Investigator (SMJT)

Global Rights Compliance (GRC) is an international legal foundation focused on bringing perpetrators to justice for atrocity crimes. We have a presence in the Hague, London, Washington, and Kyiv.
GRC in Ukraine works in support of the Office of the Prosecutor General (OPG) by deploying several Mobile Justice Teams (MJTs) that assist the OPG in all aspects of the investigation, case building and prosecution. Our headquarters for this project are in Kyiv, Ukraine. GRC’s MJTs operate throughout Ukraine in areas of interest to the OPG.

Starvation Track: GRC possesses unrivaled expertise and granular knowledge of the crime of starvation, derived from a dedicated portfolio of analysis, accountability and investigative work conducted over the past four years. GRC, is the only international organization consisting of ICL lawyers that has been consistently in Ukraine since 2015 working with the OPG and CSOs to document international crimes. We have a team currently in Ukraine; with language proficiency, an intimate knowledge of the operating environment; and trusted relationships with all the critical justice actors, governmental bodies, CSOs and relevant stakeholders. The blend of our technical expertise in Ukraine and subject matter expertise in relation to starvation is unique.
GRC has conducted several similar starvation investigations using OSINT experts and contractors, using those findings to develop legal submissions and pursue innovative accountability initiatives. These have been focused on Yemen, Syria, South Sudan, and Tigray primarily.
SMJT Scope: It will have three principal investigative focuses (i) the siege of Mariupol; (ii) the legality of the naval blockade of the Black Sea Ports in the context of starvation; and (iii) broader patterns of
attacks on objects indispensable to the survival of the civilian population across Ukraine.

DUTY STATION: The job will be based in Kiyv, Ukraine
CONTRACT DURATION: 6-month contract with a possible extension.

OBJECTIVES
GRC is looking for a senior ICL investigator with a complimentary range of specialisms/experiences covering the spectrum of tasks arising in war crimes prosecutions, including inter alia, POW debriefs, imagery analysis, comms/cyber intercepts, informant handling, fire/arson, military documents/intercepts, exhumation/post-mortem, major incident management and OSINT.

DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES

• Providing leadership within the MJT effort to enhance national investigative capability
• Driving the implementation of the new national investigative strategy
• Becoming the focal point for specific investigative techniques relevant to international crimes
• Maintaining an awareness of capabilities, requirements and donor offers within those technique areas
• Developing the mindset of investigators to see ‘national crimes’ in an ‘international crimes’ context
• Promoting the requirement/means to aggregate individual incidents into pattern- or command-cases
• Incorporating multiple investigative approaches to ensure the broadest possible collection of evidence
• Establishing and ensuring procedures for disciplined chain of custody requirements
• Offering practical guidance for securing and processing major/large crime scenes
• Conceptualising, planning and leading field visits and investigation support missions
• Identifying investigative shortcomings and developing/delivering training/mentoring to rectify the issue
• Assisting other MJT members as required

ATTRIBUTES

Mandatory

• 5-15 years of relevant investigative experience in war crimes, crimes against humanity or genocide
• Experience in leading large and complex investigations
• Ability to work effectively with the whole range of criminal justice actors
• Flexible and creative; able to work in an unstructured, changeable & fast-moving environment, proactive, anticipating problems and solutions orientated.
• Not requiring detailed guidance to get started; can be given a ‘desired outcome’ and figure out the action areas required to reach it
• Practical thinker, able to break down and pursue the elements required to operationalise a strategy
• Administratively competent; able to manage competing urgent demands.
• Fluency in English
• Practical experience in working with highly sensitive material and an ability to demonstrate the requisite skill in storing, sharing and working with such material.

Desirable

• Experience of working in a post-Soviet country / legal system
• Practical experience working with justice actors
• Practical experience working in the field with an international commission of inquiry or fact-finding mission.
• Experience in humanitarian access violations and related IHL violations and crimes
• Fluency or competency in Ukrainian or Russian
• Experience working within a legal team at one of the international ad hoc tribunals