Senior Legal Advisor (Global Desk)

Our Global Desk is looking for a Senior Legal Advisor to support our work on international humanitarian law (IHL) from our Global Desk.

Who we are

The Diakonia International Humanitarian Law Centre is an independent expert group that provides rapid and in-depth advice on the laws of war to ensure the protection of persons in conflict zones worldwide. Through our progressive and inclusive approach, we aspire to secure the strongest possible protection for every person affected by armed conflict.

As a centre of excellence, we share knowledge about and promote international law relevant for situations of armed conflict through research, advocacy, and training with a view to maximizing humanitarian protection. Our rapid and in-depth analyses enable the humanitarian sector to respond to urgent needs and improve the inclusive understanding and application of international law.

The Centre is part of the Swedish development organisation Diakonia and has regional teams based in Bamako, Beirut, Geneva and Jerusalem, which cover conflicts in the Middle East, West Africa, and emerging crises worldwide.

The Global Desk

The Global Desk sits within the International Humanitarian Law Centre. The Global Desk has a help-desk function, leads and coordinates core thematic projects, provides surge support to our context-specific desks and works on contexts where we do not have a physical presence. The Global Desk works with a range of stakeholders including arms bearers, UN mechanisms and treaty bodies, regional bodies and inter-governmental organisations, as well as civil society and self-advocates. Our goal is to support and facilitate the inclusive interpretation, application and monitoring of international humanitarian law and international human rights law in conflict and post-conflict settings.

Purpose of the position

The Senior Legal Adviser will conduct research, draft legal and policy documents, and provide advice and analysis on a range of issues related to armed conflicts and international law. Working alongside the Desk Manager, the Senior Legal Adviser will be responsible for drafting publications and other products, developing and leading workshops and other capacity development activities with a range of stakeholders, and identifying opportunities for advocacy and policy development. In addition, the Senior Legal Adviser will lead and coordinate Centre-wide projects on specific topics. They will represent the Centre at national, regional, and international fora. In their work, they will appreciate the age, gender, and disability dynamics of armed conflict and take a gender-inclusive and intersectional approach.

The successful candidate will be a passionate humanitarian and outstanding lawyer. They will be a dynamic, yet pragmatic and strategic thinker, who is committed to strengthening the inclusive interpretation, application and monitoring of international humanitarian law. They will be an assertive individual who has excellent time management and interpersonal skills. They will be a strong team player who will excel in a diverse and respectful team environment.

Essential experience and qualifications

• Degree in law (JD or LLM) with specialization and/or experience in international humanitarian law, international human rights law and international criminal law.
• 5-10 year’s relevant experience as a legal officer/adviser within an IGO, the UN or NGO.
• Demonstrated high level of IHL expertise. High level of credibility in the IHL community, demonstrated through publications and engagement in academic and policy discourse.
• Demonstrated capacity to conduct advanced legal research and analysis independently, and draft high-quality legal texts in English.
• Experience developing and delivering training, to a range of stakeholders, on IHL, IHRL and ICL.
• Understanding of international and regional monitoring mechanisms, preferably demonstrated through either engagement with or working for a monitoring mechanism.
• Expertise in intersectionality, and the age, gender and disability dynamics of armed conflict
• Outstanding level of English writing proficiency, other languages are an asset (including Portuguese, Arabic, French or Spanish).

Conditions and fees

This is a work from home position at 80-100%. The working hours of the Global Desk are in CET and the successful candidate must be available during working hours in this time zone. The successful candidate will be provided with a fee based on level of experience and qualifications.

Timeframe

The start date will be January 2023. This is a 24-month contract with the possibility of extension.