Protection and Legal Advisor

JOB TITLE: Protection and Legal Advisor

LOCATION: Belgrade

FULLTIME/PARTIME: Full time

DURATION: 12 months

BACKGROUND

The International Rescue Committee (IRC) responds to the world’s worst humanitarian crises and helps people to survive and rebuild their lives. Founded in 1933, the IRC offers lifesaving care and life-changing assistance to refugees forced to flee from war or disaster. At work today in over 40 countries, the IRC seeks to be an operational and inspiring leader in matters of resettlement, asylum, and integration, demonstrating its credibility and expertise as a leading service provider, partner and advocate across the arc of the global displacement crisis.

Across Europe, the IRC delivers programs that address acute humanitarian needs of asylum-seekers and other vulnerable migrants who are newly arrived, stranded or in transit, and programs that address their longer-term integration needs.

In response to the increased number of people on the move from 2015, the IRC began responding in the Balkans to assist vulnerable refugees, asylum seekers and migrants. Since the conflict in Ukraine started and consequent displacement into neighboring countries from February 2022, the programs are established to address the most pressing needs of people on the move across the South-east Europe. IRC continues to use its voice and expertise to increase safe and legal pathways, ensure protection and improve the quality of resettlement, asylum and integration services. The programs are implemented in close partnership with local non-governmental organizations and governmental institutions.

SCOPE OF WORK

Brief description of the position’s role within the Project(s):

The Protection and Legal Advisor will be responsible for provision of technical guidance, support and review to ensure quality programming of the legal and protection programs across Balkans and south-eastern Europe. This will include oversight of the legal and protection services, including review and understanding of complex legal procedures, leadership of internal and partner’s legal and protection capacity building activities, and the identification and analysis of legal and protection trends and issues of concern. The Protection and Legal Adviser will undertake coordination with other legal actors at the national level, as well as supporting local-level coordination with legal and protection partners actors, as needed.

The Protection and Legal Advisor will collaborate closely with the program managers. Coordinator in the identification of recurring legal challenges and assist in the development of information material for the target population. The Protection and Legal Advisor will provide regular reports and briefings to the Program Coordinator and the Head of Office on case number/types and progress of persons seeking support for the asylum claim and the access to durable solutions. He/she will maintain complete, accurate, and confidential client records for review by the Program Coordinator. Throughout his/her work, the Protection and Legal Advisor will ensure that principles of confidentiality and ethics are upheld throughout the program implementation.

Who this position reports to: The Legal Advisor will report to the Head of Office.

RESPONSIBILITIES:

Quality programming & Implementation

• Provide case specific advice to support resolution across countries of highly complex legal, procedural and technical issues including: immigration and refugee law, family-based applications/petitions, immigrant and non-immigrant visas, naturalization, overseas refugee processing, consular processing, unaccompanied children law and process.
• Negotiate, support, advise to support local partners to do so locally for application of refugee and immigration process and law.
• Lead on Advocacy initiatives towards application or strategic modification of law and processes regarding protection issues and refugee and immigration laws.
• Support the team and partners to frame the scope of work and legal and protection targets.
• Develop training materials and provide regular training and coaching of IRC team and partners on law and processes, protection principles, approaches and best practices and ensure the team and the partners are adequately equipped with knowledge and appropriate tools to achieve the best quality outcome.
• Conduct ongoing mentoring and training on immigration and refugee law and procedures to accredited partners.
• Research and draft legal memos on immigration and refugee laws, policies, and procedures for dissemination to the National Immigration Systems.
• Support, train, advise and overview quality implementation of an adapted protection monitoring system
• Under the direction of the Program Coordinator, develop and implement new policies and procedures to reorganize and restructure the provision of legal services, case management, training, and quality assurance.
• Maintain complete, accurate and confidential records of client assistance when applicable. Based on evidence-based regular analysis, guide, review and support the development of accurate legal and protection strategy for IRC in the Balkans and Southeastern Europe.
• Conduct regular visit and “shadowing” activities to ensure implementation of quality programming, identify field challenges and appropriately advise and adapt approaches.

Coordination & Representation

• Collaborate closely with program managers and the Program Coordinator on case identification, and on the identification of administrative needs; work closely with the partners’ protection teams on the development of information material on administrative requirements and processes
• Participate in local or national working groups related to protection, immigration and refugee issues and law.
• Initiate linkages with national legal aid service providers for the referral of cases that may require additional legal support
• Undertake/participate in liaison, coordination, and information sharing activities with national and international NGOs, international organizations, donors and governments.
• Work closely and coordinate with IRC supply chain, finance and grant staff to ensure timely and complaint program activities and expenditures, including active participation in grant opening/closing and review meetings

Grant Monitoring & Reporting

• Contribute to IRC and donor reports as per set schedules (monthly, quarterly and annually) on grant activities, indicators and achievements.
• Contribute to grants writing and proposals.

Program Development

• Assist in the collection of data, assessments and proposal development for the sector.

Other

• Other duties as assigned by the supervisor to enable and develop IRC programs

Professional Standards

• All IRC staff are required to adhere to THE IRC Way Standards for Professional Conduct and the IRC country employment policies.

REQUIREMENTS:

• University Graduate, degree in Law
• 3-5 years professional experience practicing law, preferably in human rights and asylum law
• Proven abilities in developing workplans, data collection and analysis and performance monitoring
• INGO experience preferred
• Personal qualities: Works well in and promotes teamwork, comfortable in a multi-cultural environment, flexible and able to handle pressure well
• Fluency in English required. Preference will be given to candidates with fluency in the following languages: Ukrainian and Russian

WORK ENVIRNOMENT

Travel and other requirements: office hours; frequent travel on the field.

IRC is an Equal Opportunity Employer IRC considers all applicants on the basis of merit without regard to race, sex, color, national origin, religion, sexual orientation, age, marital status, veteran status or disability.

The IRC and IRC workers must adhere to the values and principles outlined in IRC Way – Standards for Professional Conduct. These are Integrity, Service, Accountability and Equality. In accordance with these values, the IRC operates and enforces policies on Beneficiary Protection from Exploitation and Abuse, Child Safeguarding, Anti Workplace Harassment, Fiscal Integrity, and Anti-Retaliation.