Organization: International Commission of Jurists
Country: South Africa
Closing date:
21 May 2017The International Commission of Jurists (ICJ) is a worldwide network of judges and lawyers united in affirming international law and rule of law principles that advance human rights.
We are recruiting an experienced, committed human rights lawyer as Legal Advisor (LA) to assist the ICJ improve the ability of African lawyer and civil society to advocate for the rule of law and application of international human rights standards, with an emphasis on African human rights mechanisms and instruments. The legal advisor will work with our three other partner organisations based in the Gambia, Kenya and Ethiopia, and will be based in the regional office in Johannesburg or, if agreed upon, another country and will be working with a team of international staff. The ideal candidate will have a working knowledge of African human rights mechanisms and instruments and practical experience of legal advocacy using those mechanisms through litigation, training or oversight and will have a well-developed network of contacts in African countries, including those hosting human rights mechanisms such as Ethiopia, the Gambia, and Tanzania. The ideal candidate will have expertise of working with civil society groups, lawyers, judges, human rights defenders, media and academia.
RESPONSIBILITIES
Reporting directly to the Director of Africa Regional Programme, the Legal Adviser holds the following responsibilities:
· Monitor and analyze legal developments concerning human rights instruments, standards and the rule of law, with the focus on African human rights mechanisms and standards application;
· Research, edit and write human rights reports and produce training manuals and legal memos with a focus African human rights standards and mechanisms;
· Establish working protocols and relationships with three partner organisations based in the Gambia, Kenya and Ethiopia, including developing of work plans, monitoring of project activity implementation and reporting;
· Implement the project using the full range of innovative ICJ and partner’s advocacy strategies and legal interventions, including through training manuals on use of the African regional mechanisms, public reports, legal research, trial observations and advocacy in regional fora;
· Develop and execute capacity building interventions for HRDs, civil society, media, lawyers and judges on use of African regional mechanisms and standards;
· Carry out fact finding missions, and field research missions, especially in targeted countries, on key issues such as the rule of law, independence of the judiciary, situation of human rights defenders and use of regional mechanisms;
· Ensure that data for results monitoring and evaluation is collected and processed;
· Assist in strategic planning and preparing work plans and activity reports for the Africa Programme;
· Represent the ICJ externally and develop and maintain relations with relevant agencies, inter-governmental organizations, NGOs and the judicial, legal, academic and human rights communities;
· Supervise the work of relevant interns of the Africa Programme as designated; and
· Carry out other appropriate responsibilities as requested.
Qualifications
Education & Experience
· University education at Masters Degree level in Law, Human Rights Law or other related disciplines, or equivalent;
· 8-10 years of experience in the field of Human Rights at regional level, preferably in an African context;
· Experience in the field of referrals, case preparation, litigation, shadow reporting, use of special mechanisms;
· Experience in planning and implementing effective collaborative interaction between various civil society organizations and inter-governmental institutions;
· Past experience as a key expert or technical advisor in related or similar projects relating to the operations of African regional mechanisms or to regional economic communities (RECs) focusing on human rights or courts;
· Experience with the linkages and joint human rights African Peace and Security Architecture, and African Governance Architecture and frameworks would be an asset.
Essential Skills
· Excellent political judgment and the proven ability to network with a wide array of organizations and role players;
· Excellent knowledge of African human rights and advocacy work
· Proficiency in English. Knowledge of another African Union operating language
· such as French, Arabic or Portuguese will be an asset;
· Excellent presentation, writing and communication skills;
· Good management and negotiation skills;
· Excellent interpersonal skills and ability to work in multi-cultural environments including remotely with limited daily oversight or supervision.
· Strong analytical and organizational skills;
· Openness and flexibility, capacity to adapt to changing priorities and needs;
· Knowledge of Microsoft Office: Word, Excel, Powerpoint;
· Willingness to travel often;
· Commitment to human rights and the rule of law.
The position will be based in Johannesburg (if already in possession of a valid work permit) or elsewhere in Africa if certain requirements can be met.
The ICJ is an equal opportunities employer.
How to apply:APPLICATIONS close on 21 May 2017 and should be addressed with your resume, a cover letter and the names and contact details of at least two referees to:
Ref: African civil society human rights Legal Adviser
By email: africa-recruitment@icj.org
Please appreciate that due to the volume of applications, only short-listed candidates will be contacted. We cannot answer phone enquiries, thank you for your understanding.