Job Title: Legal Officer
Job Type: Full-time
Location: Duhok, Iraq
Contract period: Fixed term, initially for 6 months with possibility of renewal
Documents required: CV, cover letter and two references
Deadline for applications: 15 December 2019
About Yazda
Yazda is a non-governmental, non-profit organization established in 2014 as response to the genocide committed by the so-called Islamic State against the Yazidis and other minorities in Iraq and Syria. Since its inception, Yazda has worked to provide humanitarian and legal assistance to Yazidi survivors to assist in their post-genocide recovery and ultimately improve their living conditions in Iraq. With our headquarters in Duhok, Yazda has been operating in various locations across the country since October 2014 including Baghdad, Duhok, and Sinjar. Yazda also operates in the USA as a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization and is also registered in Germany, Sweden, and the United Kingdom.
About the Genocide Documentation Project
The Genocide Documentation Project was launched in October 2015 to gather as much evidence as possible on the genocide committed against the Yazidis. Since then, the Genocide Documentation team has been collecting evidence in the form of witness and survivor interviews, in addition to visual material on mass graves and kill sites in and around Sinjar, Nineveh Province, where the genocide took place.
The Genocide Documentation Project aims to:
- Document, consolidate, and archive existing survivor and witness testimonies on the genocide against Yazidis as well as the destruction of Yazidi cultural heritage sites in Sinjar prior to the genocide to inform future academic and public inquires,
- Support legal work to pursue criminal accountability for crimes against Yazidis before international and domestic courts,
- Provide support and background information to further domestic and international advocacy efforts that work to improve the conditions of Yazidis.
Duties and Responsibilities
Under the supervision of the Project Manager of the Documentation Project and Yazda’s legal team, the legal officer is expected to fulfil the following duties:
- Analysing and collecting evidence concerning the Yazidi genocide.
- Establish a solid, trustworthy relationship with survivors and take statements as appropriate.
- Liaise with international counsel and international and foreign investigative and judicial authorities.
- Reach out to and liaise with judicial, prosecutorial and other authorities in central Iraq and the KRG to obtain and share information on ongoing court cases or investigations.
- Monitor and report on criminal proceedings before domestic courts in Iraq.
- Adhere to internationally-recognised standards of ethics, professionalism, confidentiality and due process
Qualifications
Education:
- Law degree, qualified lawyer
Experience:
- A minimum of three years of experience in one or more areas relevant to the role;
- Familiarity with the Iraqi legal system or similar legal systems in the region;
- Prior experience in a non-governmental organization or international organization is an asset.
Language
- Fluency in Arabic and English
Skills and Abilities:
- Knowledge of the political, economic, social and religious situation in Iraq and the Middle East;
- Ability and willingness to work with people from different ethnic groups, religions and socio-economic backgrounds;
- Basic computer skills;
- Able to prioritize work, multi-task and meet deadlines;
- Strict adherence to confidentiality clause to ensure protection of all witnesses and survivors;
- Strong interpersonal skills and flexibility, responsibility, integrity, team work, self-motivated, preparedness to work off-time;
- Experience in interviewing victims of SGBV is an asset;
- Knowledge of international criminal and human rights law is an asset.
Information about salary and other benefits upon request.
Applications from female candidates are strongly encouraged.
Applications can be sent to iq.hr@yazda.org
