Legal Officer - Female

Deadline Date ‎2022-‎05-31Transform the lives of the most marginalized and vulnerable communities and be
at the forefront of social change.
About You: A driven and passionate mid-career professional looking to work
alongside an inspiring, dynamic team of leading human rights workers. The
candidate will have exceptional case management skills and embrace a
collaborative, team approach to the work they do. This person has experience
living and working in challenging operating environments and is eager to apply
that experience working on innovative human rights projects that support some
of the most vulnerable people in Iraq.
About Heartland Alliance International: Heartland Alliance International’s
(HAI) mission is to secure the rights and well-being of marginalized people
and communities. HAI envisions a world in which those whose rights have been
violated are safe and empowered to actively engage in their communities and be
at the forefront of social change. In Iraq, HAI provides holistic services
focusing on mental health and psychosocial support, legal aid, violence
prevention, and social cohesion to diverse vulnerable populations.
The Project: Heartland Alliance International (HAI), is implementing a project
called Justice for Children and Young People II: Promoting Diversion and
Protection of Children in Contact with the Law in Kirkuk Governorate is a
four months project with high possibility of extension. This project seeks to
ensure that children and young people benefit from a functional and child-
friendly system of justice that protects them and their rights and a
comprehensive community-based reintegration program that promotes safe and
sustainable reintegration through comprehensive social development and
economic strengthening services. Project activities will be implemented in
Kirkuk governorates. The project consists of three interrelated and mutually-
reinforcing objectives:
(‎1) Juveniles in conflict with the law across investigation courts and police
stations in Kirkuk including districts and sub-districts, including Hawija and
those detained in the Kirkuk detention center have access to comprehensive
protection and legal services during pre and post-trial period.
(‎2) Iraqi juvenile justice actors and key stakeholders have increased
coordination to ensure provision of quality child friendly services and
enhanced child friendly law enforcement practices toward children.
(‎3) Promote diversion and alternatives to detention (ATD) for children in
conflict with the law and advocating for children delinquency prevention.
Promote diversion and alternatives to detention (ATD) for children in conflict
with the law.
Essential Duties and Responsibilities: The legal officer will be based in
Kirkuk - Iraq, and will work directly under the supervision of the Legal and
advocacy coordinator/Project Manager and the HAI Legal technical advisor. The
legal officer will be responsible for providing legal services for the
targeted beneficiaries through legal consultation and legal representation
before/during/after the trail and ensuring that all legal project services and
activities will be implemented in line with the project work plan based on HAI
responsibilities and donor standards and requirements.
* Conduct individual sessions providing legal information and legal counseling for released juveniles and their families.
* Ensure completion of case intake forms of legal cases and regularly update the case trackers.
* Represent individual cases in Kirkuk courts and relevant departments
* Coordinate with the case management in maintaining legal case documentation and oversee the development of case summaries.
* Ensure monitoring and evaluation activities and reporting meet HAI’s standards and are completed on schedule.
* Adhere to HAI policies, donor agreements, work plans, budgets and procurement plans.
* Filing legal cases before administrative or other bodies in accordance with established procedures for legal representation.
* Supports compilation and writing of daily, monthly and quarterly updates.
* Input and update beneficiary data into case tracker system of HAI, and periodically disaggregate and analyze data gathered during legal assistance activities in order to identify trends;
* Archive all legal cases in individual files, ensuring respect of confidentiality of data per HAI/Donor requirement/Local laws
* Manage all legal reports and issued documents.
* Prepare and send daily/weekly field reports to the legal coordinator, also raise any concern or rights violation noticed in the area, according to best practices in term of confidentiality and safety of beneficiaries.
* Prepare all documents required to file cases.
* Maintain a regular schedule based on case requirements.
* Refer identified legal cases to other departments internally to Case Management – PSS – MHPSS or externally to other services providers.
* Review discovery documents and determine the best course of action for each beneficiary in each case.
* Prepare documentation of legal proceedings.
* Taking advances from finance to pay the legal fees and liquid the issued documents with finance department per HAI policy.
* Perform other duties, as required by the supervisor.Essential
* A bachelor degree in law
* Minimum three years’ experience in providing legal aid services in humanitarian settings including minimum two years with child protection project.
* Active member of the Iraqi Lawyers’ Syndicate with Level C.
* Soft skills
* Strong analytical skills;
* A broad network of contacts and ability to navigate within the legislative and judicial fields in Baghdad and the IKR and across various ministries;
* A strong commitment to human rights and to implementation of international law.
* Demonstrated understanding of protection and ethical principles in humanitarian programming.
* Experience with Windows platform, including Word, PowerPoint, Excel, etc.
* Excellent oral communication skills.
* Excellent negotiation and relationship management skills, with the ability to proactively problem solve and find solutions
* Proven ability to calmly, professionally, and successfully manage multiple priorities
* Ability to reside in Kirkuk and travel within Kirkuk governorate and to the other governorate and to KRI governorates.
Languages
* Required : Arabic – Kurdish - Turkmen (read, write and communicate) or at least two of them.
* Preferred (English) is a strong factor.
Personal Competencies: Collaborative spirit and ability to work independently
as well as in a team; commitment to knowledge sharing and teamwork; positive
attitude and ability to see through challenges to find solutions; and strong
interpersonal skills and an ability to clearly communicate, including complex
concepts into layperson language.
Resilience: This project will address sensitive issues. Interested applicants
should have a strong commitment to addressing the issues with cultural
sensitivity, respect, and confidentiality. Candidates should be flexible, have
a sense of humor and patience.Please send a cover letter (‎1 page maximum) explaining your interest and how
your experience meets the qualifications required and a CV, to
https://heartlandalliance.bamboohr.com/jobs/view.php?id=‎687
indicating the vacancy job title in the subject line. Incomplete applications
will not be considered. Only shortlisted candidates will be contacted. If you
do not hear back from us within ‎2 weeks, please consider your application
unsuccessful.
Heartland Alliance makes all hiring and employment decisions without regard
to race, creed, color, age, gender, gender identity, marital or parental
status, religion, ancestry, national origin, physical or mental disability,
sexual orientation, sexual identity, immigrant status, political affiliation
or belief, ex-offender status (depending on the offense and position to be
filled), unfavorable military discharge, membership in an organization whose
primary purpose is the protection of civil rights or improvement of living
conditions and human relations, or HIV infection, in accord with the
Organization's AIDS Policy Statement of September, ‎1987. Individuals with
disabilities requiring accommodation should contact the Human Resources and
Administration Office at (‎312) ‎660-‎1431.