implementing selected projects with our partners in Ukraine, the EU and beyond. The successful candidate can work from one of the three IPHR offices in Kyiv, Brussels or Tbilisi or work remotely. The position is full-time for a duration of six months, with a possible extension. We are looking for someone who would be able to start as soon as possible.
Role description:
The Junior Legal Officer will be responsible for contributing to the work of the IPHR’s legal team by drafting public reports and legal filings related to Russian atrocity crimes in Ukraine, assisting in the planning and implementation of fact-finding missions to de-occupied Ukrainian territories, analysing evidence of suspected atrocity crimes, and providing technical assistance to the research team.
The Junior Legal Officer will report directly to the Legal Team Manager and Ukraine Team Manager while working closely with 12+ members of the Ukraine Team and the Programme Director.
Description of duties:
The Junior Legal Officer will have the following responsibilities:
- Contribute to planning and implementation of IPHR’s investigations into suspected atrocity crimes committed by Russian forces and its proxies in Ukraine;
- Processing materials gathered during fact-finding missions in de-occupied regions of Ukraine, including witness and survivors’ testimonies;
- Processing OSINT data related to suspected atrocity crimes committed by Russian forces and its proxies;
- Contribute to the production of public reports on Russian atrocity crimes;
- Contribute to drafting legal filings to the ICC, universal jurisdiction and human rights sanctions mechanisms, Ukrainian investigative and prosecutorial authorities, as well as various international non-judiciary human rights bodies;
- If needed, participate in witness and survivors interviews and fact-finding missions;
- Represent IPHR and present its work on Ukraine during international human rights events;
- Complete other ad-hoc tasks to support IPHR’s accountability work related to the Russian war in Ukraine.
Position requirements:
A competitive candidate shares IPHR’s dedication to protecting human rights and bringing those responsible for atrocity crimes in Ukraine to account and demonstrates strong team spirit and empathy. A competitive candidate is able to work both in a team and independently.
Additionally, a competitive candidate should meet the following requirements:
- A graduate (Bachelor’s) or post-graduate (Master’s) degree in Law; the most competitive candidates are those with international law background;
- Fluency in English (written and spoken); fluency in Ukrainian is highly desirable;
- Strong writing skills;
- Strong legal analysis skills;
- Strong organisational and communication skills;
- Digital skills and knowledge (including Microsoft Office and Google products).
The following qualities would be an asset:
- Experience in working in the human rights sphere and/or for an NGO;
- Experience working within the Ukrainian and international legislative frameworks;
What can IPHR offer:
- A friendly and diverse team of experienced human rights defenders from all over the world;
- Flexible working schedule;
- Hands-on experience in working at all the stages of atrocity crimes investigations, from planning through documenting potential crimes through analysis to legal filings and public reports;
- Mentoring international lawyers with experience in litigating cases and representing victims at the ICC and other international tribunals;
- Training from international experts on various human rights and IHL topics.
If you are interested and qualified for this role, please apply by sending your CV, a cover letter, and two letters of recommendation, by 15 July 2023, to the attention of: ad@iphronline.org