Global Housing, Land, and Property Advisor

Are you passionate about Legal Aid programming aimed at assisting conflict- and displacement-affected people in claiming and obtaining their rights and access services? Do you have demonstrated experience with legal aid activities aimed at supporting affected people in exercising their Housing, Land and Property (HLP) rights, including restitution, compensation and addressing evictions? Do you want to contribute to DRC’s Strategy 2025 and the Strategic Programme Initiative ‘Expanding Access to Legal Aid’, and specifically work to further develop and expand HLP as a DRC legal aid core competency area? Then you may be DRC’s new Global Housing, Land and Property (HLP) Advisor!

Who are we?

Danish Refugee Council (DRC), one of the world’s leading humanitarian NGOs, is seeking a highly qualified, experienced and committed Global Housing, Land and Property (HLP) Advisor to play a vital role in contributing to the achievement of DRC’s strategic ambitions on ‘Expanding Access to Legal Aid’.

This is an exciting time to join the Programme Division (PD) at DRC, as we have just started the implementation of DRC’s Strategy 2025, with Legal Aid as a dedicated strategic priority, and a commitment to mobilise actors as broadly as possible to support free legal aid to people affected by conflict and displacement, and thus ensure their rights of protection and inclusion.

The position sits in the Global Protection Unit within the Programme Division (PD), part of the Programme, Policy and External Relations (PPE) Department which is DRC’s incubator for strategy, policy, programme and business development. Legal Aid is a core component of the Protection sector, and DRC has a longstanding experience and expertise with legal aid programming and carries out legal aid activities across many of its 40 country operations, within a range of areas, with a primary focus on DRC’s 3 core competency areas: Civil documentation; Refugee law/asylum procedures; and Housing, Land, and Property (HLP).

About the job

The overall objective of the Global HLP Advisor position is to contribute to the achievement of DRC’s Strategy 2025 and the Strategic Programme Initiative ‘Expanding Access to Legal Aid’. The specific objective of the Global HLP Advisor position is to further develop and expand HLP, as a DRC legal aid core competency area.

Global HLP Advisor main duties and responsibilities will be:

Strategy, Policy and Guidance

• Develop multi-year strategy for how DRC will advance and expand HLP, as a core competency area of DRC Legal Aid programming
• Develop global framework and operational guidance for HLP, based on DRC HLP experiences, international standards and inter-agency guidance and good practices
• Develop a chapter on HLP, to be incorporated into the DRC global Legal Aid Resource Pack

Technical Support and Advisory on HLP

• Stay abreast of and identify HLP trends and needs for technical support and advisory on HLP
• Proactively seek opportunities for expanding and incorporating HLP in DRC programming, identifying links with other Legal Aid and Protection sector components, e.g. Civil Documentation, Community-Based Protection and Protection Information Management (PIM) as well as in other sectors, e.g. Shelter & Settlements, Economic Recovery, and Humanitarian Disarmament and Peacebuilding
• Deliver technical support and guidance on HLP activities, remotely and in-person (missions), to DRC country operations and regions

Capacity Development and Training

• Development of training and learning materials, based on HLP framework, guidance and good practices and adult learning methods
• Assess HLP capacity and training needs and develop capacity development plan accordingly
• Deliver training events in person and online on HLP to DRC staff and partners
• Contribute with tailored sessions and materials to other training / learning events

Documentation and Learning on HLP

• Map and document DRC HLP work and good practices
• Ensure key learnings are extracted on HLP implementation and incorporated into the HLP as well as broader Legal Aid and DRC programme portfolio
• Undertake and / or commission research and reviews / evaluations of DRC HLP work, as relevant

Communication & Collaboration

• Promote understanding and recognition of HLP rights and needs in DRC operations, across sectors, platforms and with management
• Develop key advocacy messages on HLP and contribute to DRC advocacy efforts and messaging, when relevant
• Contribute to the achievement of the DRC Strategy 2025 ‘Strategic Programme Initiative’ on Legal Aid, in close collaboration with the global Legal Aid team
• Contribute to maintaining a vibrant DRC Legal Aid Network / Community of Practice

Partnerships & Coordination

• Contribute to and represent DRC in relevant global forums / working groups, notably in the Global Protection Cluster HLP Area of Responsibility (AoR) and with donors
• Identify and broaden the partnerships on HLP with relevant NGO, UN and private sector actors and donors.

About you

To be successful in this role we expect you to have a minimum of 6 years of relevant experience working within the Protection sector, including 3-4 years having worked with HLP issues. In addition, we expect you to possess strong familiarity with international laws, standards and mechanisms addressing HLP rights.

All employees should master DRC’s core competencies: Communicating, Taking the lead, Collaborating, Striving for excellence and Demonstrating integrity.

Moreover, we also expect the following:

Required

• Master’s degree in law or equivalent relevant technical area
• Minimum 5 years progressively responsible experience working in conflict and displacement contexts, characterised by political instability and fragility
• Proven experience of working with international organisation(s) at both field and global level
• Knowledge of HLP issues in emergency, post-conflict / disaster, early recovery and solutions settings
• Commitment to continuously learn and keep abreast of new developments in the field of HLP and Legal Aid
• Excellent interpersonal skills and ability to establish and maintain effective partnerships and working relations in a multicultural, multi-ethnic environment with sensitivity and respect for diversity
• Proven experience in designing and delivering training and learning on HLP
• Demonstrated ability to manage and coordinate diverse issues simultaneously, develop clear goals, set priorities and allocate time and resources appropriately
• Highly motivated and hard working with strong attention to detail
• Demonstrable ability to work independently as well as part of a team
• Fluent in oral and written English

Desirable

• Fluent in French
• Working knowledge of other major regional languages

We offer

Contract length: 2 years with possibility for extension, subject to donor funding

Workplace: DRC Regional Office Middle East, based in Amman, Jordan

Start date: 1 October 2022 or as soon as possible thereafter.

Employment band: F – non-management

Salary and conditions for the position will be on DRC terms.